Typophile - Typophile - Design Association/Institution? - Comments

James, Andrew (Asvetic) that

Joe Pemberton — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:29:18 -0800

James, Andrew (Asvetic) that is the best endorsement any organization (or disorganization) could ask for.

A hypothetical question:

James Puckett — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:25:32 -0800

A hypothetical question: would Typophile be a more legit organization if we mailed you more “recyclable” materials.

Databases and moderators aside, is Typophile really even organized? Typophile is a pretty fun and open forum—I’m not sure organization is the point.

But of all my memberships, I feel as if I get more out of my membership to Typophile.

That’s one of the reasons I didn’t renew with the AIGA.

A hypothetical question:

Asvetic — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:15:45 -0800

A hypothetical question: would Typophile be a more legit organization if we mailed you more “recyclable” materials.

Only if it doubles as a tote bag or windbreaker.

An alternative is to list Typophile as an online forum you belong to (rather than an institution).

I might have a miscellaneous section for awards, extended learning/conferences, and memberships. I’m a NAPP member and I’m going to probably be joining AIGA again this year. But of all my memberships, I feel as if I get more out of my membership to Typophile.

Listing your involvement as

Ricardo Cordoba — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:50:53 -0800

Listing your involvement as a member of Typophile would say something about your interest in staying current with your typography practice; which is at the core of any graphic design practice. But, I would hesitate to call us an institution...

An alternative is to list Typophile as an online forum you belong to (rather than an institution).

I don’t think any design

Joe Pemberton — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:49:49 -0800

I don’t think any design organization qualifies you for a job... but it shows where your interests and commitments lie.

When you join the AIGA you show your belief in the AIGA’s agenda. Because the AIGA is well know, that says something about who you are, or at least what you think is important.

A hypothetical question: would Typophile be a more legit organization if we mailed you more “recyclable” materials.

simply being a member of one

Ricardo Cordoba — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:22:13 -0800

simply being a member of one does little to qualify one for a job

I disagree with that, James — to me, at least, it shows you give a heck.

As for the activities of the AIGA, TDC, and so on, those activities are certainly of great value. However, unless one happens to have been directly involved in making those things happen, they do not apply to one’s resume.

There are exceptions... for example, the TDC has some great classes and workshops, and if you attend one, you can list it under “Continuing Education” on your resume. I think that something like that does help to qualify one for a job.

What I meant was that there

Asvetic — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:09:30 -0800

What I meant was that there aren’t any sort of examinations to qualify one for membership, which is not the case with some other professional organizations.

This might be a difficult thing to measure in the world of graphic design. So little differentiates us from the wide gamut that makes up the creative art world. Examinations would have to be very specific, and geared towards both knowledge and application. There would be so many fields of accreditation. Would you be expected to take several accreditations if you’re an illustrator, web designer, typographer and production artist?

You have to agree they’re

James Puckett — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:36:28 -0800

You have to agree they’re recognized by most in the design community.

I don’t disagree with you there at all.

To join AIGA at the Associate or Professional levels, you must be a practicing and/or teaching member in any design community.

Sorry, I wasn’t specific enough there. What I meant was that there aren’t any sort of examinations to qualify one for membership, which is not the case with some other professional organizations.

Would you say that about the Graphic Artist’s Guild? And what do you make of the many activities that AIGA organizes?

I’ll admit the Graphic Artist’s Guild does a heck of a lot. Honestly I forgot about it because I very rarely hear it mentioned outside of Typophile. As for the activities of the AIGA, TDC, and so on, those activities are certainly of great value. However, unless one happens to have been directly involved in making those things happen, they do not apply to one’s resume. My post was in no way intended to denigrate graphic design professional organizations, just to point out that simply being a member of one does little to qualify one for a job.

Also... associations usually

Ricardo Cordoba — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:18:16 -0800

Also... associations usually have dues you have to pay, and have a board that runs things. AIGA, GAG, SI, SoTA, TDC, etc. are all examples of this.

James said... there are no

Ricardo Cordoba — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:15:25 -0800

James said... there are no qualifications to join them

To join AIGA at the Associate or Professional levels, you must be a practicing and/or teaching member in any design community.

James also said... they don’t regulate anything or intercede in matters on behalf of designers and clients

I don’t know, James. Would you say that about the Graphic Artist’s Guild? And what do you make of the many activities that AIGA organizes? Or the annuals that AIGA and the Type Directors Club publish? Or the AIGA/Aquent Salary Survey? Or AIGA Voice?

Now, getting back to Asvetic’s original question... I think most people would qualify Typophile as an online forum or community, but not as a design or typographic association!

I think I inadvertently

Asvetic — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:46:03 -0800

I think I inadvertently derogated this conversation. Sorry, I appreciate all the comments about my personal standings and how someone should view me as a potential hire but it’s not what I was going for in the original question.

I’m trying to find out if Typophile is or could be considered a valued design association in the likes of other design associations (i.e. NAPP and AIGA). I shouldn’t have added the part about including it in my resume and in hindsight was the wrong way to put the question into context.

As any expert on consumer

The Don Killuminati — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:45:10 -0800

As any expert on consumer behavior will tell you, people generally don’t make big decisions in ways that strictly conform to the dictates of logic and rationality. A Typophile mention may produce a comprehending nod, but you’ll always have greater success if you present yourself to prospective employers as somebody they want to hire rather than as somebody they should.

James, you make good

Asvetic — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:11:12 -0800

James, you make good points.
I’m relatively new to the design world, my experience is still in it’s infantry. I see listing memberships to these active design communities as a viable extension of my design education. I’ve been part of several conferences hosted by NAPP and AIGA. I’ve learned a lot of helpful tips and expanded my design skills (albeit for specific programs) at these conferences too. Granted they’re not nearly as ingrained into the community as other associations are with other professions. You have to agree they’re recognized by most in the design community.

I work exclusively on the

HaleyFiege — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:14:06 -0800

I work exclusively on the internet and I throw away resumes of people with no web mentions.

I don’t think typophile counts as a group the same way AIGA does, but you’re still a member of the community, so I think it’s safe to list.

> Who wants to hire someone

Don McCahill — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:03:10 -0800

> Who wants to hire someone who spends so much time on web forums that he puts it on a resume?

A place that wants someone who will be a problem solver and up-to-date on current events in the industry. I had a job once where my job description included 5% for reading magazines and trade publications ... that was pre-Web, I suspect today the same job might want a similar amount of time spent online.

Typophile - Design Association/Institution?

Asvetic — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:50:41 -0800

Where does Typophile rank among other design associations/instituations, like NAPP or AIGA? Is it considered a design association at all?

I’m considering adding Typophile to my resume’ as one of my design memberships. I figure the amount of knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years posting on Typophile would qualify this.

How do the rest of you feel about that? Is that a bit much? Would this be noticed/respected by potential employers (I’m betting yes myself)?