AIGA recently put forward a proposal to sell its not quite iconic but still spiritually critical national headquarters, situated in a hugely desirable lot on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The building was bought in a fundraising campaign in 1994 — “The money was raised through blood, sweat and tears, and it was a grand moment in the organization’s then 80-year history” — and is now worth nearly twenty times what was paid for it.

A list of notable designers including Michael Bierut, Hugh Dubberly, Steven Heller, Paula Scher and others believe this proposal is ill advised, and in this blog post on Design Observer, come out squarely against it.

“In short, we believe the proposed choices outlining the future of AIGA are misguided, misinformed and manipulative, and should be regarded skeptically by our fellow members. We want you to know what’s going on with your organization. We urge you to reject this false choice.”

You don’t see much dissension in the graphic design community, so this is conflict of the highest order. Every signatory to this objection is a former AIGA board member, president and/or medalist. The public nature of this dispute between actors who have been historically aligned so closely is unprecedented. Read the full post here.

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