Celebrating our 30th anniversary as a chapter
Hear from past presidents

Liz Magura

 

What do you think was your most important contribution to the chapter or in the Arizona design community during the time you were president?

Well, I accepted the role after Niki Blaker, and she was such a tough act to follow. I admire Niki’s energy and the initiatives she spent time on as president. Literally, she is an AIGA celeb. I wanted to make sure the momentum continued. That we could keep to the forefront of where things had been going between membership, focusing on programming keeping our communications going, finding folks who would be great for the open positions, continuing to spread awareness and be as inclusive as possible. I was an in-house designer during my time as president and passionate about elevating participation with our in-house Phoenix teams. We have so many teams, and it was a challenge to tap into their needs. For instance, we worked with APS to host an event in their space.

Proud moments included receiving multiple AIGA Innovate grants and hosting a Get Out The Vote poster show during the 2016 elections. We carried out Phoenix Design Weeks, which included the two-day Method + Madness Conference in 2016 and 2017 complete with talented speakers from around the world. Our highly engaged CreateAthon and mentorship program were great successes. Coming out of my time as a board member was so positive that I couldn’t wait to see what the continuing group would do next and what Kyle Larkin was wanting to do during his time as president.

Ultimately, having the opportunity as a volunteer to lead other volunteers — on the board and in the community — who were infused with passion and desire to dedicate their time to keep our chapter and design community singing was the greatest honor.

What message would you like to leave to the future about where we’ve been as a design community, and where we’re going?

I’m originally from Phoenix and although I went to college in Los Angeles, I was introduced to AIGA there. I hardly participated with anything that was happening because it was such an intimidating place to be as a new designer. I moved back home to Phoenix during the Great Recession and immediately sought out AIGA Arizona to see what I could do to be a part of it. I had no idea I’d be involved at the level I was, let alone for eight consecutive years. That said, I think we’ve had a lot of growth years for our design community. I got to see what it was like to grow the first ever Phoenix Design Week, which wasn’t originally owned by AIGA Arizona. I volunteered to carry one of the PHXDW letters as we paraded around downtown Phoenix promoting the events. At the time, PHXDW reached 10 years. The annual event enters 11 years this year. It is so inspiring to see the engagement of agencies, in-house teams, business owners, freelance creatives, print shops, recruiting companies, schools and others who want to have the chance to be a part to continue to grow and evolve the event to more than just designers to where there have been discussions about Phoenix Design Week becoming Arizona Creative Week – something that sounds more inclusive and recognizing of the entire
state.

Phoenix Design Week has really helped us show off our local talent to other AIGA chapters and showcase that essence of design family.

Name one thing that is different about design now compared to when you were president. This refers more to the overall world of design.

It’s only been two years since I ended my time with the AIGA AZ board, so I can’t say that a ton is different in the design world per se, but one notable thing, and maybe this is because I work in the education industry, is the ability to gain access to design education on a variety of platforms – LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Coursera, etc. There is no longer the need to attend four-year universities, but with time and dedication, we now have the ability to gain knowledge elsewhere. Does this mean design is becoming undervalued? OR that there is just the heightened demand to access this type of training and education?

Name the single most significant shift in design that you’ve experienced. Is the world more or less design-savvy these days? For example, how the shift from analog to digital design, social media or the web affect designers?

I still think the biggest shift for me personally was the realization that I couldn’t be doing only large format and print design any longer. Digital design was where my career needed to shift in 2010 and again in 2016 with a shift to UX. Adapting to change and building soft skills has probably been the best thing, I could do for myself as I grow in my career.

Also, the world appears to have larger access and appreciation for design. I continue to see brands really invest in their creative and customer experiences. Seeing more and more businesses with design at the table has been an incredible accomplishment and recognition!

Is there anything you still wish you could have accomplished as president?

I think two years is a short time to accomplish much in a president role – a mentor of mine even made that point – but it’s also a lot of hard work. As a leader, you want to make sure your team is set up for success and ready to accomplish the things they’ve joined to be a part of. I wish I could have carried out a few things that were in motion as I definitely had FOMO, but my time couldn’t have ended more perfectly as I had the opportunity to transition out on a high note to focus on pregnancy and raising a baby for the past year!

What would you like to see the AIGA Arizona chapter tackle next?

Gosh. The people on the chapter board continue to be amazing, and we’re lucky to have that kind of passion for this chapter. Without these volunteers, there would be none of what exists today. A shout out to all of you for your dedication to the chapter. Thank you for everything you do and have done.

Always make sure the chapter can deliver what members want, recruit new members, let people know why AIGA is important, keep praising one another for the hard work being done independently and continue to elevate the value of design.

The chapter board continues to generate fabulous ideas to bring relevant and engaging programming for in-house teams, freelancers and students. It can be growing skill sets, putting together opportunities to give back or planning Phoenix Design Week. All of these things bring value to the work we do every day, and it puts Arizona on the map as a place for design. Keep it up, team. You are doing amazing things.