And even though the Chicago chapter isn’t quite that old itself, you’d better believe we’ll be playing a big part in the celebration.

AIGA, the professional association for design, will be celebrating its centennial this year—rallying 25,000 members across 67 chapters representing virtually every dimension of communications design. As you can imagine, this is no small milestone for an organization that started as a New York club of 40 members focused exclusively on the graphic arts.

Yes, there will be an interactive exploration of design’s rich legacy and growing impact (100 Years of Design). Yes, there will be a series of essays presenting personal reflections on the past, present and future of design (Centennial Voices).

And of course there will be dozens of events and activities permeating all 67 chapters over the course of the year.

That’s where AIGA Chicago comes in.

Here in our neck of the Midwest, we’ll be inviting members, friends and fans to thoroughly explore the current state and future of design by sharing work, ideas and perspectives from all over the world. It’ll be happening online (think Instagram) and offline (think Annual Meeting), and it’s all starting right now.

For more information on the national program, visit www.aiga.org. To jump right into the celebration, head on over to www.celebratedesign.org. And for ongoing updates and announcements about local goings-on, keep checking chicago.aiga.org and following #aiga100chicago.