On Wednesday, March 15 please join us as we welcome AIGA to the Helms Design Center for a series of discussions and presentations for the design community.

The first topic, “Designers Are Not Makers”, addresses the growth we have witnessed in “maker” culture, leading to increased access to the tools and information needed to tinker, program, and build custom products and solutions. Manufacturing can now happen on a desktop as easily as in a home workshop. The benefits of stepping away from a computer to work with your hands continues to gain influence in business and culture. Yet, with all the focus on making, it is the designer who gets celebrated once the “making” becomes mass production.

Questions to be discussed:
As digital technology continues to insert itself into our daily lives, what is the role of the tactile?
What is the importance of physical creation in a world of digital technology, virtual reality, 3D printing and rapid prototyping?
And where does the act of designing stop, so the role of making can take over?

Agenda
6:45 PM: Meet & Greet
7:30 PM: Introduction
7:35 PM: First Speaker
8:05 PM: Second Speaker
8:30 PM: Q&A
8:50 PM: Closing Remarks
8:55 PM: Giveaways
9:00 PM: After Party

Ticket Pricing
Members (Contributing & Supporting): $15
Members (Sustaining & above): Free
Non-Members: $25

Requests for cancellation refunds may be granted only up to 24 hours before the event starts.

About The Speakers

Andrew Byrom is a British-born designer and educator based in Los Angeles. His clients include The New York Times Magazine, Sagmeister Inc., Penguin Books, The Architecture + Design Museum and UCLA Extension. His interdisciplinary work has been recognized by AIGA and the Type Directors Club. He has been featured in many design related publications and has exhibited his design work in venues across the United States, Europe and Asia. Andrew is currently teaching Advanced Typography and The History of Graphic Design at California State University, Long Beach.

Will Ayers is the Founder/Creative Director of fashion label WILLIAM; and the Principal of Design for the signage and wayfinding studio GNU Group. WILLIAM, with its atelier based in Downtown Los Angeles has debuted collections at Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, and Pitti Uomo; collaborates with prestigious accounts including Farfetch. GNU Group, a design studio specializing in global programs of environmental graphics, branding, signage, and wayfinding; opened a new studio in Los Angeles established by Will Ayers, expanding their international presence.