CCA News
CCA Boasts Big Win: Three AIGA Fellow Awards
Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009, by Brenda Tucker
The American Institute of Graphic Arts San Francisco (AIGA SF), a chapter of AIGA, the oldest and largest professional organization for design, awarded Doug Akagi, Leslie Becker, and Michael Cronan—all past or present faculty at California College of the Arts—as its 2009 Fellows in recognition of their exemplary achievements and contributions to the design community. AIGA SF honored all three award recipients on June 15, 2009, at a reception that also acknowledged the golden anniversary of Communication Arts magazine, which was founded in 1959.
(The repeat tie-ins to the college prompted CCA President Stephen Beal to jest, “This must be a CCA hat trick!”)
“The Fellow award program is a means of recognizing mature designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local or regional design community as well as in their local AIGA chapter. The areas of education, writing, leadership and reputation, as well as the practice of design are given equal consideration in measuring significant contribution.” (Visit the AIGA website.)
CCA’s Director of Research and Planning David Meckel was on hand to introduce the honored faculty members: Professor Emeritus of Graphic Design Doug Akagi (now retired) and Director of Design Leslie Becker. Former CCA Graphic Design instructor Michael Cronan, whose son is an alum and also a lecturer at the college, had his wife and design partner, Karin Hibma, provide his introduction. The near-capacity reception included designers of all ages and reflected the festive atmosphere the three honorees deserved. Meckel observed that many of the attendees included former and current students of the three honorees, including Patrick Coyne, editor and designer of Communication Arts magazine, who not only is a former student of Becker’s but also the recipient of the AIGA 2004 Design Leadership Award.
“I chose CCA as my affiliation for the award even though I have been a design practitioner for over 35 years. I am thoroughly content to have ‘educator’ be my primary identification,” revealed Becker. She went on to say, “I believe that one of the most important attributes of being an educator is not to lose sight of what it feels like not to know. For me, being a student on a fairly regular basis (my MA in the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley in the 1990s and my recent PhD) has become my way of remembering the not knowing. It has also helped me to rid myself of the embarrassment of asking questions even when I think the answers may be obvious to everyone else. I have no educational shame and I think this is an important lesson for anyone who teaches. The only way to learn is to admit/submit to not knowing.”
CCA’s three AIGA Fellows will again be honored September 17, 2009, only this time in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria where the sixth annual AIGA Design Legends Gala and silent auction fundraiser is scheduled. The event honors those whose work inspires designers across all ages, sets the bar for creativity and innovation, and defines the design profession as we know it. Proceeds from the gala benefit the AIGA Archives at the Denver Design Museum, Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships, and the Legacy Campaign, an endowment to secure the future of AIGA. (Visit the AIGA main website to learn more about the Design Legends Gala and other events.)
About Doug Akagi
Doug Akagi began teaching at CCA in 1984. A beloved professor for decades at CCA, Akagi was issued the title professor emeritus of graphic design in 2008. He also is a principal at Alterpop, an award-winning design firm in San Francisco. See Akagi’s faculty bio for additional information. Read Christopher Simmons' interview with Doug Akagi.
About Leslie Becker
Leslie Becker is a design practitioner, educator, and writer. Her research interest is design and ethics, with a particular emphasis on the workings of graphic images in popular culture and their influence on the construction of values. Her practice includes identity systems, print graphics, large-scale signage systems, custom furniture, and pro bono work for nonprofits. See Becker’s faculty bio to learn more about her. Read the AIGA SF interview with Leslie Becker.
About Michael Cronan
Alumnus Michael Cronan and his wife, Karin Hibma, established the design firm ::CRONAN:: in 1980 and have since worked with many of the Bay Area’s premiere companies, arts organizations, and nonprofits. TiVo and Amazon’s Kindle are just a couple of the household names and brands Michael helped bring to life. Cronan has won numerous awards, exhibited around the world, and in June 2009, he and Hibma were added to Fast Company magazine’s list of “100 Most Creative People in Business.” Read the AIGA SF interview with Michael Cronan.
Visit the AIGA SF website to view additional images from the June 15 AIGA Fellow award reception.
Special thanks to photographer David Asari (david@davidasari.com) for all images provided for this feature.