Hello Alberta South!

We're hoping everyone's enjoying the summer weather. We also wanted to let everyone know things are ticking along during the summer, and much of the work was kicked off or renewed at the last national Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Moncton.

The AGM was held at the end of April and Alberta South had two representatives there this year: Naoko Masuda, president, and Danny Lin, VP.

Here are some other takeaways from the AGM that celebrate the continuing work of the GDC throughout a year.

Sample of accomplishments from 2011:

• Application for first Certification Mark for graphic designers in Canada (CGD)
• Application for trademark of GDC
• 3 Year Strategic Plan developed at 2011 AGM
• Implementation of monthly and perpetual renewal options
• Evolution of the Certification Process
• Created the Gibson Font Education Fund through the generosity of Rod McDonald FGDC and Canada Type. Rod created a typeface in honour of John Gibson FGDC, with proceeds of the sale going to the fund. As of the end of April, it had raised more than $36,000.
• GDC Foundation continues to grow
• Created the Ray Hrynkow Scholarship Fund
• Conducted a Member Survey
• Partnered formally with CAPIC
• The 2010 annual report won a lot of awards
• The 2011 annual report, sent out only in the spring, has garnered awards already

All of this was done with:

• An average annual income of less than $237K
• 1 employee
• 8 National Executives
• 8 National Committees
• 107 dedicated volunteers

Some things coming up for this year:

1. Website: The GDC website will be evolving to provide better functionality for members
2. Education: the Gibson Fund's mission is to preserve and celebrate Canadian design, and the first big initiative is the Carl Dair Typography Workshop, which we plan to hold in various regions.