Anti-Fur Posters from 2008

Design Against Fur 2008, an event held by the Fur Free Alliance, produced many excellent posters (and animated shorts). Among them is certainly the poster (below) created by Feng Chen, a student from Beijing China, winning both the Grand Prize and the International Peoples Choice Award.

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The event’s other winning designs can be seen here.

The Fur Free Alliance is “an international coalition of over 35 animal protection organizations working to bring an end to the exploitation and killing of animals for their fur.”

For “inFURmation” on this year’s competition, check out Design Against Fur 2009.

Student mental health video award

I’m normally not a proponent of contests within the visual arts professions, as they are often structured and/or carried out in a manner that devalues, and sometimes even degrades, the industry and its participants. Nevertheless, when I was recently contacted by a representative from The Jed Foundation and asked if I would share some information about their upcoming video competition, I gladly checked it out, particularly since I heartily support The Jed Foundation’s mission.

Although I’m not familiar with the nuances of the video industry, this event looks worthwhile to me, so I’m pleased to share it here…

For starters, they’ve dubbed it an “award” (vs. contest or competition), The Jerry Greenspan Student Voice of Mental Health Award.

The event is for “college students who have had mental health issues”, and asks them to “create a video on their experiences with mental health issues and how they are working to raise awareness and encourage their peers on the issue”. The creator of the winning video receives the award, which includes a $2,000 scholarship, a trip to NYC to our annual gala in June 2009, recognition through The Jed Foundation’s website and events and possibly appearing on MTVU.

The Jed Foundation which works nationally to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college and university students.jedfoundation.org

Additional information about The Jerry Greenspan Student Voice of Mental Health Award is available on the foundation’s website: http://jedfoundation.org/programs/student-voice-of-mental-health-award.

Good luck to all who participate!

Doves in Winter: Happy New Year!

We wanted to do something different this year for our holiday cards to clients and business associates. We wanted the piece to be unique, made of recycled material, and convey our sincerest wishes for a “Happy and Peaceful New Year.” Here are some photos of the result – a paper sculpture of sorts we called “Doves in Winter”

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Although the piece was pretty straightforward to assemble, with labels stamped on the ends and their corresponding slots, we also included a set of instructions and a diagram for good measure.

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BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

Thank you Charley Harper

Let this brief entry serve as a long overdue expression of my gratitude to Charley Harper for his work and the inspiration it has provided me over the years. I can recall hours spent as a child pouring over his illustrations in the “The Golden Book of Biology” (cover image below), experience that undoubtedly planted seeds that would eventually grow into the passions for both natural history and illustration & design that are my life’s work today.

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I have always been captivated by Mr. Harper’s unique style of “minimalist realism”, and inspired by his ability to accurately portray the essence of a life form or a life process in a way that distills the subject to its most important features, without the burden of unnecessary details. Perhaps this style (or the philosophy behind it) is best reflected in the quote he chose for his myspace page, “I don’t count the feathers, I count the wings!”

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Mr. Harper’s passed away on June 10, 2007, at age 84. Since his death, I’ve been thinking about him and his work often, always with a feeling of sincere gratitude for all that he has unknowingly given me for so many years. Thank you Charley Harper.

– RG

Video Essay: Todd Oldham talks with Charley Harper:

P.S. My fellow designers who share both a love for Charley Harper’s work and a desire to minimize the negative environmental impact of their work will surely be interested in a publication by Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc., A Field Guide: Eco-Friendly, Efficient and Effective Print, now in its third edition. The guide not only contains some terrific tips for creating more environmentally-friendly print designs, but is also sprinkled with some examples of Charley Harper’s beautiful work.