CHICAGO, May 24, 2017 — As an AIGA agency of record, One Design Company created the visual program for the What’s Next Grant—work designed to champion previous grant winners while inspiring recent grads to keep creating.

One Design Company's Approach

“Conceptually, we wanted to highlight previous winners in a way that makes them look heroic but also really human,” Michael Gump, Senior Designer at One Design Company says. “Our intention was to display their work in a way that looked constructive and deconstructive at the same time—the goal being to inspire people to look at these works and think, ‘This is something I want to be associated with; this is something I want to win.’”

The What’s Next Grant is an education initiative focused on supporting young designers’ transitions into the Chicago design community. Awarded to one recent graduate of a Chicago-area college-level design program, the $1,500 is used to finance a six-month-long project the recipient proposes.

Impacting Community Through Thoughtful Design

Amir Berbić, VP of Education at AIGA, says the four-year-old grant serves two purposes. “It allows a graduating student to work on a project they started but didn’t finish while they were in school, and it also is a contribution to the community just through the act of creating thoughtful design.”

Berbić also notes that the projects proposed “don’t need to solve big problems,” but ones that involve social engagement and advocacy or issues of culture and identity have the potential to blossom into great works.

“As a studio, we’re committed to supporting young designers in the city,” says David Sieren, Design Director at One Design Company, “and we’re happy to continue our partnership with AIGA Chicago’s education team.”

Apply for the AIGA What’s Next Grant by Friday, May 26th.