Or at least I would be if I had this gorgeous umbrella from the Umbrella Society. There are lots of designer patterns to choose from.

Posted by Megan

We at HOW are open about our love for our pets, and if you mention your own, we'll demand to see cute photos. So we were thrilled to see Design Observer's "Dogs and their Designers" feature. We found this cute pic our friend Debbie Millman with her Shih-Tzu Scruffy.



Next up: Designer's and their Cats!

Posted by Megan

Former HOW art director Amy Hawk and two of her fellow instructors at the University of Akron (John Morrison and Dave Szalay) recently gave their Type 3 classes an assignment that Amy knows all too well: design a cover for HOW's Self-Promotion Issue.

Amy forwarded all the cover designs here to HOW HQ and asked us to choose the three strongest designs. Here's the work that caught our eyes:

First place, by Ashley Engelhardt: We liked the scribbled HOW logo, the great contrast, the textured background and the concept itself, which references the Xeroxed personal ads with the little tear-off tabs that are ubiquitous on college campuses.




Second place, by Melissa Olson: Though we were a bit befuddled by the weird family photo, we liked the cover-as-corkboard concept and thought the masking-tape logo treatment was clever.




Third place, by Rachel Von Hendrix: The typographic illustration, though not an original idea, was well-done, and we liked the color scheme.




And we selected a runner up, too, by Slyeri Lee. We didn't get it, but we thought the image was cool.

Industrial/Interactive Design Professor
Syracuse University

The School of Art and Design at Syracuse University invites applications for a full-time tenure track position within the Industrial and Interaction Design program. This Assistant / Associate Professor level position will begin Fall 2009. The Industrial and Interaction Design program is one of the oldest and most highly respected five year programs in this nation. Qualifications for this position include a masters degree in Industrial or Interaction Design, prior teaching experience, extensive knowledge of Computer Aided Industrial Design and rapid prototyping. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate design education, a strong record of professional practice and experience with curriculum development. The candidate will also be expected to participate fully in department duties, college, and committee work.

Posted by Megan

Textile Designer
Target

As a Textile Designer, you will develop and execute textile designs that achieve overall product strategy and merchant objectives.
SEE YOURSELF:

Executing designs for a given season, business segment and Target guest.
Participating in research & development of seasonal trends, themes, concepts, color, fabric, and styling.
Ensuring designs meet merchant line plans, assortment strategies, price points and overall creative direction.
Ensuring textile design package is complete, accurate and handed off to Technical Design/AMC/Merchandising/Sr. Designer on time.
Maintaining consistent POV (point of view) and POD (point of difference) within the brand through collaboration with Design Manager and peers.
Collaborating with Merchandising, AMC/Sourcing and vendors to achieve product execution and maintain design integrity.
Producing cohesive product presentations to sell concepts to merchants, including boards, tears, samples, etc.
Developing an understanding of business and assortment strategies.
Interacting and develop relationships with Tech Designers, buyers, vendors, Color Office to exchange ideas, leverage expertise and streamline the process.
Managing expenses to budget.

Posted by Megan

Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge recently partnered with the New York City Public Library to create a series of videos following five NYC artists as they find inspiration at the library.

Together we invited five brooklyn-based artists to come to the library, become inspired by its collections and have us film their entire creative process from the beginning to the final finished product, whatever that may be.

The first video introduces the artists, and I'm looking forward to future episodes.

Posted by Megan

From the International Herald Tribune, a slideshow about how designers have been uniquely poised for opportunity during previous economic slumps. From the piece:

Designers will be called upon to advise recession-struck companies on how to cut costs without impeding efficiency. They will also be asked to exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities offered by the recession by developing austerity-friendly products and services. An example is the Virtual Wallet online banking service developed for the young, tech-savvy customers of the American bank, PNC, by the IDEO design group.

In fact, sources we've spoken to indicate that small design firms, if they're well-focused and disciplined, can actually thrive during a down economy. For more info:

Video: Surviving a Tough Economy

Article: Turn Slow Time into Go Time

The Obama logo was a ubiquitous as it was successful, but who created the iconic mark that helped propel our President Elect into his new position? The AIGA/Philadelphia is hosting a lecture by the logo's designer, Sol Sender, on November 20.

Sol Sender and his team at Sender LLC have turned the letter "O" in Barack Obama's name into an iconic logo like the swoosh from the Nike. The innovative approach toward branding the Obama campaign has helped set it apart from what has come before. Obama's brand has sparked many conversations about the importance of design in political campaigns. When Michael Bierut from Pentagram was asked where Obama's brand stands against the best commercial brand design, he answered "I think it's just as good or better." Sol Sender will share his insight and his experience of working on one of the most recognized political brands. Register for this event ahead of time since it'll fill up fast.

Posted by Megan

Modofly partners with artists to create and sell laser-etched moleskine notebooks in a variety of sizes and papers. You can also hire them to etch your original design onto notebooks, which would make a great holiday gift for clients.

Posted by Megan

I mean, they're just pencils. But they're pencils imprinted with famous mustaches like Salvador Dali's and Zorro's. What is with this mustache trend? I don't get it, but I like it.

Posted by Megan