Refresh the world

Good and Pepsi are teaming up to find solutions to important issues. And you can vote on the best ideas! Millions will be giving to which ever gets the most votes. Grants are available in all sizes that can help the individual get an idea off the ground to larger organizations that can dedicate the time and resources. Voting begins Feb 1st.

Individual Giving Socially

Social media like blogs and twitter have given many people a voice. Now all kinds of people all over the world are able to express themselves for everyone to hear and in a way that is easy and inexpensive. I think we’re just beginning to understand the ramifications of how this will change the way we live. But it is also changing the way we connect and contribute to new and existing social issues. Many nonprofits are making the most of the technology and the level of transparency and immediacy that comes along with it. Organizations like Kiva and Global Giving. The blog of the Standford Social Innovation Review has an interesting post about the power of the individual and social media fundraising.

Maya Lin

Last month Maya Lin, artist and architect, was on CNN talking with Christiane Amanpour about her latest project. If you don’t know who Maya Lin is she created the infamous Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC. Her latest work will be her last memorial, and she is tackling the environment as the subject matter. You can see the work as it develops on amazing her website, designed by Knowawall. I have no doubt Lin is going to change how we see memorials again with this work. Her work continues to be engaging and inspiring.

Is Business the Enemy?

There is an interesting post and commentary on social edge about social ventures partnering with business. For a long time it seemed there was a clear distinction between organizations that wanted to make money and ones that wanted to make a difference, and the two sides never met. Times have changed I think for the better. Now more and more people are realizing that today’s problems are too big to solve alone. They are less interested in staying on their side of the fence and more interested in finding solutions. Nonprofits are beginning to think like businesses and businesses are beginning to think about the double and triple bottom line. Both parties know they can benefit from working together.

Ashoka Newsletter Icons

For the past few months I have been working with Ashoka, a social venture fund, to update their email newsletter. They’ve been using various icons to highlight and illustrate different topics. I was tasked with developing new icons they could use while still keeping within their brand and established style. Here are a few of the icons I created.

Green Logo

The NY chapter of the US Green Building Council has a new name and identity created by Pentagram. An in depth look at the project and design is available on their blog. One thing I like about it is its modern/tech feeling. It seems like when something is “green” or environmentally friendly many people want the visuals to be very rustic and use leaves or trees as imagery. I don’t feel this is necessary. Green businesses and products are the norm now, and we don’t have to box ourselves into a corner about how to visually represent that anymore.

Social Media Conversation

If you’ve been living under a rock the last couple of years you might not know that social media has changed the way people communicate. Its also changing the way groups, organizations, and companies communicate with their audience. I recently attended a discussion organized by the ADCMW on the subject. The speaker was John Bell, the Managing Director of 360° Digital Influence (part of Ogilvy PR). There were so many interesting, educational, and insightful comments on the subject. Some key ideas I took from it are:

• Think engagement strategy: As a creative, I’m used thinking about brand, communications, or even marketing strategies, but necessarily how to get people involved—not yet anyway.
• The barrier between social media and traditional dot.com is getting smaller and smaller.
• Word of mouth, sharing, and contributing only works if its creditable.
• The Federal Trade Commission has recently released guidelines for bloggers.
• Conversation mapping: figure out what people are already talking about and develop content around that.

Urban Forest Mentor Update

My mentee and I getting along great and having fun designing a banner for the Urban Forest Project. Here is a snapshot of work in progress. The development has been very organic. We started by talking about the environment, sustainability, and trees. She did a sketch of a cool pattern of dots, lines, and zig zags. We talked about how that could be translated to the banner, and she came up with the idea of using puzzle pieces. The end result is going to be mixed media suing paint, pencil, and collage of photos and 3D materials like acorns and leaves. I think its going to be awesome!

Aspen Design Summit

Mid November the Aspen Design Summit was held. This event was definitely a “horse of a different color.” It wasn’t another conference, but a gathering of designers, change leaders, NGOs, foundations, and experts to use design thinking to come up with solutions to large social problems. A couple of the organizations involved were UNICEF and the Center for Disease Control. Some of the issues they tackled were rural poverty, healthy aging, and food sustainability. The Change Observer covers all of it. Read the who, what, and how and even view slideshows of the process.

DesigNYC open for business

Are you a nonprofit or a community, civic organization in NYC? If you are you can apply to the newly formed group DesigNYC to work with (probono) designers who specialize in architecture, commnications, interiors, systems, and much more. This group is interested in contributing to the city they love and to organizations in need of their services and expertise. If this describes you then submit a proposal, the deadline is Nov. 30th.