The organization's aim is to be the standard bearer for professional ethics and practices for the design profession.

In 1911, Frederic Goudy, Alfred Stieglitz, and W. A. Dwiggins came together to discuss the creation of an organization that was committed to individuals passionate about communication design.

[9] The goal of the group was to promote excellence in the graphic design profession through its network of local chapters throughout the country.

Winners have been recognized for design, teaching, writing or leadership of the profession and may honor individuals posthumously.

[14] Between 1941 and 2011, AIGA sponsored a juried contest for the 50 best designed books published in the previous year, entitled "50 Books/50 Covers".

[23][3] As of 2022, the national board consists of[24] Between 2005 and 2009, AIGA was briefly a member of Icograda (now called Ico-D).

[25] AIGA opened up membership beyond local chapters in 2014, for creative professionals living and working outside of the US.

Founded first as an online blog, Eye on Design grew into a multimedia platform that included a tri-annual print magazine, conference, event series, weekly newsletter, and social media activations.