Throughout my career I have actively cultivated affiliations and networking in the design sector. Following are links to some of the organisations I am currently or have been directly involved with in the past.

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Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC)

Founded in 1956, the GDC is Canada’s national graphic design association. It is a member-based organization of design professionals, educators, administrators, students, and associates in communications, marketing, media and design-related fields. The Society is an advocate, voice and resource for Canada’s graphic design profession, maintains a national certified body of graphic designers, and promotes high standards of graphic design and ethical business practices for the benefit of Canadian industry, commerce, public service and education. Link to GDC.

Robert L. Peters is a GDC Fellow (FGDC) and serves on GDC’s national Ethics Committee.

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American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)

Founded in 1914, AIGA is the oldest and largest membership association for professionals engaged in the discipline, practice and culture of designing. AIGA is the professional association for design in the United States, with a mission to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. As such, it is authoritative in promoting and communicating standards for ethical conduct and professional expertise and in collecting and analyzing data about the profession. AIGA actively communicates the value of design to the business community and the public. Link to AIGA.

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International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda)

Icograda is the world body for professional graphic design and visual communication. Founded in 1963, it is a voluntary assembly of associations concerned with graphic design, visual communication, design management, design promotion and design education. Icograda promotes graphic designers’ vital role in society and commerce and unifies the voices of graphic designers and visual communicators worldwide. The vision, mission and core values of the council are collectively embodied in the communication statement of ‘leading creatively’ which is manifested through its members diverse activities to use design as a medium for progressive change. Link to Icograda.

In 2015 Icograda changed its name to ico–D (International Council of Design).

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Friends of Icograda

Friends of Icograda is a worldwide network of individuals and corporations who share a common interest in graphic design and visual communication. Friends come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and social structures, and they support the role that graphic design plays worldwide, today and tomorrow. Friends support Icograda and contribute to its worldwide aims. Friends improve relationships between people in emerging economies and those in established economies.

Robert L. Peters is a Lifetime Friend of Icograda. CIRCLE is a Corporate Friend of Icograda

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Design for the World (DW)

Design for the World is an international humanitarian organization whose objective is to match the skills and commitment of volunteer designers with the needs expressed by disadvantaged populations and the organizations that serve them worldwide. Design for the World unites graphic designers, industrial designers and interior and architectural designers around one common idea: voluntary design for people in need.

Robert L. Peters joined the board of DW in 2000 and was appointed as a Vice President in 2002.

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International Design Alliance (IDA)

The International Design Alliance (IDA) is a new venture between founding partners Icsid and Icograda, formalised after being approved by the partners’ respective General Assemblies in September 2003. The alliance is based on the desire of both partners to “do together what they cannot do alone,” concentrating on opportunities arising from multidisciplinary collaboration. IDA’s Vision: The design community working together for a world that is balanced, inclusive and sustainable. IDA’s Mission: To bring the benefits of design to world bodies, governments, business and society. IDA’s Goals: To serve as the collective voice of design; To develop and share knowledge of design around the world; To stimulate innovation through multidisciplinary design collaboration; To promote the mutual interest of all design professions; To encourage the use and value of design by building relationships with world bodies.

Robert L. Peters was a member of the founding executive of the IDA from 2003-2005.

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Type Directors Club (TDC)

The New York-based TDC aims to raise the standards of typography and related fields of the graphic arts and to provide inspiration, stimulate research, further education, and disseminate information relating to the typographic arts. The TDC holds an annual typographic design competition, organizes educational seminars, produces typography-related publications, and cooperates with organizations having similar aims and purposes. Link to TDC.

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World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is an NGO dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest. WIPO was established by the WIPO Convention in 1967 with a mandate from its member states to promote the protection of IP throughout the world through cooperation among states and in collaboration with other international organizations. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Link to WIPO.

Robert L. Peters acted as official liaison between Icograda and WIPO from 2001-2005.

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on in 1945, and today functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse—for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge—while helping member states to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, this specialized United Nations agency promotes international co-operation among its 192 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. For UNESCO, education, social and natural science, culture, and communication are means to an ambitious goal: to build peace in the minds of men. Link to UNESCO.

Robert L. Peters was official liaison between Icograda and UNESCO from 2001-2005.

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International Indigenous Design Network (INDIGO)

INDIGO, the International Indigenous Design Network, is an open platform that connects designers worldwide in an effort to explore our understanding of indigenous design. It provides an online forum for sharing ideas and information, fostering discourse among participants, and contributing to the furtherance of indigenous and local design. Through its participants and projects, INDIGO seeks to gain insight into what makes design distinctive to its home, the connections to the place where it is made, and for whom it is made. As more and more designers work within a global context seemingly without borders, INDIGO provides an online medium for design practice as it contributes to the formation of national cultural identities.

Robert L. Peters is an INDIGO Ambassador.

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