ATLANTA, GA —UP Media Group has developed a Year of the Designer Website (yearofthedesigner.com) as part of its yearlong celebration of the PCB design profession. The site gives designers a forum for sharing “war stories,” swapping ideas, discussing issues and staying informed about upcoming Year of Designer events.
 
UPMG officially designated 2006 to be the Year of the Designer. UPMG president Pete Waddell explained: “For over 20 years, a large part of our focus has been on PCB designers. Many people think that designers are under-appreciated and under-recognized. Whether that is true or not, we recognize that design is the foundation on which all electronics products are built. We also believe that the PCB designers of the world should receive the credit they deserve.”
 
The Year of the Designer Website focuses on a variety of designer interests, including:
· “Designer Spotlight” to help give designers the recognition they deserve
·           “Design Firm Focus” to detail your neighborhood service bureaus
·           “My In Box” to spotlight designs that designers are working on
·           “Deep Thoughts” to explain what designers like about designing boards and more
·            “Favorite Design Tool” to let designers discuss their favorite tools
·           “The Rant” to tackle issues plaguing designers at the moment
·            “Designer’s Library” to prove life exists outside of design
·           “The Listening Room” to highlight the tunes that fill designers’ headphones.
 
The site’s content will be updated often and will grow—based in part on the amount of content that PCB designers themselves contribute.
 
“The site is live, but we need your help to keep the content fresh,” said Waddell. “I know many designers have strong opinions, and we want to hear them. Tell us about your favorite EDA tool or the design you’re working on, or simply ‘rant’ about a pet peeve.”
 
Send comments and site content to Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture editor Andy Shaughnessy: ashaughnessy@upmediagroup.com).
 
All PCB designers are invited to attend the Year of the Designer Reception at PCB Design Conference West (pcbwest.com) on March 29 in Santa Clara, CA.
 
Companies interested in becoming a Year of the Designer sponsor should contact Kamden Robb: krobb@upmediagroup.com.