The GDC has been a member of Icograda since 1974, and continues to actively support this international association.

Walter Jungkind fgdc, Professor Emeritus at University of Alberta, recalls that the GDC was first proposed for Icograda membership at the General Assembly of 1972 in Vienna, Austria, by himself, as a member of the then British Society of Industrial Artists and Designers (now Royal Chartered Society of Designers), seconded by the then immediate past president FHK Henrion, of Great Britain. “However, since GDC at that time was not yet properly established (its constitution was not incorporated by the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs in Ottawa until July 16, 1976) the General Assembly was unable to vote on it”.

The GDC was finally accepted at the 1974 General Assembly in Düsseldorf, Germany, at the same General Assembly where Jungkind was elected Icograda president. Even though the GDC constitution had not yet been incorporated, he had the proposed text with him. Yarom Vardimon, president of the Israeli graphic design association, seconded the motion to approve acceptance.

“The Icograda Board and Assembly were keen to accept the GDC,” said Jungkind, “since it was the very first graphic design association from outside of Europe applying, and being accepted as a full member association. There were two individual associate members from overseas, Masaru Katzumi from Japan, and a design instructor from a small US university. Until 1974 Icograda was an exclusively European organisation”.

In a 2005 letter to the GDC National Executive, Icograda President Jacques Lange commented on the GDC’s contribution to the international design community. Excerpts follow:
Ever since I became involved in design profession management I have been inspired by the work of the GDC. The high level of professionalism with which it conducts its business, the vigour with which it promotes the status of the profession, the serious commitment that it has to develop its members, the innovative way that it embraces technology and develops original programming, and the great sense of community that it fosters for its members is truly admirable.

GDC has also been one of the most active members in the Icograda community and has contributed greatly to the work of the Council. It has delivered an unprecedented three Icograda presidents, Walter Jungkind FGDC (1974–1977), Jorge Frascara FGDC (1985–1987) and Robert L. Peters FGDC (2001–2003) and two other Executive board members, Albert Ng R.G.D., FGDC (1995-1997) and David Berman R.G.D. FGDC (2005-2007).

Additionally, the Canadian design community and the Québec government had made a great contribution to the global design community by offering Icograda, ICSID and the IDA a home base for its secretariats in Montréal. It is a space that all are proud of.

Benefits of Icograda Membership
Icograda is the world body for professional graphic design and visual communication. It is the representative international, non-governmental organization for graphic design, unifying the voice of designers worldwide and promoting their dynamic role in society and commerce.

Founded in London in 1963, Icograda is comprised of 63 Full Member Associations, 18 Associate, 11 Affiliate, 71 Education Members and hundreds of Friends of Icograda in 57 countries worldwide. It holds consultative status with the UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNIDO (the United Nations Industrial Development Organization), ISO (the International Standards Organization), and WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization).

The GDC’s Association Membership in Icograda puts us in touch with what is happening in design internationally and gives us the opportunity to contribute to international design initiatives, as well as to build relationships with member organizations, in order to connect and collaborate with colleagues worldwide. Easier, faster, better contact with members, resources, articles, downloadable documents, which are contributed and used by Member Associations, as well as timely information about international conferences, initiatives and educational opportunities through a free subscription to ENews (a weekly email newsletter), are just some of the benefits members enjoy, in addition to reduced fees to select Icograda events.

Membership status allows us to help further the goals of Icograda to advocate for professional standards of practice and to further the recognition of and professional treatment of designers.

                   – from Designing Canada for 50 Years, GDC 2005-2006 Annual Report

About Icograda

The International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) is the world body for professional communication design. Founded in 1963, it is a voluntary assembly of associations concerned with graphic design, visual communication, design management, design promotion and design education. Icograda promotes communication designers' vital role in society and commerce and unifies the voices of graphic designers and visual communicators worldwide. The vision, mission and core values of the council are collectively embodied in the statement 'leading creatively' and manifested through our members' diverse activities to use design as a medium for progressive change.

While taking into account institutional, cultural and social differences throughout the world, Icograda serves the worldwide community by aiming to:

- represent the interests of professional communication designers in a responsible manner, within the broader design community;
- define and increase awareness of professional standards and best practices governing communication design practice;
- advance the best interests of humanity and the ecology, through design;
- foster recognition and respect of design by individuals, clients, and society at large, as a valued and vital profession;
- facilitate knowledge management;
- facilitate cooperation amongst organisations of designers, and allied institutions; and
- support the development of communication design education (theory, practice, and research).

For more information, please contact Icograda:

Icograda Secretariat
455 Saint Antoine Ouest, Suite SS 10
Montréal, Québec
Canada H2Z 1J1
T: +1 514 448 4949 x 221
F: +1 514 448 4948
E: secretariat@icograda.org
W: www.icograda.org