The “Design Is”
written by Amanda Amyx and Monina Velarde

How can we engage and educate high school students in Chicago about the power, potential and possibilities of design? Through the AIGA Chicago Mentor Program, a group of Chicago based graphic designers, design researchers, architects, and entrepreneurs collaborated to answer this question. We designed a newsprint piece where we illustrated and visualized 11 words that we felt best communicated and exemplified the meaning of design. Our newsprint project aimed to promote design, peak curiosity and encourage high school students to get involved—whether it’s considering design as a career, learning more about the design community, or just knowing about the design resources available in Chicago.

With the help of the AIGA PUSH Grant, The “Design Is” newsprint was produced and distributed at the 2013 Chicago Design Youth Forum hosted by Project Osmosis. The Design Youth Forum is an all day event that  brings together 100+ high school students from the Chicago Public School District to participate in design focused workshops. Our AIGA Mentor group gave a presentation to the attendees of the forum about our “Design Is” project. We also lead a graphic design workshop where we explored how poster design can create a positive change within our environment and community. The whole experience was incredibly fulfilling – we were humbled and thrilled to distribute our project to the students, share with them our experiences working in the creative field and connect with them one-on-one.

Design Credits: Amanda Amyx, Buddy Boor, Shannon Delaney, Katy Dondzila, Darren Gennetten, Kelby Hawn, Diba Salimi, Kaity Li and Monina Velarde

Photographer Credits: Brent Hofacker