AIGA has redefined their annual competitions. Design excellence will now be judged through an explicitly stated lens. In 2011, that lens is "Design Effectiveness." The message is that it takes more than good looks to qualify as good design.
An all-new graphic algebra was devised to demonstrate that good design is the sum of its parts. Contrasting concepts criss-cross to create a sweet spot at the AIGA logo; an "x" marks the spot. It is always a bold move for an institution to cross out their own logo, but AIGA was ready for it. Their relevance has come under increasing scrutiny and the paradigm shift around the annual competition is one of their first and most visible changes to better address design today.

When the call for entries took over aiga.org, the criss-crossing found space to proliferate. Good design is about so much more than just brains and beauty. It is pride and power; style and substance; guts and grit. Online all the seeming contradictions that hound designers come alive and demanded attention. Was it effective ? Did you "enter now" ?

A total of twelve pairings make up the campaign. Some like style/substance are directly related to design; others like holy/shit are just provocative. What's most surprising, however, is that, with the paradigm shift in competition framing, AIGA was game to reconsider even the competition name. Should the title "365" be changed? Should the competition simply be called "Design for Effect"? After some comparative research and informal discussion, the plan was to keep "365." Very few organizations have the scope and authority to pull together a true national survey of the very best in design year after year. To lose that unique position would be a blow to the industry as a whole.