Branding for Nonprofits

I just finished reading DK Holland's excellent Branding for Nonprofits. Published in 2006, this slim volume is a must read for any nonprofit interesting in harnessing the power of branding (which should really be all of them) or even just considering working with professional graphic designers for the first time. Indeed, any designer already working with nonprofits might want to consider handing this out to new clients as a means of introduction.
The book, based on articles and lectures DK created for The Foundation Center, is filled with plenty of real world examples and resources and suggests a system of working that is easy to understand and follow. Holland does an excellent job spelling out the role of design and designers, while detailing most of the issues that come up as part of the branding process. While I wish more time was spent explaining why paying for design from folks that focus on nonprofits is better than asking for pro-bono work from large agencies (who make their money pushing cars, cigarettes, acohol, etc.), Ms. Holland does acknowledge that you often do get what you pay for.


Ask for it at your local independent bookstore.

Socially Responsible Credit Cards?

Say what you want about the evils of credit cards, many people can't avoid them. So if you can't afford to live without them why not do some good (or at least less bad) when you "charge it"? Co-op America's Real Money article "Responsible Credit Cards" lists the banks to avoid getting credit cards from for a variety of environmental/social reasons as well as cards from groups that are trying to do some good with the fees they collect.

Get the details HERE.

Design Power Defined

Julie Thompson created the Design Power site as part of her graduate thesis project at Ohio University. It gives a working definition of socially responsible design and uses three case studies (including one on ALR!) to discuss the key components of working from an ethical perspective: client choice, environmental practices, and community education. Read her entire report HERE.

Urban Forest Project

My friend and fellow socially conscious designer Mark Randall of World Studio/World Studio Foundation, talks about his Urban Forest Project:

Creative for A Cause

Creative for A Cause is an incredible new online resource for socially minded design folks created by Heidi Cies. Made as part of her graduate thesis in advertising/design at Syracuse University, Heidi has put together two dozen detailed case studies of how socially conscious design is being taught in schools across the US. The site also has comprehensive lists of publications, websites, sources of funding, schools, and "role models" all pertaining to working in the fields of marketing, advertising, and design from an ethical stand point. The searchable site is a fantastic work in progress that should prove invaluable to anyone interested in working/teaching differently. Check it out HERE.

Groundswell

It's always great to discover another resource for socially minded artists online and the Groundswell Collective's Groundswell Blog is a welcome addition. With a wide range of articles on subjects that will be familiar to ALR reader you should definitely add them to your regular reading list. Check 'em out HERE.

Free Guide to Information Design

My friend John at Social Design Notes has created an excellent free resource: Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design. The downloadable PDF booklet contains tips and examples to help advocacy groups better communicate their messages with graphic design. Get the PDF HERE.

ReThinking The Environment In The Carolinas

The Raleigh AIGA recently asked me to be one of the judges for a poster competition promoting environmentalism in North and South Carolina called: re|THINK. The 20 winning posters, selected by myself and 2 other judges, will be on display (and for sale) at the Designbox gallery in Raleigh, NC for the month of April, with an opening reception on April 4th. Even if you're not in the area you can preview all of the winning designs online now HERE.

Designism 2.0

If you missed this year's Art Director's Club talk on socially conscious design, "Designism 2.0", you can check out a podcast of it HERE.

My friend John attended the event and posted an excellent review on his Social Design Notes blog HERE.

Living Simply in Richmond, VA: February 19th

If you are in the Richmond, VA area please consider attending the free community forum Living Simply: Making Green & Just Choices on February 19th, where I will be one of several speakers. Here are the details:

This community event is all about how to live and consume in ecologically and socially conscious ways here in the Richmond area. Please come, and spread the word.

Living Simply: Making Green & Just Choices

Panel discussion followed by networking time
Tuesday, February 19, 7 p.m.
VCU Student Commons Ballroom
Free and open to the public

* Connect with farmers markets, urban gardens, energy alternatives, green
building, natural products, and fair trade opportunities here in Richmond!

* Learn how your buying choices impact community, economic justice, and
the global environment!

Speakers
Karl Bren--Green Visions Consulting, Earthcraft Virginia, social justice
advocate
Noah Scalin--founder of Another Limited Rebellion and Sprout
Azibo Turner--Vanguard Ranch Limited Natural Gourmet Products
..and more

Co-sponsored by the Falls of the James Group of the Sierra Club, the Green
Party, Richmond Peace Education Center, Sierra Student Coalition at VCU.

For more information go to www.rpec.org

Socially Conscious T-Shirts

Why wear a shirt with a celebrity on it when you can have Makenna Gigliari from Bradford, Ontario or Franka Tomic from Korkula, Croatia? Joy Apparel is an intriguing socially conscious company with the goal of promoting peace & equality through introducing normal people from around the world...by putting their faces on T-shirts! If you buy a shirt you can submit your own face and join in the fun. Find out more on their site.

Thanks Jo!

Design Rebels 2007: RISE-NOW

Students in my Fall 2007 Design Rebels class on socially conscious design created two terrific community based projects as their final assignments.

The first is RISE-NOW a poster/web campaign to educate on the issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. Read more about it in my article on Osocio HERE.

I'll post about the 2nd project CHOMP, a healthy living program for middle school students, when the finished version is online.

My Favorite Pen

I teach a class on socially conscious design and as a way of demonstrating the power of design to explain complicated issues I use a pen as a prop. It's not just any pen though, it's one designed by Stefan Sagmeister for the community action group TrueMajority.org as a means of demonstrating the disproportionate spending on the U.S. military in comparison to our "enemies". The reverse shows how a fraction of that budget could be used to fully support several other government programs that have continual underfunding problems. To buy your own pens and other well designed politically minded goodies check out the TrueMajorityShop.

The best social advertising blog returns!

After a long wait the excellent Houtlust blog has returned as Osocio. As in the past the site collects the best of advertising/marketing for social issues/non-profits from across the globe, but the new incarnation includes extra features like news feeds, non-profit profiles, and a dictionary of terminology. Probably the biggest change is that Marc van Gurp, who ran Houtlust solo has added several new editors to the site from around the world (including yours truly!).

Osocio is a truly indispensable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of marketing and social good.

Roundtables on Socio-Political Graphics in L.A.

If you're in the Los Angeles area this month you may want to check out the free series of roundtable discussions sponsored by the local student AIGA group in conjunction with the exhibition The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and the Environment 1965-2005, at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, on the campus of Cal State L.A.

NOV/8 Conversation w/John Clark, Nancy LeMay + Carol Wells
NOV/15 Conversation w/Eric Lindroth, Tomas Benitez + Garland Kirkpatrick
NOV/29 Conversation w/Rebeca Mendez, Mary Sutton + Zelda Harrison

More details HERE.

Design Rebel: James Victore

I had the pleasure of meeting artist/designer/activist/teacher James Victore yesterday.

He was a visiting lecturer at Virginia Commonwealth University's Graphic Design department and also met with my Design Rebels class where he shared his personal experiences working for excitement rather than money. Some choice quotes:

"I don't want to be known as a graphic designer."

"We're supposed to be the people who make culture, not decorate culture."

And when asked what school he went to said, "Ecole Des Hard Knocks. Whatever you learn there you keep."

He also passed out the stickers, shown above.

See more of his work here.

Call for Entries: Socially Conscious Design Competition

The San Francisco AIGA's socially conscious design competition Cause/Affect is accepting submissions now through November 9th. From their site:

cause/affect is a biennial graphic design competition which celebrates the work of designers and organizations who set out to positively impact our society and communities.

All work entered in the competition must promote or support social good and actively engage in enriching our lives. It can raise awareness about a cause or condition. It can celebrate an arts institution or event. All we ask is that it doesn’t contribute directly to the profit of a commercial organization.

This is a competition for do-gooders, who do good work. And it is open to all.

More details and entry forms can be found here.

Thanks Brad!

Service-Learning: Design Rebels

The course I teach on socially conscious design at Virginia Commonwealth University, Design Rebels, is designated as a Service-Learning class, which means the students are required to have a level of direct community engagement as part of their education. Last year the class was featured in a presentation at the annual Service-Learning conference. A short video from that presentation (which includes an interview with me about Design Rebels) can now be seen online HERE.

Small (Business) Is Beautiful

A recent article in Ode Magazine "Small Is Successful" talks about the benefits of staying small in the corporate world and features the story of how Clif Bar owner Gary Erickson resisted a profitable takeover by Quaker Oats:

...rather than feeling on top of the world about this dream deal, Erickson was uneasy. "I stood in the office waiting to go out and sign the contract," he recounts in his book Raising the Bar. "Out of nowhere, I started to shake and couldn't breathe." He told his business partner that he needed to get some air. Outside in the parking lot, he broke down in tears. And then it hit him as he began to walk around the block: "I don't have to do this. I began to laugh, feeling free," he writes. "I turned around, went back to the office and told my partner, 'Send them home. I can't sell the company.'"

Read the entire article here.

This American Life: Tweezerman in Iraq

The always entertaining, frequently moving, radio show This American Life's recent episode "#337: Man vs. History", contains a fascinating story about the socially conscious entrepreneur Dal LaMagna A.K.A. Tweezerman and his attempt to curb the violence in Iraq:

He thought he could get the Sunni resistance to sit down with Coalition forces to negotiate a cease-fire. So he hooked up with a member of the Iraqi parliament named Mohammed Al-Dynee and headed to Baghdad and Amman, where, remarkably, doors opened to him.

You can listen to the show online (and even find out how download it as a podcast) here.

John Emerson: "When Should Designers Make a Political Commitment"

My friend and fellow socially conscious design blogger John Emerson has an excellent article in the new issue of Communication Arts. He's created a fictional conversation between designers discussing their role when it comes to politics, addressing many of the questions that get asked of activist designers on a regular basis:

Sam: Sounds great. But do you ever feel conflicted? I mean, look at those posters about the genocide in Darfur. I’m all for rising to the challenge, but don’t these things just take advantage of the cause by exploiting some tragedy as an excuse to make a clever design?

Robin: Well, if I care about a cause, why shouldn’t I respond and communicate that? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with clever, as long as it helps you get your point across.

Read the entire article here.

Social Atelier

Social Atelier is a collective of artists/activists who are using fashion to talk about social issues. Their current collection of 100% Organic Cotton T-shirts feature text on issues of global warming, war, body image, genocide, gay marriage, poverty, and AIDS. Sales of the the shirts, which were launched in an Ethical Night Out event, benefit the Solar Cooker Project. Read more here.

ActivsMart Grand (virtual) Opening!

Today is the grand opening of ActivsMart a virtual store from our friends at Design for Social Impact. The shop is filled with products featuring their friendly, colorful message driven graphics. All profits go to fund special projects of DfSI like the WPA Living Archive and Activist Trolley Tour. Plus they are giving away a free handmade print with every order placed today! Check it out here.

Index Awards for Design To Improve Life

The non-profit Copenhagen based Index promotes "Design To Improve Life" via networking and annual international industrial design competitions. This year's Index: Awards nominees are available for review online. Under the categories Body, Home, Work, Play, and Community the entries range from easier to use tourniquets to eco-friendly knives to alternative school furniture. Learn more here.

Sheep Tracker

Flocks allows wool sweater buyers to have an intimate knowledge of the source of their garment. Each item they produce is made from a single sheep and includes an I.D. number and info card on that animal.

Thanks Jen!

Activist Designer Roundtable: 7/17 Oakland, CA

This just in from the folks at Design Action Collective:

We're finally able to follow up on the highly successful 2004 Designs on Democracy conference! If you were there, you will remember what a great information exchange and relationship building opportunity that big get-together was. Ever since, we've been trying to foment other, more ground-up ways of recapturing that experience, and further developing it into an on-going exchange that will benefit the Movement for the long-term.

The format: A monthly series of presentations and facilitated round-table discussions on topics of interest to activist designers.

The goal: To strengthen our ability to provide the social justice movement with effective graphic design, visual communications and other advertising services. Recognizing that we play a vital role in countering the propaganda of the right, we want to foster communication, sharing and collaboration between like-minded activist-designers (and eliminate/reduce competition).

The Topics: These could range from the specific ("what is your logo design process") to the broad and political ("The role of political posters for the MySpace generation"). Participant interest will determine topics.

The location: The new Eastside Arts Alliance building
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606

The first DoD Roundtable will be held on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. 6:30 - 9 pm. "Progressive Communications in Design, Part I"
We will decide on a topic for this and a couple subsequent round-tables at this first meeting with your input.

Subsequent Roundtables will be on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for the rest of 2007.

What to bring: Your ideas. And if possible, a snack or beverage to share (but more important you come).


Designs on Democracy

ps. Please RSVP if you're planning to come or if you're interested in future sessions!!

Nadia Khastagir
nadia _ AT _ designaction.org

Good Posters

While you've missed your chance to participate in the Good 50x70 poster design competition, which encouraged students and professionals to create posters on five pressing social justice issues, you can see the co-winners and shortlisted finalists, juried by a group of well-respected folks, for each category here:

• AIDS
• Environmental Damage
• Human Rights
• Undersdevelopment
• War

Profits from sales of catalogs of the posters will go to the charities that supported the competition.

Thanks Marc!

Designs on Democracy

Members of Tumis Design and Design Action Collective will be holding a workshop on socially conscious design at the U.S. Social Forum on June 30th in Atlanta Georgia:

What is the history of graphic communication in the social justice movement? What is our role now?

How can we effectively use graphic communication to get our messages out in a way that reaches the hearts and minds of our communities and society at large?

What choices do we make in representation in our designs? What images and language do we use? How do we help in creating a message of diversity and positivity?


Join Favianna Rodriguez of Tumis Design, and Nadia Khastagir and Sabiha Basrai of Design Action Collective in a colorful presentation and discussion of the pressing topics facing progressive visual communicators.

This workshop is for emerging and experienced graphic designers, communications specialists, students and artists who work with social justice organizing efforts.

The U.S. Social Forum, a conference for social justice activists, runs June 27th through July 1st. For more info go HERE.

Roll Call

I just added a few new blogs to our "Friends + Allies" section of the sidebar and I wanted to give them a proper introduction. These are folks who are writing about topics that are complimentary to the Another Limited Rebellion's socially conscious mindset.
Please check 'em out:

CreativEthics - Designer/Photographer Todd Zerger's socially conscious community blog.

Rebel:Art - German art/activism blog, lots of great visuals so you don't need to speak the language to enjoy it.

Stralunato - Spanish socially conscious design blog from Jacinto Lajas.

If you like the blog...

...you might also enjoy the newsletter that my company sends out on a semi-regular basis called Designletter. It's easy to digest, comes right to your inbox and features expanded versions of items mentioned in this blog as well as more in depth info on individual socially responsible businesses (that also just happen to be our clients). You can read the latest issue here and if you like sign up for future issues (and we promise, absolutely NO spam) here.

Implementing Designism

Designer/photographer Amanda Kohn decided to test the power of design to affect social change by creating a campaign to promote awareness of Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine disorder that affects 5-10% of all women. Her site Implementing Designism discusses the process and shows off her work.

A Site for Social Design

A Site for Social Design, while still relatively new, is already a great introduction to the world of art and design focused on positive social change. The site, which is a creation of the German "think tank for social design and organizational excellence" Systemic Consulting Group, features galleries of great projects, forums for discussion, and a even history of social design.

ALR on Tour: NYC

I just returned from a business trip in NYC (thus the lack of posts recently) where I also gave a talk at NYU's Tisch School of The Arts to students [shown left] in the Tech Track program (which was the program I was in, 15 odd years ago!).

Thanks so much to Wendy Luedtke for bringing me in to talk about my company and socially conscious design.