The 2002-2004 board of directors for the AIGA New York chapter contemplated the need to create dozens of event announcements a year and unanimously agreed to do away with how this had been done in the past. The group felt the variety of previous announcements did not suggest that the events were all from one organization. A brand identity committee was formed to come up with a new way to approach this problem.

One of our main objectives was to include and involve our members in the voice and look of the chapter. We devised a “throw-of-the-dice” method of designing to achieve this. Each event committee randomly (eyes closed) chose two people from the membership roster to “design” a card. A form letter was sent via e-mail to the random pick. One would choose a typeface, the other a PMS color. Each random-pick member was given a credit on the bottom of the card. (e.g., Jane Doe picked PMS 123). The event committee wrote the event text and laid out the cards using a template set up by the brand committee.

The first card, “Stick It In,” explained the card system and arrived with a slotted sleeve to hold it and other cards to be received in the future. This provided an at-a-glance, space-sensitive way for members to be informed about upcoming events.

These were such a pleasure to get and collect over a year; it is a novel way to get people to keep the cards. It was enjoyable to know that any member might get a call to pick the typeface and color.