6th Annual AIGA Design Legends Gala
Thursday, September 17
At The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City
Reception 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Dinner 7:30–10:30 p.m.
After-party 10:00 p.m.
What it is:
The AIGA Design Legends Gala is an annual fundraising event honoring those whose work inspires designers of all ages, sets the bar for creativity and innovation, and defines the design profession, as we know it. The 2009 honorees are:
The AIGA Medal: Pablo Ferro, Carin Goldberg and Doyald Young
The AIGA Corporate Leadership Award: Patagonia and Jet Blue
The AIGA Fellow Award
The 2009/2010 Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships
Why attend?
- The Gala is an exclusive occasion to honor those who have attained the highest level of achievement in our profession
- It’s an incredibly entertaining way to celebrate our profession
- A chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, make some lasting connections
- A vital opportunity to contribute to the continued success of the organization and profession
- Last year nearly 500 people attended, 26 designers were honored, and $140,000 was raised.
What will happen when you get there?
The evening begins with a cocktail reception: open bar and hors-d’oeuvres. Items for the Silent Auction will be on view and bidding occurs throughout the evening.
At 7:30 p.m., guests are invited into dinner Grand Ballroom.
The main event is a sit-down dinner during which the honors will be awarded. There will be breaks for milling around and visiting.
After the event there will be an after party across the hall. Designer DJs will spin designer favorites. There will be an opportunity to show off your dance moves until 2:00 a.m., cash bar.
Where the proceeds go
Funds raised at the Gala benefit the AIGA Design Archives at the Denver Art Museum, Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships, initiatives to make the profession more inclusive and diverse, and the Legacy Campaign, an endowment to secure the future of AIGA.
All proceeds from the AIGA Silent Auction benefit AIGA’s initiatives to both preserve the profession’s past—through the AIGA Design Archives—and promote its future—with Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships.
The Silent Auction
Last year’s first-ever silent auction of 31 artworks donated by AIGA Medalists and design luminaries raised a total of $16,800. Last year more than 20 AIGA Medalists and other noted designers contributed signed works.
Contributing designers included:
Gail Anderson, Marian Bantjes, Michael Bierut, Ken Carbone, Seymour Chwast, Bart Crosby, Meredith Davis, Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, William Drenttel & Jessica Helfand, Joe Duffy, Shepard Fairey, Ed Fella, Steff Geissbuhler, Milton Glaser, Carin Goldberg, April Greiman, Steven Heller & Lita Talarico, Kit Hinrichs, Maira Kalman, Chip Kidd, Ellen Lupton, Bruce Mau, Abbott Miller, Clement Mok, Woody Pirtle, Paula Scher, Michael Strassburger, Deborah Sussman, Michael Vanderbyl, Massimo & Lella Vignelli and Fred Woodward.
Pricing:
Table and ticket options
AFTER-PARTY ONLY: $50
- Dancing and mingling at the after-party; cash bar
INDIVIDUAL TICKET, FRIEND: $400
- Cocktails, dinner and after-party
INDIVIDUAL TICKET, DONOR: $1,000
- Recognition in the Gala program
- One ticket to VIP reception with Medalists and AIGA Board of Directors
- Cocktails, dinner and after-party
BENEFACTOR TABLE: $6,000
- Recognition in the Gala program
- Two tickets to VIP reception with Medalists and AIGA Board of Directors
- Ten tickets for cocktails, dinner and after-party
PATRON TABLE: $10,000
- Full-page, black and white advertisement in the Gala program
- Recognition in the Gala program
- Four tickets to VIP reception with Medalists and AIGA Board of Directors
- Ten tickets for cocktails, dinner and after-party
LEADERSHIP TABLE: $15,000
- Guests at the 2008 Gala
- One named 2009–2010 Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship
- Full-page, 2-color advertisement in the Gala program
- Recognition in the Gala program
- Six tickets to VIP reception with Medalists and AIGA Board of Directors
- Ten tickets for cocktails, dinner and after-party
Some additional answers to questions you might have:
Where can I sign up?
Go to http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/events-gala and click the link Purchase tickets by September 10 and proceed to myaiga.org to start the process.
What if all I want to buy is an after party ticket?
In the payment process there is an option to select and purchase only the after party.
Do I have to be an AIGA member?
Not at all. For this event, there is no distinction between member and nonmember pricing.
If I buy an individual ticket will I be seated with people I know?
AIGA staff will try to accommodate all requests but there are no guarantees. Add a comment to the form when you purchase the ticket, along the lines of please seat me at the Louise Sandhaus table”. If you purchase a table or multiple tickets, you will manage your guest list through myaiga.org.
Here’s what past attendees had to say:
Brad Weed
“Whether you’re there to gaze at the design stars, revel in the generosity or experience the amazing presentations and decor, you’d be hard-pressed to leave the AIGA Design Legends Gala without a new friend, a new thought or a new appreciation for America’s most esteemed design institution.
Vernon Lockhart
“The Design Legends Gala has been an amazing experience for me; it’s a wonderful thing to honor and meet our design industry’s current and future legends. Last year meeting Clement Mok and Gail Anderson gave me goose bumps, and seeing the youthful winners of the AIGA WorldStudio scholarships was equally inspiring for me.”
Stanley Hainsworth
“The Design Legends Gala was everything the critics had raved about! Experiencing these design legends stand up and talk about their amazing careers really made me feel like I was part of the proud history of AIGA that stretches over time and across careers, into a very bright future.”
Elva Rubio
“The AIGA Design Legends Gala does the best job of introducing and honoring the award winners—the presentations are thoughtful, moving, inspiring and beautifully produced. The room is as equally dazzling and in tandem promising an exciting and entertaining evening. I look forward to this event every year!”
Your support of AIGA and the Gala is integral to the continued success of the organization and profession. I encourage you to participate in this wonderful event. May we count on your support?
