Underground Ads (Advertising, Design & Strategy for Non-Profits

I’ve come across some amazing design innovations this week that I thought would be fun to share. It’s wonderful to see that product and package design are moving towards sustainability - and great to see that it’s being recognized!

The 360 Paper Bottle is a container that is versatile in its range of consumer applications. It is made from food-safe and fully recyclable materials. It strategically decreases energy consumed throughout the product life cycle without sacrificing functionality, and enhances everyday consumer usage by offering an environmentally friendly experience.
By Brand Image

The original meaning of the term “straw” was “wheat straw”. Wall art depicting people using straws of wheat to drink from have been discovered from ancient Mesopotamian ruins. Straws of wheat are forms created by nature; they are materials that return to the soil. There’s no waste in either the shape itself, or in its actual existence.
By Yuki lida

You’re looking at the new coinage of our cousins across the Atlantic, the British. The design, which cleverly has the reverse of each coin represent a part of the Royal Arms, with the £1 coin showing the full shield, is the work of a 26-year old graphic designer named Matthew Dent. His design was chosen from over 4,000 submissions through an open competition despite the fact that he had no previous experience creating money, and as a prize, he gets to see his work used every day by millions of Britons. Read the rest of this entry »

a couple highlights on the internal conversations (conflicts?) i see a lot of designers, artists and communicators facing these days.

1.
a talk given by the well known designer Philippe Stark at TED in 2007 on the evolution, mutation and purpose(?) of design in the world today, and opening up possibilities for the future.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/197

2.
“Dave, my mind is going,” HAL says, forlornly. “I can feel it. I can feel it.”

this article, just published in the Atlantic Weekly, discusses the way our interaction with the internet is altering not only what we think about, but HOW we think. buy it or not, matters not. social network internet hopping junkie or long-hand writing library stack lover, matters less. this has incredible implications for all of us, and esp. for those of us involved in communications. (and mcluhan smiles.)

http://www.theatlantic.com:80/doc/200807/google

Typographica.org has published their fourth annual Favorite Typefaces List.