Researchers at UBC have studied the recycling behaviour of people who work in green buildings to those who don’t and found that – regardless of their past habits – people in green buildings recycle more. This is really nifty because it proves that design of an interior space alone can
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cartoon life: Just say no to 0%
There’s a thread of an idea around this city that every incumbent city councillor needs disposal in the next election. Well, there are a few good ones, and there are some who need removal. The whole ‘throw them all out’ idea needs some sound second thought. This is my contribution
Continue readingeaves.ca: How Car2Go ruins Car2Go
So let me start by saying, in theory, I LOVE Car2Go. The service has helped prevent me from buying a car and has been indispensable in opening up more of Vancouver to me. For those not familiar with Car2Go, it is a car sharing service where the cars can be parked virtually
Continue readingArt Threat: Blown Up: Gaming and War
Let’s face it: shooting stuff is fun – in video, that is; but it can also be ethically complicated. Gallery 101’s current exhibition Blown Up: Gaming and War, brings to the conventions of video gaming the complexities of art, activism and critical commentary. I am not exactly a typical gamer
Continue readingArt Threat: Digital media challenge offers $100,000 for critical work on democracy
A new digital media challenge is looking for creative work that addresses the need to improve democracy in the United States. And as it is with American democracy in practice, large sums of money are at stake — $100,000 in cash prizes will go to “the most fresh and creative submissions.”
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Look at Happiness Through Design
The Design Exchange in Toronto has invited Stefan Sagmeister to explore what happiness is all about. The artist has done some great album artwork and is now exploring how to bring happiness via stats and images. It looks like a good show! In the spirit of design week, join us
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: A Pinterest is Worth 1,000 Blogs
OK, maybe not, but let’s try this. I’ve been trying to figure out how Pinterest could complement this website. We’ve kicked it around and ended up speechless. Which is appropriate. See below. I was asking the wrong question. And since I slid into Pinterest this week I can see that
Continue readingArt Threat: If Dr. Seuss books were titled according to their subtexts
While I might be more likely to pick up a book entitled The Psychological Implications of Holiday-Motivated Materialism, I’m not so sure about a five-year-old. You can check out all eight tweaked titles at War On Idiocy, who have also posted this fine little cultural jamming gem. Via Kottke.
Continue readingCarbon49 - Sustainability for Canadian businesses: Winning Cleantech by Design
Being able to get across a green product’s essence to consumers and investors is a key that can turn it from a fringe interest to mass market success. Design can connect consumers with a cleantech product’s functions, values, and green character better than words can. This article shows the key
Continue readingArt Threat: 1984 is blacked out in a graphic tribute to George Orwell
Penguin Books is releasing new editions of George Orwell’s best known books on January 21 to commemorate the inaugural “Orwell Day” — an annual event to celebrate the author and his influence on media and modern discourse. Designed by David Pearson, each book has a unique, typography-focused layout. It is
Continue readingArt Threat: Happy holidays from Soviet Russia (and us!)
In the spirit of the holidays, we’d like to share with you this lovely collection of Soviet greeting cards. Enjoy! (There’s more where that come from if you check out this link.)
Continue readingArt Threat: Girls with guns, boys with blow dryers – Is this gender-neutral toy catalog just a holiday publicity stunt?
Designing a toy catalog — or most any mass-market consumer catalog for that matter — is usually an exercise deeply rooted in the status quo. Top-Toy, the largest toy retailer in Northern European and licensee of the Toys “R” US chain in that region, is gently disrupting some of society’s
Continue readingArt Threat: Carbon Visuals illustrates the serious state of climate change
Since 1991, nearly 14,000 peer-reviewed scientific articles have been published on the topic of climate change. Of those, a mere 24 reject human-caused global warming. Despite the overwhelming evidence that climate change is, in fact, real, there is still a need for highly effective communications tools to educate the public on the dire importance of […]
Continue readingArt Threat: Designer’s tumbleweed clears land mines
The Mine Kafon, by Afghan designer Massoud Hassani, is designed to be blown across dangerous terrain by the wind, triggering mines as it passes over them.
Continue readingArt Threat: The imagination, art, and activism of Herman’s House
Last week I attended the Toronto theatrical premiere of Herman’s House, a thought-provoking documentary written and directed by Angad Singh Bhalla. This Canadian film tells the story of an artistic collaboration between Jackie Sumell and Herman Wallace. Sumell is a multidisciplinary artist from New York. Wallace is a Black Panther from Louisiana who has been […]
Continue readingArt Threat: Public Access Design pairs artists and advocates on urgent social issues
The Centre for Urban Pedagogy has brought the principle of public-access television to the world of design with a project intended to provide impactful design to community advocates and empower people in their own neighbourhoods. Public Access Design creates collaborations between designers and community organizations to create visual tools that “help ordinary residents better understand […]
Continue readingcartoon life: Cat from the jungle of your mind.
I’ve been playing in an iPad app called LetterMPress. The touch and manipulation controls are a bit fussy. The printing process is simulated too, and quite delightfully ignores whatever expediencies might evolve out of a purely digital process. Like printing class back in art school. Filed under: art, design, digital,
Continue readingArt Threat: Hacking the border to pieces: technology, poetics, and protest at the speed of dreams – An encounter with Ricardo Dominguez
Ricardo Dominguez (center), with Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0. (Photo by Kinsee Morlan.) It’s a staging that feels, if not inappropriate, then at least a little unconventional: I’m seated in front of my laptop in the living room of my East Vancouver home, trying (and mostly failing) to ward off the
Continue readingcartoon life: Cats and a fish
Image built with LetterMpress, overly skeuomorphic software, with sometimes awkward and fussy, unresponsive object manipulation. Still, quite beautiful results. Filed under: art, design, digital Tagged: Cats fish letterpress LetterMpress printing water
Continue readingcartoon life: Masque
Filed under: art, design, digital, drawing Tagged: 100 cats
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