AGI
(established 1951)
This was founded in Paris in 1951 by five French and Swiss graphic designers, but was extended to become an association of 200 leading graphic designers drawn from across the world. The original founders were Donald Brun and Fritz Bühler from Switzerland and Jean Colin, Jacques Garamond, and Jean Picart Le Doux from France. Membership of AGI is by invitation and is only extended to the most distinguished of practitioners. It is based in Zurich and congresses are held annually as well as regular exhibitions of members' work. AGI is a member of the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) and seeks to promote graphic design as a means of communication, information, and education. In the early 21st century AGI sought to develop a website presence as a strategic means enhancing knowledge for the graphic design profession as a whole as well as providing the home for an AGI magazine, an information centre, data bank, and general archive that will eventually provide a historical reference for information about the body's aims and achievements since its inception in the mid-20th century.
