Aspiring designers from diverse backgrounds awarded scholarships

Worldstudio and AIGA, the professional association for design, award $56,500 in scholarships to creative, socially engaged students

NEW YORK—July 12, 2010. Imagine you had the talent, skill, dedication and desire needed to share your vision with the world, but lacked the financial means to do so. Thousands of aspiring designers and artists in the United States find themselves in this very predicament: eager to influence the world through their creative abilities, yet unable to afford the high cost of education. Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships help young people from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to not only realize their artistic dreams, but also to give back to their communities.

With the support of generous individuals, organizations and corporations, Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships allow students who are studying art and design disciplines in U.S. colleges and universities to achieve their goals and further their education. Those donations will help the 26 students selected to receive a combined $56,500 in scholarships for the 2010–2011 academic year.

“This is one of the reasons it’s so critical that established designers, corporations and foundations continue to support the profession through year-end giving, estate planning and attendance at our fundraising events, where 100 percent of the proceeds go to programs like this,” said AIGA Executive Director Richard Grefé. “With continued support, we can provide many more exciting beginnings for talented and deserving students of design and the visual arts.”

The scholarship program’s primary aims are to increase diversity in the creative professions, and to foster social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow. To this end, scholarship recipients are selected not only for their ability and need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to giving back to the larger community through their work.

“Since we are on the front lines, we know how much of a positive impact a scholarship has on an aspiring designer or artist,” said Worldstudio principal Mark Randall, founder of the scholarship program. “The financial reward is obvious, but what might be less obvious is the immense pride that these students feel knowing that their portfolio was selected from hundreds of others by a jury of professionals working in their chosen field.”

To learn more about the awards, view the students’ work and read their personal essays, visit www.aiga.org/worldstudio-scholarships-2010.

About AIGA

AIGA, the professional association for design, stimulates thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design and empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution.

About Worldstudio

Worldstudio is a full-service marketing and design firm that believes corporations hold the power to make lasting social and environmental change. This power and its consequences profoundly impact brand reputation and equity. Worldstudio works with organizations to connect their marketing goals with strategies for corporate social responsibility. Worldstudio creates unique marketing, communication and branding programs, custom-tailored to clients’ needs, allowing them to engage with key constituencies in a truly meaningful way.

For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Bender
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 710 3136   Fax 212 807 1799