You Are the Guild

(but not if you don’t join!)

Join the Guild today.

The Graphic Artists Guild is you. Created to further your professional and artistic interests, the Guild is a community and your advocate to ensure fair pay, appropriate working conditions and ownership of your work.

As a member of the Guild, you are part of:

• A community of artists working together to improve pay and working conditions in the industry.
• An artists’ advocacy group for legislative reform, including:
• Our ongoing fight to end widespread abuse of the copyright law's "work-for-hire" language;
• Our successful battle against unfair taxation of artists;
• Our dedication to universal health care;
• Restoring power to artists, by strengthening copyright protection in all disciplines and all markets.
• A forum for sharing concerns. Chapter events make it easy to share ideas, information, and business skills with other artists.

Who Qualifies for the Guild?

Working artists – who earn over half their income from graphic work – who believe – as we do – that, together, we are better.

Interested non-artists, or artists making less than half of their income from their graphic work, may join as associate members with all membership privileges, except voting rights. Meetings are open to all members, and any member may introduce resolutions. There is no portfolio review.

What’s In It for You:

The immediate, practical benefits of Guild membership include:

• The 12th edition of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines.
• Group health insurance and disability plans are available to members at favorable rates, depending on location.
• The award-winning national GuildNEWS and local chapter newsletters.
• Direct marketing assistance through job referrals, trade shows, and related activities developed by the Board and members.
• Substantial discounts on services, including: art supplies, car rentals and page-rates in many illustration and design directories.
• Participation in portfolios.gag.org and discount web links and portfolio hosting.

You’re Not Part of the Guild if You Don’t Join.

As a democracy, you elect the Board of Directors, which sets Guild policy. Officers and board members are unpaid volunteers, who work on your behalf.

Artists living in Boston, Chicago, New York City, Northern California, Southern California, Philadelphia, and Seattle enjoy their own chapters with local programs.

The At-Large Chapter steps in to serve areas without a local chapter. It elects an independent board of directors and sends a representative to the National Board. The Chapter publishes a newsletter, and funds Guild events anywhere there is a sufficient number of interested artists.

Active members are everywhere. Joining the Guild makes the very definitive statement that graphic artists deserve the respect all professionals have earned. (And gives you an opportunity to meet some nice people and have fun.)