AIGA, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, is celebrating its centennial year in 2014. 100 Years of Design, a microsite made by interactive studio Second Story (part of SapientNitro) launched on January 21st, AIGA’s 100th birthday. The site highlights the intersections of design and society through exemplary works from the AIGA Design Archives, interviews with living masters, quotes from leading designers and significant moments from the organization’s history. Together, these elements form a narrative about the impact of design; how it connects, delights, influences and assists us. Unlike traditional design retrospectives organized by chronology or medium, 100 Years of Design creates a new way to understand and evaluate design that emphasizes the purpose of the work, explaining why a piece looks the way it does rather than simply showing what it looks like.

The site encourages us to join an interactive conversation about our emotional response to design and the role it plays in our daily lives. Share your favorite works and why they’re important to you, and explore the design that is meaningful to more than 500 others who have already contributed to the site. Perhaps 100 years from now, the future archeologists of the web will reflect on this rich collection of artifacts and how design has evolved to shape our society.