Honorary Membership in the Virginia Society AIA will be conferred upon Steven Longstaff at this year’s Visions for Architecture gala on Nov. 8, 2013 at the Jefferson Hotel. Honorary Membership may be bestowed upon individuals not eligible for membership in the Society, but who have rendered distinguished and exemplary service, over a sustained period of time, to architecture and the built environment in Virginia.
In conferring the honor, the Society acknowledges his twenty years of distinguished service as the Society’s graphic designer, as well as his stewardship over the Society’s visual identity in a vast variety of productions and publications.
Longstaff became the graphic designer for Inform magazine in 1993. This smooth transition was marked by his respect for the magazine’s original design, while continuing to make the subtle adjustments that have kept Inform fresh over two decades. In addition, he established the graphic identities for the Virginia Design Forum, Virginia Architecture Week, Building Virginia, Architecture Exchange East, Visions for Architecture, and a host of other programs. His commitment to adhering to the highest standards of design attests to the understanding and skill that makes him such an effective communicator of the profession’s public face in Virginia.