There is often a surprising amount of energy and money spent on the name of a product, company or service. As a recent Fast Company article rhetorically asked, “So what is a great name worth? The answer: A lot. If your brand is properly nourished, it grows and has a long shelf life or history — do the math.”
The Association for Women in Architecture (AWA) has been re-examining its name for quite some time. Even as far back as 1948, the organization recognized that women across multiple disciplines of design shared common interests, and in some cases, common obstacles in the workplace. At that time AWA appended the name with “Allied Arts” to reference this wider inclusion. While the association continued to welcome members in those allied fields the name was truncated over time, and the broader spirit of our mission was lost. As a new decade dawned in 2010, AWA re-examined its role in the design landscape once again. In 2011 the Board took the initial step of analyzing the demographics of its membership; ages, career stages, and representative disciplines among other factors. What quickly emerged was the recognition that AWA had the potential to reach a truly diverse membership base; well beyond the existing majority of architecture professionals.
On April 14, 2012 AWA proudly celebrated a renewed dedication to advancing the positions of women in ALL of the allied fields of design related to the built environment. The event, entitled “+D”, marked the addition of +Design to the AWA name and the launch of our new identity, and featured a series of inter-disciplinarian speakers who cross traditional design boundaries. The content underscored the organization’s embrace of the intersections between, and shared ideals across, all design disciplines. AWA+D was delighted to host a sold-out crowd at the Annenburg Beach House in Santa Monica, and was thankful for the support of a host of sponsors, including Silver Sponsor Horizon General Contractors; Table Sponsors Nurture by Steelcase and Zakian Woo Architects; Bronze Sponsors Rigidized Metals, Tangram, Pivot, Dirtt, and Jensen + Partners; Fabric sponsor Maharam; Printing Sponsor CyberCopy; Flower Sponsor Fleurs du Jour; Entertainment Sponsor Czarina Saba and Patrick Ligeralde; and Photography Sponsor Abby Boltinghouse w/ Elita Designs.
