From 500 to 499 to...

500 one day, 499 the next and then "poof" suddenly trillions have disappeared in a day.
Add this to the approximate 39,000 per breathing American that has been seeping out like a leaky faucet everyday since the war began.
I'd say this has been a decade of numbers.
Perfect fodder for an art project.
Reductionism.
What matters is the NUMBERS, the Wall Street mantra as seen in this CNN top story:
"The New York Federal Reserve Bank Thursday also pumped $55 billion into the nation's financial system. That comes on top of $70 billion that it pumped into the system Tuesday."

"The Bank of Japan, Bank of England and Bank of Canada set up new swap programs with the Fed, with Japan getting $60 billion, England getting $50 billion and Canada getting $10 billion."

And so on...

But even the power of numbers is collapsing as we speak.
We are on the event horizon of...
Some were afraid of Cern's Large Hadron Collider creating a black hole that would end the world.
Seems like there has been an invisible black hole operating within our midst for years.
Its all in the matrix of numbers flashing in the news every day.

Have you seen the latest poll numbers? The percentages are...
And so on...

Backlash Against Design and Innovation

Following the links on Renee's site plaid and polyester>Design21>
A r t i c l e:
>A lack of Design knowledge:
"We actually live in a world full of bad products and bad design." says >>David Carlson
"Quote"
//"Bruce Nussbaum from BusinessWeek puts it like this:

'The truth is that the backlash is against the fad of innovation, not the fact of it. The backlash is against CEOs who get up and shroud their companies and their reputations in the rhetoric of innovation while continuing to sell out-of-date, poorly designed products and services. Consumers know this is fake and realize that the talk about innovation is not authentic.'" read more://

>Look at: as art, play, information...
>Dunne and Raby

Robin Strelow, a local Colorado designer, worked as a volunteer for CASA, a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to act as child advocates in court custody cases involving abuse and neglect.
Defining the problem:
During her volunteer work she came across CASA’s brochure and noticed it was out of date. It had several different font types and featured only pictures of Caucasian children. Since the county's demographic had shifted in the last decade the overall image of the brochure had to as well. It didn’t meet the organization’s needs for recruitment and funding. The brochure is handed out during a yearly gala to attract new volunteers and gather donations, both corporate and individual. CASA was running out of the old brochures, which created the opportunity for a reassessment.
Aware a new look was needed, Robin was approached to do the redesign. There were no funds available for this project.
Design Strategy:
Robin worked with a marketing business volunteer who help develop new contemporary copy. The aesthetic had changed in the decades since the last brochure was update, from information overload to information distinction based on your organization’s target audience. This was the first time the brochure would be “designed.”
Goals of the brochure:
1. Attract more volunteers
2. Attract more funding
3. Inform public about the work of CASA
4. Create a value statement.
Approach:
1. Integrate diversity into the images.
2. Tighten the body copy to purge unnecessary text.
a. This required a reassessment of the organizations mission and goals.
3. Utilize existing assets such as the website to provide essential information.
4. Inspire confidence in the advocacy process by updating the imagery.
5. Set up a meeting between copywriter, executive, and designer to build a cohesive vision.
Innovating:
Inspiration
Working as a volunteer helped Robin to understand the goals and needs of CASA as well as the value it had within the community. There were many sad stories entering the court system daily. Much of the design came intuitively and as a result of defining the current needs of CASA.
Tough Choices:
With no budget for artwork or photography the Internet was a great resource for free imagery. The new brochure had a sense of competency and seriousness to it. It used white space and new imagery to lighten the message and give the reader room to breathe while conveying a sense of grace to CASA’s mission.
Funny enough there was an issue with one of the photos on the final brochure. It was a picture of a young girl twirling, her arms spread wide. The director felt the girl looked “scary” like she was being crucified. The photo was replaced. There was also some push and pull with the amount of text. This was resolved by using the organization’s assets such as the website, for more detailed information allowing the brochure to gain more white space.
Generating Value:
The design didn’t require a sell because it was a collaborative process integrated throughout the design process. Value was established by the choice of photos and words and their treatment. The new design provided room for the audience to digest and contemplate the issues presented. The professional look established legitimacy as it adopted the current aesthetic common to modern corporations and businesses. In order to be considered, CASA needed to speak the same culturally appropriate visual language as their audience. The new brochure invited comment not because of its lack of adherence to modern design principles but because it seamlessly fits into the modern aesthetic as well as created an indescribable ahh-ness best described by the Japanese expression, “mono no aware.”








Note:
I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Robin. She gave me an extensive indepth picture of what the design world has been like for her. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to talk to her. The work she has done has been varied and interesting reflecting the passion she has for design.
"Passion in life feels itself"
Thank You.
Sincerely,
Claudia

Pro Bono D-day

I was scheduled to talk to Robin today but we haven't connected yet...
I feel like I'm just shy of harassing her, leaving messages, sending follow up, just in case emails.
Well, she has my email, my number, my questions, knowledge of my intention and of my deadline.

In the mean time I've been researching her on the internet.
She founded Bluegg Creative Design in 2001.
No record of a website exists of this company.
There is a Bluegg Design in Cardiff, England that is hiring.
Check out their website. They create clean modern designs.







Robin is now working for Interweave Press, a national craft media company. She is helping this firm, who seems to be stuck in a "craft" 80's ish aesthetic, to develop a cohesive vision that will translate through all their departments; advertising, web, print, and launch them into a 21st century aesthetic. Take a peek at their current website and you'll understand what I mean. Despite their audience it needs...something...less. I found the book "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug, a great resource about juggling a company's many diverse needs and balancing that with successful user interface design. (*A Brian Book, recommended in one of his classes)

She has two pro bono projects listed online:
Voices For Children/CASA of Boulder County
vfccasa.org




Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers
www.rfov.org

Pro Bono Designer

These are a few words to describe:








"National award winning art and creative director with vast experience developing publications, strategic marketing collateral, branding systems, annual reports, advertisements, presentations, and fund raising materials."


Here's a partial glimpse of her online portfolio:
(which can be found at creative hotlist)

Business Finance Magazine:
Coming To America













"This was a feature appearing in Business Finance magazine about the topic of immigration in America and how business deals with the influx of foreign-born workers. I thought of the concept of showing the Statue of Liberty with the people looking down from her torch to represent these individuals' situation of being in the U.S. but not necessarily being able to find work."

Sport Aviation Magazine:
Jawbreaker












"Spread layout for Sport Aviation about a very fast Glasair 3. The plane had a unique paint scheme that is quite stylish. I designed the layout and chose this photo to illustrate this dynamo of a homebuilt small airplane."
Experimental Aircraft Association

Rocky Mountain Institute Annual Report 2005-06:
"Unusual Partners"















"This annual report has the theme of "unusual partners" which describes many of the clients and organizations that RMI has worked with over the years. I chose to use symbiotic relationships in nature to illustrate this concept throughout the piece. Most of the images were donated by professional photographers. Recipient of 2007 American In house Design Award."
Rocky Mountain Institute

Restaurant Kody Logo Design: Evergreen, Colorado

"The restaurant's style is one of casual elegance in a mountain setting west of Denver. I worked with the chef/owner to develop a simple yet elegant logo with a distinctive style just like this fabulous establishment. The restaurant was voted one of the top 10 new restaurants in the area by 5280 magazine in 2004."
Adam Mali, owner/chef, Restaurant Kody

Pro Bono Research Project

I contacted several places with few results...
Out of state:
Ogilvy and Mather
SS+K
In state:
Factory Labs
White Ink
Ones that responded:
Robin Strelow
Karen Steenekamp

The Pro Bono Project involves investigating the world of pro bono design work, interviewing the actual designers, and detailing their design process as described in the AIGA article "Why Design."
Not many responses to date and most didn't have time.
A crisis of perception for sure in my opinion but as Kurt Vonnegut says "so it goes...."

Karen Steenekamp of Open Design was great to talk to. She graciously shared the client design strategy and the questionnaire she developed as a result. On pro bono work... she was definitive, '"it is... "-not something to jump into. Given the constraints of that type of work it can be a challenge for a small design firm without a lot of resources.
I've been invited to talk with Robin Strelow tomorrow. She did a spread of brochures in Communication Arts developed for The Rocky Mountain Institute. Her style reminded me of the work by Ogilvy. Her pro bono work is simple newsletters or letter heads. I shall find out more tomorrow.

My process:
When I realized all great designers, even not so great designers out there were not dying to talk and give advice to an impressionable design student, I was up against a business park wall so to speak.
My Strategy:
Go local. I got results when I dived into the local scene, the real people, the humble median, those still looking for their 7 minutes(?) of fame.
My Interview:
That has yet to occur but I sent an outline of my topics and questions in an email to Robin. I developed it from the AIGA article "Why Design." Some of the steps outlined in the article seemed contrived and repetitive, so I used Burrough's cut up method.


I found a great link about famous graphic designers...
Design Talkboard

A crisis of perception

Mind Walk by Bernt Capra
This is a long but fascinating movie about art, science, physics, and the matter of life.
It touches on philosophy and physic as it tackles the questions many of us may ruminate on subconsciously everyday.
When you have 1 1/2 hrs to spare...
It is a good watch and most appropriate for the times we live in.
The quality is very poor and the original VCR copy is not much better. That was 1990. Don't confuse this movie with the newer version made by a different director. The first 5 minutes are a slowwww build up setting the scene.
So be patient.
The movie really unwinds when the two men meet the scientist and begin their discussion.
Enjoy

Thinking about Holes in Cheese

Here's another intriguing quote from Collings:

"Artists have interesting concerns which no one ever thought was worth thinking about before, like holes in cheese. Advertising expresses a new world of oceanic immenseness where no one is alone. We want to be shocked by art."

The Inner Life of Painting

I picked up this great book at a used bookstore, "A Brief History of Painting" by Roy Bolton published by Magpie Books . What attracted me to it was the introductory essay by Matthew Collings In his essay he talks about contemporary art. Mr. Collings does a great job discussing the dichotomy in art that exists today, offering great examples and explanations that has helped me to articulate my unease about the current trend in the art world.

Plus he's a gas to read.

He doesn't take himself too seriously.

"Art must be unconventional, but galleries must be conventional

so you can tell its really art in them and not just something left over from a party or a murder."

Dialog City Air forest

DNC week in Denver 2008

SEO changes faster than lightening

I've been searching for tips to optimize my client web sites.
I came across this article/blog, copybrighter.
Just when I think I've got it managed...

Its got some good up to date info on SEO.