Gordon Kaye has been editor and publisher of GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) for more than three decades. He is shown here with Website & Social Media Editor Sasha Kaye-Walsh. GDUSA is celebrating its 61st year of publication as a news and information source for the graphic design and related creative community.
We present our 61st anniversary inhouse awards showcase — the original and premier celebration of inhouse excellence — winnowed from a competition that saw 5,000+ entries. The projects and campaigns touch every region of the country and every segment of the private, public and non-profit sectors. This is graphic design for commerce and culture at its best executed by creative and content professionals who ably advance their clients objectives and build meaningful value for their organizations, products, services, causes, ideas.
The value proposition of inhouse designers is their intimate knowledge of their companies, institutions and brands, and the ability to crystallize the message down to its essence and its truth. This edition displays many excellent exam- ples and we would argue that the work is more remarkable — and more impor- tant — than ever given the broader cultural context in which is it being produced.
The Rhythm of Change
First, we are living in an era of mistrust — sometimes dubbed an “infodemic” — in which faith in traditional sources of reliable information — government, media, academia and corporations — has cratered. The result is a widespread distrust of even the most basic communications even while the sheer volume of messages threatens to overwhelm. There is a desperate need for — and a dis- turbing lack of — communication that is consistent and fact-based, credible and transparent, authentic and empathetic, engaging and meaningful.
Second, we are in a period unprecedented change for inhouse designers and the organizations in which they work: shifting workplace expectations, political polarization and geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty and transition, and a hard-to-articulate but easy-to-feel sea change in our collective societal values and norms. Shani Sandy, Design Executive – VP Experience Design at IBM, in the foreward to a new book “Creatives in Leadership” by inhouse expert Robin McLoughlin, likens these factors to a sound wave, building into a crescendo, merging into “a rhythm of change.” The moment is fluid and the destination un- known.
Then layer all this upon the forever challenges and existential questions that inhouse designers confront. There are wonderful things about working inhouse, as GDUSA has long documented. But there are also inherent obstacles to the creative mind: the ongoing need to ex- plain and measure the added value of design to a lay senior management. Not to mention the fight for the resources needed to do the job right, to overcome the conservatism of organizations, to gain deserved recognition inside and out, and to have the opportunity to grow as a professional. In the sweep of design history these constraints have loos- ened as inhouse departments — and graphic design in general — is better understood for its role in the success of products, services, information and ideas. But the tension is built in and so it remains.
Building Meaningful Value
In this light, the winners honored in our 2024 showcase stand especially tall.
Yes, the winning projects effectively advance the clients objectives and build meaningful value for their organizations, products, services, causes, ideas. Yes, the design is smart, appealing, strategic, and savvy in the use of the full range of available media. That is a lot and is normally enough.
But there is more at work here.
As noted above, an inhouse designer’s true value is an intimate knowledge of institutional identity, corporate culture, and organizational objectives. The best are keepers of the torch, in a unique position to crystallize the essence, the cred- ibility and character of an organization, its products and services and traditions and ideas its values, ethics and be- haviors.
A Restorative Vision
We see in this showcase a meaningful response to the erosion of trust in our communications and the evolving tran- sition of our culture. The pieces are well-crafted but — importantly — they excel in expressing the truth of the thing with transparency, authenticity, and empathy.
That is a small but positive step toward restoring social trust and cohesion. Inhouse designers are up to this task because the good and great ones have long been preparing to lead the charge by doing what they do and being who they are.
McLoughlin, a longtime inhouse creative leader, a former vice president of inhouse professional association InSource, and now a principal at McL brand design inc. sums it up nicely: “In an evolving and dynamic world overflowing with information, brands and organizations that stand for clarity and transparency become the guiding light for client and customer trust. Inhouse teams are exceptionally well-suited to lead this journey.”
GK/SKW
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Gordon Kaye has been editor and publisher of GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) for more than three decades. He is shown here with Website & Social Media Editor Sasha Kaye-Walsh. He is a graduate of Hamilton College, Princeton University’s SPIA, and Columbia Law School. This comment, connected to our 2024 INHOUSE design awards competition and showcase, first appeared in the August 2024 print and digital magazines. Sasha Kaye-Walsh, is herself a Hamilton graduate with an MFA from Rutgers University. GDUSA is celebrating its 61st year of publication as a news and information source for the graphic design and related creative community.
