Michael Ciancio

Really fun and cool type design work from American designer, Michael Ciancio.

Fabrica

More of the work being done at Fabrica. I really love how their communication is so direct. Even before you read the caption, you understand the subject. This really helps in areas where people are less educated.

Omar Vulpinari

Omar Vulpinari heads the visual communication department at the Fabrica Institute, the Benetton corporations research and design headquarters.The style he uses is very direct and simpe. He communicates in a very sophisticated fashion with very few words.

Type Directors Club

The Type Directors Club is the leading international organization whose sole purpose is to support excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. Founded in 1946 by some of the industry's leading practitioners, the TDC's earliest membership included Aaron Burns, Will Burtin, Freeman Craw, Louis Dorfsman, Fene Federico, Edward M. Gottschall, Herb Lubalin, Edward Rondthaler, Bradbury Thompson, and Hermann Zapf. With this solid historical background, the TDC today represents the best of today's type design and type use.

The Stock Exchange of Visions

The Stock Exchange of Visions project was initiated to provide a platform for the world leading artists, sociologists, activists, scientists and others to share their visions about the future of our planet with a broad public and let them decide if either they agree up on their thoughts or not.

Cristina Chiappini

Christina Chiappini is an Italian graphic designer who does very good work. I think that I should start highlighting some of hte good work I see and some other designers.

Things that I have learned in my life so far

Stefan Sagmeister has created a companion site to go with the book Things that I have learned in my life so far.

He says:

The idea for this site originally came out of my own list in my diary, under the very same title: Things I have learned in my life so far. Astonishingly, I have only learned twenty or so things so far. Over the last five years I did manage to publish these maxims all over the world, in spaces normally occupied by advertisements and promotions: as billboards, projections, light-boxes, magazine spreads, annual report covers, fashion brochures, and, recently, as giant inflatable monkeys.

So here I extend this same question to you:

What have you learned in your life so far? What is it that you are fairly sure about? What is it that you believe in by now?
Please do write it down beautifully. Design it digitally, photograph it, draw it, scan it and upload it. Use any media that works for you, paint, sculpture, film….

If you don’t work on the computer, write your sentiment on a postcard and send it to us at:

Sagmeister Inc.
222 West 14th Street
New York, NY 10011

We’ll upload it for you

Stefan Sagmeister: Yes, design can make you happy

Stefan Sagmeister talks about how design can make you happy

Some interesting artwork

Examples of Bizarre and Amazing Plant, Grass and Moss Art

Installation for music video

This is a music video from the group Hot Chip. It shows an installation being put together and built for their music video.

Thomas Hirschhorn

Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn discusses what it means to be an artist, and why art is a tool to confront the times in which we're living.

Open Architecture Network

The Open Architecture Network is an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Here designers of all persuasions can:

• Share their ideas, designs and plans
• View and review designs posted by others
• Collaborate with each other, people in other professions and community leaders to address specific design challenges
• Manage design projects from concept to implementation
• Communicate easily amongst team members
• Protect their intellectual property rights using the Creative Commons "some rights reserved" licensing system and be shielded from unwarranted liability
• Build a more sustainable future

Cameron Sinclair

Cameron Sinclair is one of the authors of "Design Like You Give a Damn" as well as the founder of the Open Architecture Network, and Architecture for humanity.

Birima

The great King Birima spoke little but always honored his word, and his people greatly respected him. His code of honor inspired the idea of Birima, a new microcredit scheme supported by Youssou N'Dour. In Birima, the bond between lender and borrower is the bond of trust. Birima helps the people of Senegal start their own businesses and develop small enterprises. It supports emerging artists and musicians, too. It is open to all, particularly women and young people, and it lends both to individuals and groups. Birima works with its clients, giving them the support they need to achieve business success.

Africa Works

Africa Works is a project by the Benetton group and its Executive Deputy Chairman, Alessandro Benetton. Africa works focuses on bringing attention to the micro-credit loan industry which has taken hold in the third world and helped people raise themselves out of poverty using solutions which are sustainable within their local economies.

Dean Kamen

Dean Kamen the inventor of the segway has designed a machine called the slingshot which turn waste water into potable water. Kamen has also invented a power generator which can run on animal dung and is able to power a small village. Kamen has made a prototype and plans on eventually making both of tese machines avaiable for around 2-3 thousand dollars.

Appropedia

Appropedia is a sustainability wiki who's motto is "Sharing knowledge to build rich sustainable lives".On the website, there are links to information about warious different kinds of sustainable design and appropriate technology.

Sustainable rainforest products

The Amazon Rainforest is the world's greatest natural resource - the most powerful and bio-actively diverse natural phenomenon on the planet. Yet still it is being destroyed just like other rainforests around the world. Rain-Tree.com is a website where you can purchase sustainable rainforest products as well as be informed about the threats and dangers to the rainforest.

The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University

The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University was established in 2001 to identify, develop, and implement the means for achieving a sustainable energy future.

AIGA Center for sustainable design

The AIGA Center for Sustainable Design is dedicated to providing designers with a wide range of information regarding sustainable business practice. Through case studies, interviews, resources and discourse, this site will encourage and support designers as they incorporate sustainable thinking into their professional lives.

People Powered

People Powered designs experimental pilot programs that integrate art, environmentalism, and communities. By presenting these projects in exhibitions and public locations in the city, People Powered creates a platform for discussing how these practices may intersect.

After Nature

After Nature surveys a landscape of wilderness and ruins, darkened by uncertain catastrophe. It is a story of abandonment, regression, and rapture—an epic of humanity and nature coming apart under the pressure of obscure forces and not-so-distant environmental disasters. Bringing together an international and multigenerational group of artists, filmmakers, writers, and outsiders, the exhibition depicts a universe in which humankind is being eclipsed and new ecological systems struggle to find a precarious balance.

Greenfly

Greenfly is a new online tool which helps you design environmentally improved products. Greenfly incorporates life-cycle modeling and EcoDesign strategies with easy to use, cutting-edge web technology. Greenfly shows the environmental impacts of your design choices through strong graphical representation and helps you improve and communicate your product sustainability decisions.

Waste = Food

Waste = Food is an interesting documentary about cradle to cradle design.

Modular Homes

The world is getting hotter and more crowded every day, and modular, prefab housing is just what the doctor ordered. When you go small, it's not just about energy efficiency and carbon footprints -- it's also about being strange, cool and beautiful. We've chosen our favorite houses that meld style with globally conscious living. Enjoy.--Wired Magazine

Dan Peterman

Dan Peterman is an artist whose work takes off from the ever-relevant issues of recycling, ecology, urban development and social integration.

UNICEF

In the US, there are a lot of things we take for granted. UNICEF works to help women and children in developing countries with food, health, and education.

Fast Food

Since its inception the fast food industry has served billions of burgers, burritos and other fast foods to Americans and worldwide but how many of us take time to read the nutritional information? The Fast Food Explorer is a quick way find nutritional information about our favorite fast foods.

Military Spending

The US leads the world in military spending. I found an interesting chart that illustrates this. The website Global Issues has a lot of good information on socio-economic issues.

Green TV

Green TV dot com is a web site where you can watch environmental documentaries free of charge. I really enjoyed the Introduction to dumpster diving video. Its short but it gives you an introduction to the TV show Building Green which is currently airing on PBS.

Colors

The Benetton company puts out a quarterly magazine called COLORS. The magazines articles are mostly about social issues . I got this picture from the cover of issue 57, Slums/Chabolas. I think it illustrates the relationship between consumption and waste.

Waste/Consumption

For my first project, I will be researching the concepts of waste and consumption. I want to know more about when we consume, what we consume, and why. What are the things we find important to life and what are the things we consider as being less valuable. What we keep and what we throw away say a lot about our cultural and individual values.

Hello

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Here I will be postings ideas, concepts and inspiration.