It's Alive!

For the past few months I've been working on rebranding Forward Industries. From the logo, to the website, we did it all. They compete in the technology sector, and really needed a brand image that fit with such a fast paced industry. I think we achieved our goals.

The site has finally launched, and I couldn't be happier with it! It's always nice to see your work come to fruition.

Click here for the new site!

The Power of Design

Design 21: Social Design Network is a UNESCO partner which aims for "better design for the greater good." From their website:

We want to use the power of good design for greater purpose.

We believe the real beauty of design lies in its potential to improve life. That potential first manifests itself as a series of decisions that result in a series of consequences. The practice of social design considers these decisions on a greater scale, understanding that each step in the design process is a choice that ripples out into our communities, our world and our lives. These choices are the result of informed ideas, greater awareness, larger conversations and, most importantly, the desire to do good. Social design is design for every one's sake.

It's wonderful to see an organization tapping into talented designers for the benefit for non-profit work. I've actually been a member for a while, but I've finally just made my first contribution to the site. I've entered a contest to design the logo for the UN Film Festival, called "Stories from the Field." (You can see my entry above.) The competition is open until 11:59 PM tomorrow, if you're interested! The winning designer is paid for their work, and they have the opportunity to work on additional collateral materials.

It was so nice to work on something that wasn't purely for profit, and may actually make a difference. If you register with the site you'll be able to view and vote for your favorite designs (Pick ME! Pick ME!) from Wednesday on.

The other interesting aspect of all of this, from a design standpoint, is viewing 1000+ designs for the same project and brief! Where else can you do that? It's an amazing range of work and thinking. Some is really phenomenal, a lot is average, and there are a good percentage that are just bad (not following the brief, spelling the festival name incorrectly, or changing its name all together). Very interesting.

Click here for the Design 21 website.
Click here to read more about the contest.

Felt Rocks

There is an interesting company from Vancouver, Canada called molo. From their website, molo is: is a design studio dedicated to materials research and an exploration of space making. As a design and manufacturing company, molo creates and distributes unique and innovative products to clients around the world.

I saw some of their work featured at 100% design. And while I'm not sure exactly what you would do with it all, it's was beautiful and worth sharing. I particularly love the felt rocks! The soft seating is also intriguing. Made from kraft paper with a flexible honeycomb structure, piece can compress like a big book for storage, and fan open for use into stools, benches and loungers. It's also made with 50% recycled materials, so that make me happy.

Click here for their website. Below are products from their : Soft line, and the felt rocks.

Sand Drawing

Ok, some people are just too talented. I'm always in awe of artists who create time intensive, intricate paintings, paper cuttings, sculpture, etc. Partially because I have a limited attention span and I don't think I could do such a thing, and partially because of the vision they need to get there.

Jim Denevan is an amazing artist, who uses quite an interesting medium... sand. But this is not about gigantic sand sculptures. I saw his work mentioned on badassideas, and was intrigued. From his site:

Jim Denevan makes freehand drawings in sand. At low tide on wide beaches Jim searches the shore for a wave tossed stick. After finding a good stick and composing himself in the near and far environment Jim draws-- laboring up to 7 hours and walking as many as 30 miles. The resulting sand drawing is made entirely freehand w/ no measuring aids whatsoever. From the ground these environments are seen as places. Places to explore and be, and to see relation and distance. For a time these tangible specific places exist in the indeterminate environment of ocean shore. From high above the marks are seen as isolated phenomena, much like clouds, rivers or buildings. Soon after Jim's motions and marks are completed water moves over and through, leaving nothing.

His designs are best seen from the air, to truly appreciate the scale. I have no idea how he created such perfect forms without any measuring aids! Amazing. See blow for some pix. And click here for his site. The photos of his work are stunning.

Logo Trends

LogoLounge.com is a great resource for designers. For a yearly membership fee, you can upload as many logo designs as you'd like. You can post a personal profile, so that others can look up your amazing work, and you have access to articles, features, and trends. You can also search the entire logo library by designer, style, or subject. Finally, LogoLounge publishes a "best of" logo book each year, in which the content is chosen from uploads to the site. I'm a big fan of both the site and the books.

One great thing that LogoLounge reports on each year is trends. It's fascinating to see how things evolve in the industry. Click here to see the full 2007 Trend Report by Bill Gardner. Here's a sampling...Rubber Bands, Eco Smart, Pseudo Crest...