Athens (Greece) - The European Design Awards 2009, taking place on 17 May 2009, has been endorsed by Icograda. This comprehensive annual awards organisation acknowledges the best of graphic design, illustration and multimedia design in Europe.

Beijing (China) - The Icograda Education Network (IEN) Conference brings together the worldwide community of communication design educational institutions during the Icograda World Design Congress 2009. This two-day event will include invited and refereed papers. All selected papers will be published in book form and on the Icograda website following the event.

Montreal (Canada) - Icograda is proud to announce that David Lancashire AGI, director of David Lancashire Design, and Grégoire Serikoff, partner of The Value Web, have joined the Executive Board. "We are honoured to have David and Greg join our leadership team," said Don Ryun Chang, Icograda President.

Tokyo (Japan) - At the age of 76 years old, Mr. Shigeo Fukuda passed away suddenly in Tokyo on Sunday, 11 January 2009 as the result of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. As one of the founding members and directors of the Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA), Mr. Fukuda contributed profoundly to the development of the Association.

New York (United States) - The submission period closes on 19 January 2009 for the Languages Matter! poster competition, an Icograda endorsed event. Members of DESIGN 21 are invited to help promote linguistic diversity and multiculturalism by designing the official poster for UNESCo's International Mother Language Day.

Johannesburg (South Africa) - It is a new era for DESIGN>In Formation, a new participant in the International Design Media Network (IDMN).

Doha (Qatar) - As part of the Icograda Design Week in Qatar 2009, taking place from 28 February to 5 March 2009, the Professional Conference will bring together four keynote speakers and eight prominent presenters to share their perspectives on design and design collaborations.

Berkeley (United States) - On 2 January 2009, Peachpit announced the publication of Do Good Design: How Designers Can Change the World, a provocative book by Icograda Treasurer David B. Berman that explains why the largest crises we are facing today have design at their core.

Washington (United States) - In November 2008, leaders representing the major United States professional design organisations, design education accreditation organisations, and Federal government design assembled in Washington, D.C., to develop a blueprint for a United States national design policy. The Summit presentations and Report are now available on the new U.S. National Design Policy Initiative website.

Brussels (Belgium) - The Czech Presidency of the EU and European Commission will officially launch the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 on Wednesday 7 January with the slogan "Imagine. Create. Innovate". The aim of the Year is to promote creative and innovative approaches in different sectors of human activity and help equip the European Union for the challenges ahead in a globalised world.