The inaugural Design Census—an open-source platform for understanding the complex economic, social, and cultural factors shaping today’s design practice. It’s free and open to everyone. The goal is empowering the design community to take control of its own professional development and happiness. The census grows out of AIGA’s salary survey, long shared among professionals across all design disciplines as a vital tool for defining design’s value. This year, in partnership with Google, the survey broadens its scope, aiming to capture information and insights beyond salary information—including work habits, lifestyle, education, professional development, and beyond.

Another unique census component is data accessibility; it’s open to the entire design community! AIGA will showcase the final data online at designcensus.org. We invite designers and organizations from around the world to interpret the data for their own reports and data visualizations, so we can all gain insight about the growing role of design in the world—in business, government, and society at large.

Your participation makes you an active member of this community project, so don’t miss it. Take the survey today!