scott ballum

Scott Ballum is a senior designer at C&G Partners in New York City. The firm offers a range of design disciplines, including identity and graphic design, signage and exhibit works, and interactive media on- and off-line. Ballum currently works with partner Steff Geissbuhler to create identity programs for Signature Theatre Company and O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, as well as ongoing exhibitions for the Art Directors Club. He has received awards from the ADC, GDUSA and the School of Visual Arts, while his work has been featured in LINO, Resurgence, Adbusters, STEP Inside Design and Art Directors Club Annuals 83 and 84. He also created consume ®evolution, a magazine dedicated to offering a viable alternatives to a "mass-produced" lifestyle. Ballum lives in Brooklyn NY.

Is graphic design a growth industry? There is always room for us to do more. We become paralyzed only when we feel the need to create work that will be recognized within the design community. Too often we forget that there is a much larger audience that needs and will appreciate our efforts. Also, it's not just about making the world a prettier place; there are any number of causes, organizations and ideas that would benefit from creative thinking and intelligent communication.

Do graphic designers have a special responsibility to promote a green society? Of course. Ecological impact factors into our projects, as they should with every decision that involves consumption or commerce. Our exhibit for the American Institute of Architecture's 150th anniversary was lauded for it's use of recycled and reusable materials. We are proud of our involvement in the wayfinding and signage design for One Bryant Park in New York, which has been credited as "the world's most sustainable skyscraper" and granted LEED-platinum status. My personal concern, however, is that green is simply the popular color of the season - a fad that we will quickly forget about. "Environmentally friendly" products are being pushed at us everywhere from car dealerships to department stores, and most of us buy into the hype and buy into the goods without much other information. I am acutely aware of the need for cleaner, more environmentally sound options in the marketplace, but the answer is to actually cut down on production and consumption, put less waste in our landfills and less pollutants in the air on the way to the mall. It is not to buy more stuff just because it's green.

ONE THING I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IS conviction. right?

FAVORITE MOVIES

Rize
Triplets of Belleville
Team America

FAVORITE BOOKS

Dry by Augusten Buroughs
The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters by Chip Kidd
Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge - And Why We Must by Kalle Lasn

FAVORITE SONGS

"First Day of My Life" by Bright Eyes
"When Your Mind's Made Up" by Glen Hansard
"Somebody Saves" by Kind Monitor

FAVORITE FINE ARTISTS

Richard Avedon
Ryan McGinness
Banksy

FAVORITE TV SHOWS

The Muppet Show
The Dukes of Hazzard
Knight Rider

BOOKMARKED WEBSITES

apartmenttherapy.com
underconsideration.org/speakup
goodmagazine.com
kottke.org
design21sdn.com
mediabistro.com/unbeige
psfk.com
bluejake.com
npr.org/music
menupages.com