In 1997, I served as Program Director for the AIGA's Biennial National Design Conference, which took place over three days in November, in New Orleans.
Working with AIGA director Ric Grefé and its National Board of Directors, and with invaluable support from Program Assistant Alana Cowan, I developed the structure of keynote and breakout sessions and secured over 100 speakers — a Who's Who of graphic design at the time — for this design extravaganza, which attracted more than 2000 delegates.
Among a bevy of printed matter created to publicize the conference, the "Headless Chicken" poster (above), created by Stefan Sagmeister, quickly became notorious, drawing angry mail from a few AIGA members, despite the disclaimer that "no animals were harmed in the making of this poster" (unless you count mutilation via Photoshop). Speakers were asked to make a self portrait on a sticky label and send it back to Sagmeister, for inclusion on the poster, which featured his trademark handwriting and custom "chicken-leg" typeface. The conference brochure — which came in its own die-cut slip-case — was also memorably designed by Alexander Isley.