AIGA ADVANCE
http://www.egroups.com/groups/aiga-advance
>> Mailing list/Forum for Information Architects/InfoDesigners

The objective of the AIGA Advance for Design Forum is to establish a new community of design practitioners who are challenged to design for a world that is increasingly digital and connected. At least that is what the official description of this group says.

After subscribing to the list and following the many interesting and eye opening threads, I further discovered a note that hadn't caught my eye before: "To identify and discuss issues germane to experience design." As I read it I appreciated even more the overall thread of this group and the highly fascinating topic they are covering.

The Forum seeks to discuss the differences between information architecture, interaction design, experience design. A variety of disciplines has forged the knowledge base of this new design practice. There is now a need to define a name for the profession, the role, reach and requirements of designers, so that these evolving disciplines can continue to make effective contributions.

Members of this community can be found in a wide range of businesses, organizations and educational institutions, interested in communicating more effectively and strategically with new media technologies.

The 1.5 yrs old community is just 400 members short, and it does include some of the famous and highly respected names in Web design and IA (Information Architecture, Design, and Usability) arena, such as Louis Rosenfeld (Information Architecture for the World Wide Web), Alan Cooper (About Face : The Essentials of User Interface Design), Nathan Shedroff of Vivid Studios, the great Clement Mok (Designing Business, Studio Archetype) and Jared M. Spool, who regularly contribute to the ongoing discussions.

They are all there and they are alive and speaking. To a passionate researcher like me to even read the mental flow of these minds is pure paradise. Information architects and designers, visionaries, please look for yourself.

Finally, in the "Links" area of this egroup you can find an absolute gem, a link to a short essay entitled "Notes from a conversation about new design" edited and assembled by Marc Rettig. Really worthwhile a look in my view:
http://www.enteract.com/~marc/santafe/ santaFeNotes.htm (The essay can also be downloaded at that same URL in MS Word format).

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