You may not have a house that is an architectural masterpiece but take heart – you have an opinion and that’s all you need to participate in The House Vote. Roughly every day a new bite sized bit of architectural creativity is posted and you get to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. If you are feeling particularly loquacious or lean more toward freestyle commentary you can do that too. It’s a fun way to get a dose of architecture and if you see something you like you can click on the picture to visit the website of the architectural office responsible.
If you are not confident about your opinion check here first to baseline (or possibly flat line) your appreciation for homes that are poorly designed, poorly crafted and basically out of touch with reality. Then check out some of the architecture posts on this site or jump right to The House Vote to look at some really stunning homes that were designed to be built in a specific location and support the healthy, happy life of the occupants.
Clearly I have an opinion (grin)
Protect Your Brand. Save Your Logo.
Lacoste and MAAF were the first to sign up for this the new international conservation effort Save Your Logo.
The premise is simple—companies that put animals in their logos get tax perks and good press for protecting the habitat of those animals. Brilliant.
I’m just looking at what I’m wearing right now and I see Puma kicks, American Eagle slacks, and Jockey t-shirt (which may sound odd but the number of horses being abandoned and neglected by cash strapped owners these days is shocking and sad).
Anyhoo, thinking of naming our new screen printing studio Monkey Puppy Seahorse Press just for tax purposes now.
Did we MNtion the AIGA MNtor proram starts next MNth
If you are reading this you probably have a brilliant creative mind worth sharing. We want you to keep sharing your insights on RedBlackBrown by commenting but also want to make sure you know that the AIGA’s mentor program is a great opportunity for you to help new designers get off to a great start.
Let’s be honest. How often do you find yourself wishing others around you at work would think the way you do? That would make things much easier right? Well, here’s your chance to help a freshly minted designer see the world the way you do. This is your chance to be like Obi-Wan Kenobi.... or Emperor Palpatene....
I just discovered a site that helps provide exposure for artists and designers. Great idea. What I don’t get is why it creates a competition between art and design – two things that in my not so humble opinion are not at odds with one another. Art and design each serve different purposes and this site reduces them both to a random head-to-head match to see “Which one moves you more?” I gather the creator designates their own work as either art or design but there is no explanation as to why they chose the category they did. Anyway, check it out and see what you think.
Answer Questions. Feed Puppies and Kitties.
More animal cuteness and cleverness. Visit the site once a day to answer a trivia question about dogs or cats and earn 10 bits of kibble for participating animal shelters. Started by a 12 year old. She delivered her first 240 pounds of food with a wheel barrel. A year later her total raised was 73 tons.
Watch the video of her first delivery, if only to see the anchor ladies faaaaaabulous hair.
PS the animals get the food whether you’re right or wrong. Whew! Cuz they’re kinda tough sometimes. Seriously.
PSS I think this would make a fun iPhone app too, if I knew how to create one.
What a beautiful day it is to stop and consider how lucky we are to live where and when we do. Today is a great day to start a new earth-friendly habit (start riding your bike to work or stop using styrofoam… you know the stuff). Coming up the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd you can attend the Living Green Expo at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds to learn more about living with, instead of just on, planet Earth. The photo is by NASA as you probably guessed and they have an earth day feature going too. As most of the readers of RedBlackBrown are designers or creative problem solvers of some sort (you’re also intelligent, attractive and charming ;) you will play an important role in the coming years – perhaps not inventing solutions to our environmental challenges – but in communicating them and inspiring the general public to believe in their value. Thanks for that.
Today's Oximoron: Freelance Union
Did you catch the piece about the Freelancer’s Union on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer?
Well, you’re the only one because all the super cool designers out there saw it and crushed their server! Can I get a “hell ya!”
When it comes back up go take a look. Membership is free and not like your father’s union (which was probably pretty lame and involved standing around in the cold with signs of shockingly poor typographic quality and getting honked at). The Freelancer’s Union is a web of support for insurance, training, networking and more. The NewsHour repeats at midnight in the Twin Cities.