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# Thursday, February 07, 2008
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OK, Ewww ...

Or, This Is Why We've Foresworn Plastic Grocery Bags:

We heard about this on NPR the other day, and now Core77 has a post about it: Out in the Pacific, about 500 nautical miles off the California coast, exists a "plastic stew" -- a rubbish swamp larger than the continental U.S., full of plastic trash that's just swirling away in the ocean. Read the full story here. Something to consider next time a client asks you to design some kind of plastic thingy.


Thought Provoking
Thursday, February 07, 2008 5:55:35 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
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For Your Desk

Design Within Reach is selling a set of 12 moleskine notebooks to capture your thoughts and sketches for an entire year. Each black notebook is embossed with the phrase "One Year of White Pages," along with a hole to indicate the month (one for January, two for February, etc.).

Posted by Megan


Gifts and Goodies
Thursday, February 07, 2008 4:35:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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Dear Future Me On NOTCOT

I never get tired of finding mentions of HOW books in the blogosphere. Today, Dear Future Me popped up on NOTCOT.org, one of my fave design blogs. If you haven't read about the book yet, you can find an exerpt here. It's a collection of letters people have written to be sent to their future selves. The book is strange, sad, funny and enlightening all at the same time.

Posted by Megan


HOW Books
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 8:57:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
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News this Week

A few news items coming in this week: envelope inspiration, carbon offsets, a nod for a design leader and a new paper.

• Need info on envelopes? Go here.

• The paper mills are WAY into FSC certification, carbon offsets and eco-friendly power these days. Here's another example: ThePaperMillStore.com now offers carbon-neutral shipping. So whatever pollution is generated by shipping that box of paper you just ordered is offset by carbon credits. (We're wondering if we can offset the calories in the three handfuls of M&Ms we just ate.)

• Mary Pisarkiewicz, founder and CCO of Pisarkiewicz Mazur & Co. in NYC, received a "True Original" Business Award from Staples. Pisarkiewicz volunteers her marketing expertise to the Greenwich Village Middle School through the nonprofit PENCIL, which supports partnerships between business leaders and school principals. In a nice gesture, she donated the $1,500 Staples gift card back to the school.

Sappi just launched Tempo, a new paper that dries in the pressroom in half the time. What seems like an obvious benefit to printers also pays off for designers needing a sheet for a quick-turnaround job.



Posted by Bryn

Industry News
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 3:48:29 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
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Overheard On The Forum

What's your favorite font right now? One forum members offered this list:
thesis
gotham
trade gothic
filosofia
bembo
rockwell
clarendon

Posted by Megan


Typography
Wednesday, February 06, 2008 2:08:04 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 
# Tuesday, February 05, 2008
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Welcome To The New HOWdesign.com

Be sure to poke around our revamped site and let us know what you think. The goal of the project was to make content much easier to find (and to update).

Posted by Megan


HOW Magazine
Tuesday, February 05, 2008 6:53:53 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [3] 
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CD Love

Just in time for your romantic Valentine's mix CDs, 5inch is offering the 3 CDR Love Bundle for $7.50. The catchy designs are sure to capture someone's heart.

Posted by Megan


Gifts and Goodies
Tuesday, February 05, 2008 3:44:57 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
# Monday, February 04, 2008
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Advertising's Big Night

Apparently, I'm not alone in thinking that most of the over-hyped ads during last night's game pretty much stunk. Dear God, can we please get past the caveman schtick? And what was with all the cringe-inducing racial stereotype jokes? Carmen Electra and Richard Simmons … really?

Ad Age has a full run-down (including Bob Garfield's postgame crit). If you want to relive the misery, feel free to watch the spots again.

Posted by Bryn

Industry News
Monday, February 04, 2008 3:20:03 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
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Identity Crisis! Interview
   
The Creative Group recently interviewed Jeff Fisher about his new book Identity Crisis! You can learn more about what goes into an identity redesign here.

TCG: "What do you think are some of the greatest benefits of an identity redesign - whether it's a lesson learned or tangible result - as it pertains to an individual's career?"

JF: "The greatest immediate advantage of a redesign is the opportunity to reintroduce oneself - or one's business - to the marketplace. Revamping one's image provides a reason to reach out to past clients, those who may have expressed interest in possible projects, a current client list, targeted potential clientele, vendors, the media and anyone else who may need to be kept up-to-date on your business activities."

Posted by Megan


HOW Books
Monday, February 04, 2008 3:17:28 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 
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Pantone's Fall 2008 Fashion Color Report

Pantone just announced it's Color Report for Fall fashions.
Best described as a season of change, fall ’08 is defined by rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York's fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange and yellow.

Posted by Megan


Design Resources
Monday, February 04, 2008 2:03:58 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1]