Case studies demonstrating the success and impact of the best design. Work in all media that has been produced and used between February 1, 2013 and May 12, 2015.

About the competition

AIGA's “Cased” competition recognizes creative and inspiring case studies that demonstrate the value of design in a clear, compelling, and accessible way that also serves the client’s very specific needs. Rather than focus on a selection of design artifacts, AIGA believes that a competition built around the case study format offers a more effective means of revealing how designers have approached clients’ problems, with all the attendant constraints. With this in mind, the 2015 “Cased” competition honors 15 exemplary case studies of design solutions that successfully demonstrate the value of design.

Statement from the jury chair, Jennifer Kinon

We’ve just concluded the fourth year of “Cased,” AIGA’s new national design competition. It’s hard work to enter. It’s hard work to judge. Is it worth it?

Yes.

Building the comprehensive national AIGA Design Archives is invaluable to our industry and there is no higher honor than being made part of our permanent and collective memory. AIGA is our professional association for design. It is an honor to do the work to make it great.

And this year’s jury did the work. They were analytical, deliberate, and passionate about the outcome of this year’s competition. The discussion started in early May 2014 and raged on until late September. Sara Frisk (ÄKTA, Chicago), Bryony Gomez-Palacio (UnderConsideration, Austin), Alia Hassan (Blue State Digital, New York City), Pum Lefebure (Design Army, Washingotn, D.C.), Alice Twemlow (Department of Design Research, Writing & Criticism, SVA, New York City), and Margaret Youngblood (independent consultant, San Francisco) modeled the behavior that has made each one of them a great design mind.

As we unpacked the idea of “design effectiveness,” organic process quickly took precedence over pretense. So, rather than share abstract criteria, I’ll share a direct quote from one of our jurors on how she evaluated the submissions:

“In reviewing each entry, I first review the brief, then the role and relationship of the designer, followed by the budget. Once I have that information I look at the project for completion of the brief, the target audience, the quality of the work, the allocation of the production budget, and the quality of the production. While I look for attention to detail, great use of design elements, design knowledge, typography, balance, etc, it’s more important to see that the solution matches the problem and the people using it—with a good idea to carry it through.”

“Simple” as that.

It has been my honor to serve as this year’s chair. The newest entries to the national AIGA Design Archives not only have great craft, but are leading change beyond our industry.

The jury

Chair, Jennifer Kinon, co-founder, OCD | The Original Champions of Design (New York, NY)

Jennifer is a designer and educator based in New York. She co-founded OCD with Bobby C. Martin, Jr. Together they develop brand identity systems for a broad range of clients including the National Basketball Association, Girl Scouts of the USA, and Friends of the High Line. Their work has won awards from the Art Directors Club, D&AD, AIGA, Type Directors Club, and Print, and was named Best of Show and Judge's Pick in the 2011 Brand New Awards. Kinon recently served as the president of AIGA/NY. Prior to founding OCD, she worked in the New York office of Pentagram with Michael Bierut, served as design director of NYC's 2012 Olympic Bid, and worked as art director for Graphis Inc.

Kinon graduated from the University of Michigan and earned an M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts. She is the first program graduate to join the faculty. Jurors

Sara Frisk, vice president of brand strategy, ÄKTA (Chicago, IL)

Sara knows everything can be made better through design, a fact that has fueled her career as a designer and strategist.

A firm believer in the power of a first impression, Sara thrives on the complexity of how a brand evolves to integrate with services, products, environments, and digital design across disparate industries. Prior to ÄKTA, she spent nine years at IDEO Chicago as portfolio director, where her award-winning work helped the American Red Cross, Brooks Sports, Divvy Bikes, PNC Bank, Redbox, Sherwin-Williams, and Walgreens grow their brands and develop stronger, more meaningful customer relationships.

An excellence freak with a wicked sense of humor, Sara is an avid cyclist, sure-footed runner, and no-holds-barred color addict. A long-time vocal advocate for all things Chicago design, she is honored to be AIGA Chicago's president.

Bryony Gomez-Palacio, co-founder and principal, UnderConsideration (Austin, TX)

Born and raised in Mexico City, Bryony is a graphic designer and writer now living in Austin. She is co-founder of UnderConsideration—a graphic design firm and publishing enterprise all rolled into one—where she manages the behind-the-scenes of the online network comprised of Brand New, FPO, Quipsologies, and The Art of the Menu. Bryony has co-authored five books with her husband and partner Armin Vit, their most popular titles being Graphic Design, Referenced and the self-published Flaunt. Most recently, they conceived and presented the Brand New Conference, the Brand New Awards, the FPO Awards, and the recently launched lecture series by The Austin Initiative for Graphic Awesomeness. Bryony enjoys conducting workshops and lecturing when not tending to her two young daughters and their crazy schedules.

Alia Hassan, director of design, Blue State Digital (New York, NY)

Alia works with clients to develop visual designs that galvanize users to take action. Along with her staff in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London, she designs websites and online graphics, develops visual branding for social media and communications campaigns, and integrates a wide range of online tools.

Since joining BSD in 2009, Alia has worked with a broad range of clients including the NAACP, Brazilian and Mexican presidential election campaigns, United Way, the Art Institute of Chicago, Vogue, the Green Bay Packers, EMILY's List, and American Express.

Alia graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a degree in Communication Design and Policy & Management. In 2014, she graduated from AIGA and Yale School of Management's "Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders" program, served on the jury of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, and was featured on Campaigns & Elections' "Influencers 50" list.

Pum Lefebure, co-founder and chief creative officer, Design Army (Washington, D.C.)

An award-winning creative director and savvy business leader, Pum has dreamed up and developed numerous high-profile campaigns worldwide. The Thailand native brings a global sensibility to American design. Pum's hallmark is a distinctive union of the artistic and the commercial, proving that good design is a cornerstone of good business. Pum regularly judges elite design competitions around the world including Cannes Lions and served as the chair of the One Show Design jury. Her work has earned a plethora of awards, including D&AD, the One Show, Art Directors Club, Red Dot Award, TDC, SPD, and AIGA. Pum has been asked to give design lectures and lead workshops across the globe.

Her clients include the Academy Awards, Adobe, GE, Disney, Bank of America, Bloomingdale's, The Ritz Carlton, Marriott, The Washington Ballet, The Smithsonian, and Lucas Film. Pum, who was named by Graphic Design USA as one of the top "50 People to Watch," is currently a member of the Board of Directors for The One Club in New York.

Alice Twemlow, chair, Department of Design Research, Writing & Criticism, SVA (New York, NY)

Alice is founding chair of the SVA Department of Design Research, Writing & Criticism in New York City and co-founder, with Steven Heller, of the SVA MFA in Design Criticism. She writes about design and has recently contributed essays to Iconic Designs: 50 Stories about 50 Things (Berg, 2014), Lolita—Story of a Cover Girl: Vladimir Nabokov's Novel in Art and Design (Print, 2013), and The Aspen Complex (Sternberg Press, 2012). She has directed numerous design conferences and frequently moderates and presents at conferences and seminars, including AIGA Design Educators Conferences and the MoMA R&D Salon Series. Twemlow has an MA and a Ph.D from the RCA/V&A Museum History of Design program in London and is currently developing her doctoral thesis about the history of design criticism into a book to be published by MIT Press.

Margaret Youngblood, independent designer, creative director, and brand consultant (San Francisco, CA)

Margaret, an award-winning brand strategist and identity designer, has worked with some of the world's premier companies and brands to drive change through design. While serving as executive creative director at Landor Associates for almost 20 years, she led corporate and retail brand identity programs for FedEx, H&R Block, LG, BP, HP, Charles Schwab, Accenture, Xbox, Gap, Banana Republic, Warner Brothers, Pathé, American Red Cross, YWCA, Exploratorium, Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, and the US Olympic Team.

Margaret also served as vice president of marketing and senior creative director at Banana Republic where she oversaw all brand communications. Margaret's first job was with Raymond Loewy in Paris, France.

Margaret has served on the National Board of Directors of AIGA as well as the Board of Trustees of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary arts organization in San Francisco, and The Gordie Foundation, a national foundation promoting alcohol awareness and education for teens.