I'd like to highlight 10 "best of" topics. Some for fun and others for their heated debates. I plowed through the archives, (all 17,000 messages!) dating back as far as 2002, and pulled out 10 choice anonymous quotes. I found the archives to be exceptional reading. If you get downtime at the office, check out this daily journal. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be entertained and learn a few things.

Voice 2002
The AIGA Voice Conference in 2002 in Washington DC was the first post-911 conference. Milton Glaser spoke on his 10 rules. There was much discussion on this conference and its inspiration. Some felt a disconnect because it was in our hometown, where others felt it was invaluable. List quote: "I left with the sense that design was much bigger than I thought it was. I started seeing design everywhere."

Redesigned Identity
AT&T, Quark, Kodak, UPS, US Presidential campaigns (2004 AND 2008!), Photoshop, Ford Motor Company, Baskin Robbins, London Olympics, Super Bowl, Coke, ADCMW, were all fodder for critics. List quote: "Let's all pause and reflect on the recent passing of the UPS logo. A giant among us is gone."

The Five Dollah Bill
There was lots of hoo hah over the five dollar bill design. List quote: "I love the big numba 5. BIG PURPLE FIVER. It instantly brought a smile to my face the first time I saw it. And Lincoln is lookin good. The largeness of the five, as some of you may have guessed, is for the visually imparied. The purple-ness is to counter the counterfeiter types. It's like Pop Art."

NASCAR Racing
Should AIGA sponsor a car? List quote: "It would be the only car on the track with a discreet set of logos, perfectly aligned on the right rear passenger door, seven point type."

Design Contests
A good old-fasioned design contest always raises a ruckus. The glory! Bragging rights! Contests have come from large and small businesses, museums, associations, and entertainment industries alike. Notables include New York Magazine, General Motors, Ortho and even Janet Jackson. Many design contests were right in our own backyard and the list of perps discussed will remain unnamed to protect the guilty. List quote: "The point is, any designer with a soul wouldn't partake in such a 'contest.'"

Friends and Neighbors
Tread lightly! This is a dangerous life you lead. The archives are full of the trials and tribulations of design work for friends. No contract and a "relaxed" schedule lead to certain mayhem. Your colleagues say deliver a contract, even to a neighbor. I say run like the wind. List quote: "Grr. Should've known better..."

The Designer's Life
This discussion comes from September 2005, but the link is still good. Take a look for yourself. You too, can learn to be a designer and live the easy life at http://www.thedesignerslife.com/cpn8tip1/. So what are you waiting for? List quote: "Wow. I feel like I was robbed of all the money that I spent on an education."

Designing for the Landfill
After all is said and done, are you designing for a landfill? Garbarge? Literally? Figuratively? Is this an ecological issue or a critique of the industry? List quote: "True, an annual report, website, or a poster that you slaved over for weeks, months, or a matter of hours will be tossed in a few years. But is that not the nature of design? We have to try to make the next project better than the last."

The $50 Logo
A fifty-buck logo is not as threatening as what it might represent to the industry. Sarcasm and jokes were flying, but this was also a serious discussion of clients reaching for bottom-end solutions. List quote: "Heck, Sam's Club/Walmart and Costco now build websites for small businesses. So get your gallon jar of pickles and your website all at the same place."

Graphic Designer Fired for Heckling President
This is an award-winning subject line. The subscriber that posted this gets two Pantone points for getting the conversation moving. Getting fired is nothing to laugh at, but after much ranting about this subject, there finally appears to be a silver lining for our unfortunate designer friend. List quote: "I am sure this guy is now famous and he has plenty of job offers."

So there you have it. Ten fabulous moments in the history of the AIGA DC Talk discussion list. If you're not on the list, subscribe now for good debates, advice, laughs and an opportunity to contribute. You can subscribe by sending any e-mail message to AIGADC-Talk-on@maclaboratory.com. Once subscribed you'll receive instructions for access to the archives.

Behave now!

Glenn Kowalski
AIGA DC List Manager
MacLab, Inc
http://www.maclaboratory.com