Publishers Note
Thinking Green
Package Design Awards
More Thinking Green
The Greener Good
More Thinking Green
Holiday Gift Ideas
Maybe it’s the holiday season – definitely it’s the holiday season – but in moments of quiet introspection I get emotional about the beauty and power of design. And about the fact that I, who was born without the creative gene, get to bask in the reflected glow of your talents and write about what you do. The trigger for this year’s personal tear-fest was a project by graphic designer Mirko Borsche, shown at Design Miami earlier this month and a related quote from the show’s director, Wava Carpenter. First the quote, right here, then the project just below. Said Ms. Carpenter: “Design is the art form aimed at imagining a better, richer, more comfortable everyday life. Today we find the most compelling design work stretches farthest in imagining a better future. Audi’s proposal for a gasoline-less filling station for electric cars... is a perfect example of this.” Design for a better future. Has a wonderful ring to it. Talk among yourselves while I try to find some tissues.
— Gordon Kaye
Gas-Less Station Of The Future
What will the gas-less station of the future look like. Since
charging takes longer than filling up with gasoline, what can
drivers do with the downtime? What amenities will charging
stations of the future have to offer? At the Design Miami show,
Audi took a playful look at this issue. Munich-based graphic
design studio Mirko Borsche created the vision, dominated by
reflective glass that mirrors the Audi e-tron Spyder, which
goes on sales in 2012. The futuristic service station is
sustainable – wood furniture, greenery, organic food. The
architecture evokes a 1950s American gas station to make people
feel comfortable with change.
Says Peter Schwarzenbauer of Audi: “Our aim in creating this installation is to heighten the public’s awareness of the wide range of challenges electromobility presents. And we provide food for thought – not just about electric vehicles themselves, but also about the infrastructure that will have to be created to support electric mobility.”Adds graphic designer Borsche: “I staged the Audi e-tron Spyder as a vision. What is so amazing here is the contrast between the cozy interior and the futuristic reflections of the exterior, creating a dynamic interplay that can be experienced on a personal level.” Audi’s electric car goes on sale in 2012.
Sustainable packaging is special category in GDUSA’s Package
Design Awards. Weather craziness pushes deadline back one last
time, to January 12. You can download an entry form for
GDUSA’s fastest-growing national competition. It is
presented by GDUSA and sponsored by Neenah Paper.
http://www.gdusa.com/contests/apda.php
NASCAR Adds Ethanol
American Ethanol is a new partnership formed by the ethanol industry,
corn growers across the country and NASCAR. The partnership, announced
this Fall in Las Vegas by NASCAR, comes after NASCAR said in October
it would take its environmental commitment to the next level by
fueling all races in its three racing series with E15, a 15 percent
corn ethanol blend, beginning with the 2011 racing
season. “Since NASCAR is one of the most effective marketing
and advertising organizations in the world, partnering with it will
raise the visibility of ethanol...” said Kelly Brunkhorst,
director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board, one of the key
players in the partnership. America Ethanol will be highlighted
on every vehicle, be prominent on NASCAR’s Green Flag,
sponsor a new award for every race, and be featured at onsite
race day events.
First Ecoimagination iAd
GE’s first ever iAd is called “Simple Harmony.” It
is part of the Ecomagination campaign promotes helping people, nature
and industry coexist in harmony. The iAd experience has been described
as “funky” and “quirky” but the app is
fundamentally educational as visitors use the app to learn to see
various GE innovations. The campaign by BBDO New York is on YouTube, with an interactive video demo of the iAd.
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/ge-ecomagination-iad-campaign-demo-video/
Green Award For Green Challenge
Stan Gellman Graphic Design concepted, designed and produced the
three dimensional award given by the St. Louis Regional Chamber &
Growth Association to winners of its annual Green Business Challenge. Awards
were given to 58 companies across the metropolitan region who successfully
completed the challenge. These participants compiled a scorecard of
requirements to form green teams, reduce waste, conserve water and energy,
improve indoor air quality, and provide clean transportation
options. The Stan Gellman firm made sure the award itself was as close
as possible to 100% green; for example, printing was done on 100%
rapidly renewable bamboo which is FSC certified.
Creative Edge is an online collection of thousands of videos and books,
providing on-demand full searchable access to expertise in graphic
design, web design, digital photography and much more. Visit to day
for an exceptional introductory offer...
Click Here
Don’t Spill
Saatchi & Saatchi has been honored alongside Toyota with a
Green Award for a “Glass of Water” iPhone application
campaign. The award for “Best Green Mixed Media” was
announced at a gala ceremony at the Natural History Museum in
London. The campaign was commended by judges for its innovative use
of technology: “the creative approach was simple, fun and
extremely intuitive for drivers to use.” Based on the theory
that if all drivers drove with a glass of water on their dashboard
and completed their trip without spilling it, their driving would
be more economical and lower carbon emissions, the ad agency developed
an app designed to look and act like a glass of water, registering the
volume spilled during the trip, to act as a visual challenge for the
driver to avoid spillage and reduce emissions.
Green Patriot Posters
Edited by Edward Morris, Dmitri Siegel, this book brings together
posters and design promoting sustainability and the fight against
climate change as well as essays by Michael Bierut, Steven Heller,
Edward Morris and Dmitri Siegel about the history and the state of
the poster as a vehicle for political messages and propanda. The
publisher is Metropolis Books.
Saving The Boreal Forest
Cascades Fine Papers Group received a 2010 Boreal Award during the
annual gala presented by the Boreal Leadership Council and the
Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI), for its contribution to the
safeguard and sustainable development of the Boreal Forest. Cascades
was honored for its recycled papers and small ecological
footprint. The Canadian Boreal Forest is a large ecosystem that
produces oxygen, purifies water and regulates our climate. The
CBI contributes to its welfare through its association with
organizations, with which they undertake policy development and
research projects, with one common goal: improving the management
of natural resources.
THEGDUSA has teamed with Veer to offer creative professionals the most fun and interesting merchandise available. Current offerings include the following items and much more. And don’t forget that the holiday season is upon us.
|
1. 2011 Typography Calendar. Lovers of modern design and typography will recognize many of the names in this year’s calendar from Studio Hinrichs. |
|
|
2. Kern Zip-Up. Next time you have to explain kerning to a layman, you’ll have a live demo just a zip away. The soft navy blue fleece on this fitted lightweight jogging jacket won’t pill. |
|
|
3. Three Notebook Designer Set. A fun 3-notebook set, each can hold 32 pages of brilliance, with covers featuring ampersands amper-sandwiched between suggested uses. Made from 100% recycled paper and soy-based inks. |
|
Veer provides visual elements for use in professional creative work, such as graphic design, motion design, advertising and filmmaking. Products include stock photography, illustration, typefaces, and unique merchandise.
COMPOSTMODERN SPEAKERS
JANUARY 22-23, 2011
Alissa Walker
Compostmodern Moderator
Bruce Mau
Bruce Mau Design
Yves Behar
Fuseproject
Scott Thomas
Obama For America
Jenifer Willig
(RED)
Jonah Sachs
Free Range Studios
Janine James
The Moderns
Marc Mathieu
BeDo
Lisa Gansky
The Mesh
Nathan Waterhouse
OpenIDEO
Nitzan Waisberg
Stanford Design School
Toby Daniels
The Beta Cup
Debera Johnson
Pratt Design Incubator
Dara O’Rourke
GoodGuide
Micki Krimmel
Neighborgoods
Dan Phillips
The Phoenix Commotion
Heather Fleming
Catapult Design
Christopher Simmons
MINE
Kiersin De West
Ci
Late Daughdrill
SOUP