Spotted in India: Paper not Plastic

Based solely on my observations there India does not seem to have a strong infrastructure for dealing with trash or recycling, but it was nice to see at least that an effort is being made to reduce the use of disposable plastic bags (as evidenced by this sign spotted in Mumbai). Several stores offered inexpensive cloth bags as alternatives and one place even had these nifty bags made from recycled newspaper with a hand stenciled logo on them. Each one was unique and surprisingly sturdy.

Spotted in India: Indo-Pak Peace Project

I arrived in India on New Year's Day and was pleasantly surprised to learn about Aman Ki Asha, a new Indian Pakistani peace project initiated by The Times of India and the Jang Group. I spotted these giant signs in Mumbai and saw this entertaining ad on the local TV...

Spotted in India: Point Blank School Zone

A good majority of the street signs I encountered in India had accompanying advertising.

I found this one in Hampi particularly creepy since the juxtaposition of language and image made me think of school shootings (perhaps something that is not as common in India as it is here).

There were also a series of signs across bridges in Goa reminded people to wear helmets, not drink and drive, go the speed limit, and not use cell phones while driving, which appropriately enough were sponsored by a phone company.

Spotted in India: Beyond Billboards

I recently spent two weeks in India, specifically parts of Goa, Hampi, and Mumbai. The majority of the areas I stayed in though were smaller villages and towns and one of the first things I noticed was that the only places that were recently painted were buildings (often small businesses) that were entirely covered in advertising. Considering how rundown the majority of the buildings were, I could see the appeal in a free paint job, even though in most cases the ad overwhelmed any other signage for what the building contained (and was usually completely unrelated). Interestingly when the ads were no longer under contract in many cases the words and logos were just obscured enough to make them illegible, but the main components of the design remained (sorry I didn't manage to photograph any of theses, they were actually quite visually intriguing).

Spotted in New York City: Final Exit

I recently gave a talk at the New York Public Library's Grand Central Branch and discovered this sign in a stairwell in the building. Needless to say I did not go through that door.

Spotted in Newark: Meditation Room

I've been spending a lot of time in airports recently and yet the first time I encountered a sign like this was in Newark, New Jersey.

Spotted in Boston: Street Art?

I enjoy reading a few blogs about street art so I'm always on the look out for good examples wherever I travel. In Boston the other week I spotted this billboard that I had to give a good long look at to figure out if it was just falling apart or if someone had done this intentionally. In the end I figured it was just something that happened, but I love the idea that the rough/dirty reality is being revealed behind the pristine image reminding you that you "can't buy happiness".

Spotted in Boston: Bicycle Tickets

Apparently at MIT if you don't park your bike in an appropriate place (this one was just left laying on a shrub) then you'll get a ticket! I'm not sure how they're enforced, but I'm impressed that they're even around long enough for someone to find them considering that bikes left unchained where I live would be gone in seconds!

Has anyone encountered these anywhere else?

Spotted in Boston: Clear Signs

Apparently Bostonians don't want people to just blindly follow orders, since they went out of their way to explain the reasoning behind the signage I encountered there...

Bird sign found in Boston Common.
Revolving door sign found on MIT Campus.

Spotted in Boston: Bigfoot Research Institute

In my ongoing quest to visit all of the 826 Stores I managed to stop by the Greater Boston Research Institute on the one day I had to explore Boston on a recent trip up there. Sadly it was a Sunday and the Institute was closed, but even from the outside it was very entertaining. For those of you that aren't familiar with the 826 project it was created, in part by author Dave Eggars, to facilitate creative writing programs for kids. The first location was 826Valencia and its adjoining Pirate Store in San Francisco.
Like the other stores the space is not in the center of town and none of my friends in the area had even heard of it! Needless to say my friends that brought me there, plan to go back when it's open to get some official GBRI tin cups and specimen jars!

Seriously, if anyone wants to start an 826 program in Richmond, VA or nearby I'm officially volunteering to do the design work!

ALR on Tour: December

My December has unexpectedly filled up with travel related to my Skull-A-Day project. Since these are not really public events I've haven't promoted them, but in case you're interested here's what I'm up to:

• December 7th: speaking to design students at Syracuse University ’Äì Syracuse, NY
• December 9th: talk/workshop at the Intuit Experience Design (XD) Forum’Äì San Francisco
• December 11th: talk/workshop at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art's Art NOW Teen Symposium ’Äì Richmond, VA
• December 15th: talks for the New York Public Library's SmARTZ events for teens at two branches (Grand Concourse, Bronx & Grand Central, Manhattan). ’Äì New York City

Also you're interested in having me come talk with your group about generating creative energy through daily practice and my experiences creating a skull a day for a year, please drop me a line.

You can see a video of one of my recent talks for the Gel conference HERE.

Spotted in Louisville: Butterfly Notes

I had a very brief trip to Louisville recently and sadly I didn't get to explore much of what seems like a really cool town. I did however walk around the block that my hotel was on and coming through the alley I spotted this small grouping of paper butterflies that appeared to be stuck on the wall with chewing gum. There was some cryptic handwritten text on them about masonry, so perhaps they were a really ill-conceived ad campaign, but if they were just street art it was quite lovely surprise to come upon.

Spotted in LA: A Reason Not To Fill Up

I was walking by a gas station when I was in Los Angeles (yes, I realize the irony of that phrase) when I spotted a small video screen on the gas pump. I assume it was for advertising, and I'm not entirely surprised that it's gotten to that level, but I have to say they might need to screen the content better. Apocalyptic explosions? Not really the most appealing thing to see during a fill up. Perhaps it was to encourage fuel conservation?

Spotted in LA: Time Travel Mart

I've made a point of checking out the 826 stores whenever I travel to a city that has one. Happily I had some time on my recent LA visit to check out the Echo Park Time Travel Mart. For those of you that aren't familiar with the 826 project it was created, in part by author Dave Eggars, to facilitate creative writing programs for kids. The first location was 826Valencia and its adjoining Pirate Store in San Francisco. Like the others, the Time Travel Mart is filled with delightful objects that play off the theme and create a wonderful sense of walking into an alternate universe, most are for sale and of course purchases go to support the program. In this case it turns out the graphic design was done by none other than my fellow daily art maker Stefan Bucher. What really makes the place are the little details including some familiar signage turned on its head, including a note on the drink machine that said "Out of Order, Please come back yesterday." What's particularly amusing is that it blends so well into the neighborhood, despite the caveman meeting a robot window display, that several people came in when I was there not even realizing it's not a normal convenience store. It's a must see on your next LA visit. Find out more about 826LA HERE.

ALR in Austin: How Conference Talk

Back in June I was an invited guest speaker at the How Design Conference in Austin, Texas.

Things have been a whirlwind since then, so I never got around to writing a report on the experience, but suffice to say I had a terrific time.
I especially enjoyed spending time with so many amazing designers, making new friends and catching up with some old ones as well. And it seems that people liked my talk. I also loved the food and sights of Austin and am totally ready for another visit (which will hopefully happen next spring).




For those of you who weren't able to be there, How is now selling MP3s of a lot of the speakers' talks including my own: Making A Living As A Socially Conscious Designer.
















Since a lot of it relates to the slides I was showing, I've gone ahead and made a PDF of my presentation images, which you can download for personal use HERE under a Creative Commons license.

Hopefully I can find a way to get back for next year's conference. Any suggestions for new talk topics to propose to them?

ALR in Austin: Early-Bird Discount

Just a head's up that if you're planning to attend the How Design Conference in Austin, Texas, where I will be speaking this June you can get an "early-bird" $100-off discount by registering by April 1st. Details can be found HERE.

ALR on Tour: Syracuse, NY

Thanks to Chris McCray for bringing me up to Syracuse University earlier this week to talk with his students about my work as a socially conscious designer and the genesis of the Skull-A-Day project. His new COLAB program is an amazing collaborative design environment that is sure to be a big draw for the school. Sadly I didn't have a ton of time to explore Syracuse (though I did have some amazing food at Alto Cinco), but there seems to be a lot of great things going on and I hope to get back up there again before too long.

Linkage: Pat the Graffiti and Steal the Skull

Need a printer? Why not use one as progressive as you are.

Aww, recycled fur graffiti you can pet! (image shown) via

The world is your open source oyster (in map form at least).

Damien Hirst sues teenager, artists fight back. via (image shown)

Making accessible travel easy.

Spotted in Seattle: Space Travel Supply Co.

I was delighted to discover another of the 826 stores, which house youth writing programs behind fun alternate reality store fronts, in Seattle. The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. sells everything the budding space tourist needs for comfortable travel (like the Black Hole Starter Kit) and even sports "rocket parking" on the roof. Behind the scenes 826 Seattle offers writing workshops and tutoring. Find out more about the 826 organization (created by author and McSweeney's founder Dave Eggers) and the six other chapters/stores HERE.

Spotted in Seattle: Bike Parking

I like this simple and clever bike rack that identifies itself clearly, which I found in several places throughout Seattle.




(Reminds me of the great bike racks I spotted in Hawaii)

Spotted in Seattle: Best Bus Stop Ever!

Despite complaints from the locals about sub par public transportation in the city, I must admit that Seattle has some of the nicest (ad free!) bus shelters I've ever encountered! Most had a lovely wave pattern on the glass, and some featured what looked like children's art on the bottoms halves, but in the Ballard area they had the deluxe package...






Think your bus stops are better? Send me a picture and I'll post it on the site.

Spotted in Seattle: Signs of The Times

Seattle has some of the odder street signs I've seen in the US. Sadly I wasn't able to catch a picture of the ominous one that said "Litter And It Will Hurt", but here are a few of the others I encountered...




































































An honorable mention goes to the stop signs with their cute stripes, but hard to follow directions. I certainly can't eyeball what 30 feet looks like, and there was no indication on the sidewalk of that distance either.

News Roundup

Here are a bunch of news stories I've been meaning to post about for a while...

From the New York Times (thanks Kris):

Wal-Mart's social manifesto?

"Rethinking The Meat-Guzzler." [graphic left]

From the Wall Street Journal (thanks Mica):

Greewashing ads scrutinized by world.

From the Christian Science Monitor:

"Legless artist documents the world in 32,000 stares"

From Ode Magazine:

Solar cooking in Bhutan

Green Travel Special Report

Spotted in Washington, DC: Rap Snacks

I went up to DC last week to attend the Socially Responsible Business of Washington (SBNOW) 2007 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Symposium. On my way back to the train station I spotted this bag of "Honey Dew" flavored Rap Snacks at a street vendor.
From the bag I learned that:
A. Rap Snacks are "The Official snack of Hip Hop"
B. Rappers don't like Trans Fats (though are apparently fine with a host of preservatives, artificial colors and MSG.)
and
C. Reading is fundamental (though there was no elaboration on this point).

Shameless Commercialism part II

If you enjoy the site, you'll love the shirt! I've made a new Another Limited Rebellion T-shirt (and mug) from the lovely calligraphy created for me in Istanbul. And hey, I get a whopping $2 dollars if you buy one, so just consider it an over-sized tip jar if you like. You can get 'em here.

And you can still get an old school ALR tee here.

Spotten in Istanbul part IV: Graf11st

Sadly I missed seeing the Grafist: 11th Annual International Istanbul Graphic Design Week events by a few weeks and the main exhibition by mere days, but I did manage to get a nice tour of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts School, which hosted the event, courtesy of designer Esen Karol.

Thanks again Esen!

Spotten in Istanbul part III: May Day

May 1st, 2007 marked the 30th anniversary of a deadly May Day rally in Istanbul. While I missed this year's events by a few weeks (which ended with 1,000 detained activists and at least 23 injured), stickers like this one promoting the rally, remained on walls throughout the city.

Spotted In Istanbul part II: No Logo in Turkish

When I went to Istanbul, I had no idea what to expect, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered that the terrific cafe/juice bar around the corner, Cuppa, has a bookshelf that features a Turkish edition of No Logo, the book that I use extensively in my class Design Rebels.

Spotted In Istanbul part I: Human Rights Library

I ran into this lovely sign for a human rights library walking through the Beyoglu District in Istanbul. Sadly the place, which was apparently an offshoot of the Human Rights Association of Turkey, seems to now be defunct. Anyone with more details feel free to share.

For The Love of Public Transit

Ralf Youtz was comissioned by Good Magazine to compose this sweet love song for public transit and perform it while riding on the new arial tram in Portland, Oregon.

While we're feeling all warm and mushy about public transportation let's not forget Billy Strayhorn's unforgettable tune Take The A Train, as performed by Ray Nance.



Award for best lyrics in an ode to public transportation would have to go to the Muppets for this rousing number which describes the subway as 'the biggest travel bargain in town - the longest running show underground'
Take it away, guys...

On Vacation(s)

My company and I are taking a holiday starting tomorrow. For a week and a half we'll be happily away from phones and computers. My sister Mica graciously agreed to take the reins and serve as guest editor here at Another Limited Rebellion blog while I'm away, so unless you're heading out on vacation as well, definitely keep checking back with us daily!

Speaking of which here are some links to eco-vacation resources for those of you who want to plan summer getaways from an environmental perspective...

The International Ecotourism Society - Promoting environmental travel. Their global conference is happening in Oslo, Norway right now.

The National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations - Tons of well researched info.

Responsible Travel - Ecotourist holiday packages for folks in the US, UK, EU, and Australia.

Bulungula Lodge - Accredited Fair Trade tourist destination in South Aftica (shown left).

The above links were found accompanying this article on Geotourism in Ode Magazine.

Real Costs: The Plug-In

Dare you add the Real Costs plug-in to your browser (assuming it's Firefox) and discover the CO2 emissions reality of your travel plans? Right now it works with Orbitz, Delta, and United, but future versions will work with car direction, car rental and shipping sites. Download it and start cringing today.

via StayFree!

Spotted in Richmond, VA: Sign of Our Times

This Orwellian sign is on the entrance to the Richmond International Airport in my home town of Richmond, VA.

So what I want to know is where's the icon for "Jokes" and what would it be?