1.7.2010
Other than for profit, Clockworks Design is dedicated to making a difference in the design community as a whole. Design, whether labeled Graphic Design, Communication Arts, or other, is a living and breathing organism that is always growing and always changing. The design community needs to be interconnected, giving and taking from each person’s work in order to ensure true progress as a working group and to help the field evolve as a whole. The design community is always in need of good circulation to help bring life into the heart of what it is—a group of creative professionals with various needs, wants, and expectations.

Below are some essential websites that provide good information and resources to those in the design world. I have done my best to categorize these in a logical manner and will add to them as my time to do so becomes available.

Designer Communities and Organizations

AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
AIGA, the professional association for design, is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.

designerID
designerID is an online portal that helps member design professionals and students connect in dynamic and meaningful ways.

The American Graphic Artist's Guild
The Graphic Artists Guild is a national union of illustrators, designers, web creators, production artists, surface designers and other creatives who have come together to pursue common goals, share their experience, raise industry standards, and improve the ability of visual creators to achieve satisfying and rewarding careers.

The Society of Illustrators
The mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history and evolving nature, and to encourage high ideals through exhibitions, lectures, education, and by fostering a sense of community and open discussion.

AltPick.com
Altpick.com was created to answer the need to find photographers, designers, illustrators, animators and other graphic related businesses in a quick, efficient and effective way.

The Art Director's Club
The ADC is the premier organization for integrated media and the first international creative collective of its kind. Founded in New York in 1920, the ADC is a self-funding, not-for-profit membership organization that celebrates and inspires creative excellence, connecting creative visual communications professionals from around the world.

Designer Resources in East Tennessee

AIGA Knoxville
The American Institute of Graphic Arts, Knoxville chapter

The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Greater Knoxville
The mission of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville is to serve and support a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. The Alliance operates as a unifying voice representing the arts and culture community to government, businesses, the media, and the general public, all of which benefit from a healthy, thriving arts and culture industry.