Good design can make companies. Apple and Target realized this, many years and billions of dollars ago. It’s been proven time and again. Design enhances consumer experiences and impacts emotional behavior. It breeds and even cements consumer loyalty.

Design has scored many a commercial success. AIGA, the professional association for design, believes its membership can also affect social good through design. That’s why they’ve created Design for Good, an initiative that encourages and recognizes pro bono and social engagement design projects.

One of the organizations upon which AIGA has shined a national spotlight is one that’s been providing creative services for nonprofits for 13 years. CreateAthon®, founded by Riggs Partners in 1998, is a national movement of advertising and marketing firms which hold 24-hour, work-around-the-clock creative marathons to generate creative and strategic work for local nonprofits with little or no marketing budgets.

CreateAthon is one of several national organizations highlighted by AIGA for their ability to help designers take action. The annual event is a way to make life better for one person, to affect a roomful of people, to give a voice where there was none, year after year. And, if there’s not a CreateAthon in your area, we’ll help you start one.

We’re thrilled to be a part of AIGA’s Design for Good initiative. Not so much for ourselves but for the potential to have major impact on communities across the nation.We’re sharing the brainpower and strategy that builds companies and organizations. The best thinkers and creative tinkerers can change gears and tackle social problems and community inertia. It’s a gift for our creativity that just so happens to further goodwill in our communities.

Here’s your chance to have an impact. Visit AIGA’s Design for Good and make a commitment to design for good today.