activism
One of the most pressing issues addressed at the Technology and Glo balization Teach-In was the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA is essentially an expansion of NAFTA with the powe r of the WTO into all of the Western Hemisphere. 34 countries will be discussing the FTAA at the "Summit of The Americas" in Quebec April 20-22. Activists across the country will be protesting here and in Canada. To learn more about what you can do check out the Public Citizen event calendar at: http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/FTAA/springcalendar.htm
accessibility
Graphic designers pay close attention to how their work will be percei ved by their intended audience. Yet few may realize that nearly 8% of all men (and about 1% of women) have some form of colorblindness, which could make otherwise well thought out graphic design illegible to them. British Telecom provides free downloadable web safe palettes that reflect the three types of colorblindness at http://www.labs.bt.com/people/rigdence/colours/index.html. Colorfield sells a Photoshop plug-in that allows designers to see and compare images as they'd be viewed by persons with each of the t hree types of colorblindness. Their site is worth visiting just to see the samples of how dramatic a difference there is: http://www.colorfield.com/. Finally an in depth article on what colorblindness is and how to design with it in mind can be found at: http://www.internettg.org/newsletter/mar99/accessibility_color_challenged.html
recycling
Want to know when and where to use the recycling logo? The American Forest and Paper Association provides a guide available for download in PDF format on their web site. The site also provides general information on paper recycling, school programs, and information for recycling coordinators. http://www.afandpa.org/recycling/Rec_introduction.html
newsstand
I.D., The International Design Magazine, dedicated this year's I.D. Forty issue (February) to "Socially Conscious Design". There was an emphasis on industrial design and architecture, but a few graphic designers were mentioned. The magazine focused on specific projects rather than a company's overall goals. While often inspiring, I.D. failed to provide contact information or web sites for most of the organizations and individuals mentioned, so you may have to do a bit of detective work to learn more (we've listed a few below). http://www.ID-Mag.com
community
Want to help out in your community, but don't know where to start? Try Volunteer Match (http://www.volunteermatch.org), a web site dedicate d to connecting people looking to take a more active part in their communities and organizations who need volunteers. Searching for, as well as adding, opportunities is simple, fast, and best of all...free. (Source: I.D.)
education
Archeworks may be the only socially conscious design school in the world. Founded in 1994 by designer Eva L. Maddox and architect Stanley T igerman, Archeworks, to quote their mission statement, "address[es] social needs by developing and providing alternative design education solutions". The Chicago based school provides real world hands-on projects that range from architectural design to web site design for the students t o solve in a socially conscious manner. Applications for enrollment are available online. http://www.archeworks.org (Source: I.D.)
how to
Worried that corporations may someday try to steal your genetic coding? The Christian Science Monitor recently provided this simple step-by -step guide to copyrighting your DNA: 1. Take a photo of yourself licking a stamp, including that day's newspaper [in the photo] to show the date . Cells containing DNA stick to the glue. 2. Put the stamp on an envelope and mail the photo to yourself, so the date is confirmed by the post of fice. 3. Keep the envelope (unopened) in case someone else ever claims to own your DNA. The guide was inspired by the work of artist Marilyn Donohue whose web site is http://www.mud-haus/marilyn.com.
A daily edition of The Christian Science Monitor can be found at http://www.csmonitor.com
books
If you haven't read Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States then put it at the top of your list. It is a riveting account of America's not so glorious past that is told from the point of view of the poor, working class, and marginalized members of society whose stories are rarely presented in standard history books. Zinn provides fuel for activists fires by reminding us of how far we have come and how far we still have to go in making this country truly the land of the free. Look for a copy at your locally owned used or new book store.
If mega-chain bookstores are your only option try looking online at http://www.powells.com or http://www.half.com. One note on online shopping: Please consider using the ground methods of shipping rather than air. Air transport consumes five times as much fuel!
nosh
File under so bad it's bad:
"In some countries putting people in boxes and forcing them to watch y our ads could be considered illegal..." reads the tagline from a recent ad in Advertising Age magazine. The rest of the tagline is simply uot;God Bless America!!!". What are they selling? Screens that are inst alled in elevators which continuously show "branded programming and adv ertising messages".
in closing
Thanks for your time and feel free to contact us with suggestions for future issues, web sites to check out, or just to say "Howdy".
Noah Scalin, founder
ALR design
http://www.ALRdesign.com