This face is money

The American Society of Magazine Editors is going to dole out the 2007 best cover awards next Tuesday. I think the key to being a finalist might be simply putting Stephen Colbert on the cover.But all of them are worth checking out here.

Crafting just got hipper

Walking around Art in the Park in Boise a little more than a month ago, I noticed much of the items for sale were very similiar to those sold at the annual shows back in Washington. But in some places, even crafting is developing hipster appeal.

Faythe Levine is working on the post-production of "Handmade Nation," a documatary film chronicling -- as her blog puts it "the rise of D.I.Y. and the new wave of art, craft and design."


Levine has interviewed more than 50 indie-crafters, visiting more than 15 cities to take a deeper look at D.I.Y. (do it yourself) art culture.

Here's a clip:



This isn't news design. But it is printmakers and artisans fighting their own battles.

National Design Week

So, it's National Design Week over at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. National Design Awards were given Thursday night to honor good design in everything from advertisement to architecture.


The People's Design Award was given to TOMS Shoes.

These are simple canvas slip-ons inspired by a tradition Argentine shoe according to TOMS Shoes Web site. TOMS promises for every pair you buy, they will give a pair to a child in need. This year they're sending shoes to South Africa. TOMS mission: "To make life more comfortable."

I think I might have to buy a pair.

One of the runners-up in the People's Design contest was GOOD Magazine. The publication is self-described as "media for people who give a damn." They are also a charitable organization, donating subscription dollars to the organization of the reader's choice.

It's full of articles about politics, enviromentalism and a splash of book and cd reviews. My section is called "Transparency," which is several spreads of graphics illustrating concepts from the expanse of wikipedia to Paris Hilton's explosive income growth.

Here's one I can relate to, on ballooning student debt:


Definately storytelling outside the box. Inspiring graphics that prove the power of visual information.

Here's a couple reader comments about the mag's design:

"GOOD is meaningful, smart, open and ... well, meaningful. The connection between content and form is a rare and valuable triumph." ~William Morrisey

"why is 'good' good? because the design criteria do not simply fall out of the editorial slan of this publication but rather, for the first time i can think of, determine it. deeply intelligent design." ~ Perter Wegner

I subscribe. You should check it out.

Don't throw that away!

Don't throw your newspaper away. I'm not just saying this because I dedicate 40 hours a week to making one pretty. But because ... (drumroll please):

It's Blogger Action Day. Great time to start a blog, huh?

"An international initiative of bloggers known as 'Blog Action Day' launched today, with the aim of uniting thousands of blogging voices, talking about one issue for one day. This year on Blog Action Day, which is slated for Oct. 15, 2007, bloggers will be discussing the environment."
States a press release for bloggeractionday.org.

Bloggers are encouraged to relate evironmentalism to whatever they blog about.

So for my contribution: Recycle your newspapers. As a designer, I encourage subscribers to keep the presses rolling, thousands of copies a day. But don't put the leftovers in the trash. Don't be an ignorant newspaper reader. That's just oxymoronic.

9 ideas reusing your daily:
1. Arwork on your walls (hey, I spent hours on those pages)
2. Comic-themed wrapping paper
3. Packing your precious things for storage or next time you move
4. Cutting out letters to make creepy notes to friends
5. Starting campfires
6. Paper hats
7. Dressing up storage boxes and end tables with decopage
8. Paper-macheted ANYTHING
9. Or just box 'em up and haul them down to your friendly local recycling agency

onBeing something to see

The Washington Post has a weekly video "onBeing" here. Jennifer Crandall, the project's director describes it this way:

"onBeing is a project based on the simple notion that we should get to know one another a little better. What you’ll find here is a series of videos that takes you into the musings, passions, histories and quirks of all sorts of people. The essence of who they are, who we are.

There will be a new video every Wednesday, so check back often."

I sat and watched all the videos a couple days ago and recomment checking it out. I'm looking forward to Wednesday's release.