It was 1966 and debate was raging over the name of Canada's design association. We had been founded 10 years earlier as the Society of Typographic Designers of Canada. The founding members were designers, art directors and commercial artists who focused on typography and design, rather than the "shmaltzy" ad side of the fast-growing industry and profession. Their reputation and influence had expanded rapidly, especially through the ground-breaking work of design pioneers like Allan Fleming and his corporate identity work for CN (see photo above) as well as other designers like Chris Yaneff, Burton Kramer, Stuart Ash, Fritz Gottschalk, and many many others (see GDC Fellows!). TDC members were no longer just artists and production people hidden away in the backroom studios, they were actively contributing in the boardrooms of major Canadian industry and helping to shape and mould the new corporate Canada leading up to the country's coming of age known as Expo '67.

 I recently attended the Design Currency conference in Vancouver, and two of the presentations stand out most clearly for me: Marian Bantjes’ strong defense of artistry and craft in design and Frank Chimero’s lively and compelling argument for the pursuit of a sense of delight in user interfaces (and design in general).

There has been a great deal of discussion in our community regarding ‘design thinking’ and design’s relevance and value to the business community and other buyers of design (and the conference dug into this at length as well). I have long been an advocate of a stronger business focus in design – informed in no small part by my past corporate marketing experience – and a clear separation between art and design. However, the closer our profession has aligned itself to these ideals, the more I have felt that something is missing. The Bantjes/Chimero one-two punch was the clarion call I needed to put language to this gut feeling. It’s not easy to say, but I think I got it wrong; I’m not happy simply being a tool of business.

It makes my clients (both small and large) comfortable when I explain design as a business tool; it makes something intangible feel solid, valuable and measurable. Comfortable clients, as we all know, are easier to work with. However, I now feel that this emphasis on design as a tool strips it of its magic, its mystery. And it is magic, but that’s not a bad thing. Give ten designers the same inputs and you will get ten different solutions. That’s really a wonderful thing; in Frank Chimero’s words, a “delightful” thing.

Today is not only the birthday of Icograda, AND the first day of Design Week: Design Currency in Vancouver, but also World Graphics Day around the globe.  Suffice to say, there is plenty of action going on in the design world on this very day.

"World Graphics Day has been celebrated annually on 27 April since 1995 as an occasion for designers to reflect and hope that Icograda's global network can contribute to greater understanding between people and help build bridges where divides and inequities exist." - Icograda.org

David Coates FGDC describes his philosophy on the opportunities presented to us, not only on World Graphics Day, but every day:

"As a young profession, we have a unique opportunity to define what it is to be a professional graphic designer and to take steps toward positive change in the world. I don't have to tell you that graphic design is everywhere you look, and that design plays a huge role in defining culture, but largely and until recently, we, as an industry have done simply what our clients have asked of us. We are now in a unique position to make real change - to guide our clients in the right direction - because they are listening!"

Read David's full blog post about the Black Collar Worker and World Graphics Day - I think that you will agree - it is an inspiring post. No doubt there will be more discussion of World Graphics Day at Design Currency.

Speaking of which, Design Currency 2010 begins today; pre-registration starts at 5:30 which is literally only a matter of hours and minutes away. Make sure you are familiar with the Design Currency schedule.  What does World Graphics Day mean to you? How do you see general awareness of design? Is it increasing or decreasing? What do you see as the biggest challenges for design in general and how do we overcome those challenges?