Readymade, the book by the founders of the magazine with the same name, is a perfect marriage between sustainability and stellar book design. It features dozens of useful projects (organized by material: paper, plastic, wood, metal, glass, and fabric) most of which can be created with discarded materials from around the house. Although the publication has been out for a few years, I constantly return to appreciating the clarity of its design vision. If you love DIY and/or an amazing book with tons of projects and humorous tidbits and facts, this is the must-have for your library.
Our design organization, Spark, and the AIGA/NY (Association of Professional Design, New York Chapter) are coming together to host the AIGA’s first series of green events for graphic design on April 6th, 2010. As the current President of Spark and Director of Outreach for the AIGA’s Center for Sustainable Design, I will be moderating the panel discussion on “How to Lead Clients Towards Being Green.”
Aimed at principals of design firms and directors of new business, this conversation will dig into the sales process, and seeks to uncover practices that firms large and small can implement to lead even the most ecologically unaware clients towards more sustainable practices.
The multidisciplinary trend spotting group, Trendincite Xchange, will be making a visit to MSLK’s studios this evening for a presentation and round table discussion on the future of social media. Trendincite Xchange is an independent group of professionals in the fashion and beauty industry who meet once a month to discuss trends they see emerging in product formulations, scents, colors, fabrics, materials, marketing, retail, and overall consumer behaviors. Participants include qualitative researchers, trend spotters, product developers, retailers, independent brands, and marketing professionals. If you’d like to join our round table group tonight, or in the future, please contact us at mslk@mslk.com.
In a small victory for the environmentally friendly, The Cottonelle Roll Poll unveiled yesterday that 72% of Americans roll their toilet paper over instead of under. Surprisingly, it seems that this popular habit is also good for the environment as well. In an independent study, the blog Current Configuration reported that the mechanics of unfurling toilet paper over the top actually uses less toilet paper. In their full report, Current Configuration studied the angle of users sight lines, the number of sheets exposed, and the number of squares pulled off as a result of rolling over versus under. For those of you who roll under perhaps this is the final reason to switch.
Recently a friend posted a simple question on her Facebook status, “Over or Under?” The comments started flying and before she knew it, she had a full-on debate. The topic was as old as the product itself: Does your toilet paper roll come undone over the top, or under the bottom? The impetus for the question comes from the new “Roll Poll” campaign by Cottonelle.
In a move that is highly effective for today’s crowd-sourced market, Cottonelle is capitalizing on the enthusiasm consumers are experiencing over social media. Everyday users on social media websites like Facebook are completing questionnaires, quizzes and polls to share with their friends everything from what celebrity they look like, to movie knowledge, trivia questions, and beyond.
Last night’s Fashion Group International panel discussion was insightful and informative, with Sheri L Koetting successfully leading the panelists through a wide range of Social Media topics. Much light was shed on innovative techniques the panel used for their clients using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to turn strangers into fans, and fans into customers with a loyal following… and turning into sales.
Much like snowflakes, no two MSLK business cards are alike. The reason for this is simple: we use recycled paper as the base, and wrap pre-printed stickers around them. It’s all part of our firm’s environmental commitment, repurposing makereadies — the waste from offset printing — to use as business cards.
It’s an approach that caught the attention of Marc Praquin, designer, author, and publisher of the 288 page, full-color book, “MyOwnBusinessCard – VolumeOne”
I just read a fantastic article in Fast Company last night about creating systems within your organization which allow for spot-checking and quality control. All good stuff, and usually pretty dry stuff at that. I find that Chip & Dan Heath’s monthly articles are usually a good read, but whenever you can relate it back to David Lee Roth of Van Halen to illustrate your point, well… you’ll always have this reader’s attention.
Back in 2008 our friend and colleague Yves Behar worked with the New York City Health Department to bring a new look and attitude towards condoms. The result was smashing success. The distribution of condoms has more than doubled since before NYC introduced their own brand.
Skipping the plastic bag while shopping isn’t just great for the environment – the alternatives can also be so much more fashionable. Stockholm’s Stadsmission, the Swedish equivalent to the Salvation Army, repurposes clothes and fabrics that can’t be retailed into super eco-friendly shopping bags. Created in collaboration with the renowned Swedish architecture group Claesson Koivisto Rune, this line of shopping bags is marketed under the brand Remake.
Over the past year, MSLK has been very involved in the social media hype, figuring out the best strategies in using these medias to reach our clients and potential clients in creative ways. In light of the upcoming FGI presentation, we thought we would give you a sneak peak of various key statistics and demographics of users of blogs, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Read more to find out a few of the fun facts that we found. You can download a pdf of the presentation here.
Despite the frigid cold after a giant snowstorm, a glimpse of spring was in the air today as I walked by the Anthropologie flagship in Rockefeller Center. Their store window displays were not only spring-themed, they also have a wonderful eco-theme, too. They’re made from plastic bottles collected from their customers.
MSLK has once again composed a list of affordable and eco-friendly ways to spend your Valentine’s Day. From tasty treats to secret art shows, it doesn’t matter who you spend it with, as long as you’re feeling the love.
The editor, Matthias Huebner, states: Evolving from graffiti and street art, urban interventions are the next generation of artwork to hit public space. Using any and all of the components that make up urban landscapes, these mostly spatial works bring art to the masses. They turn the street into a studio, laboratory, club, and gallery and challenge us to rediscover our environment and interact with it in new ways. This is the first book to document these very current, personal art projects in a comprehensive way. It shows the growing connections and interplay of this scene with art, architecture, performance, and installation as it turns public spaces into surprising and provoking individual experiences.
To order an advanced copy, click here.
For more information, follow the jump…
In the years since Janet (Ms. Jackson, if you’re nasty)’s half-dressed halftime show debacle, the musical choices have been less about pushing the envelope than they have been about nudging it gently (U2, Prince, Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and Broooce).
For me, this has been an overall good thing, with the performers as been classic rock icons — very much my cup of tea.
This year’s halftime show was fantastic. Even though I have never been much of a Who fan, singer Roger Daltry hit all the high notes with conviction, while guitarist Pete Townsend’s flair transcended his 65 years of age.
What more could you have asked for?
Really awesome graphics to complement the performance. And the Superbowl delivered, with the Who’s stage as inspired as the band itself.
Please join us as MSLK CEO and co-founder, Sheri L. Koetting, moderates a talk about utilizing social media platforms to communicate with clients and customers. You will learn to maximize your brand’s social media exposure by creating measurable return on investment objectives.
Speakers include: AnneMarie Frank, Director of Digital, E-commerce and Strategic Alliances, mark. Frank O’Brien, Founder, Conversation Chris Dessi, Director of Sales, Buddy Media
Presented by: The Fashion Group International and The Canadian Consulate General
Date: February 25th, 2010
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Location: The Canadian Consulate General, 1251 Avenue of the Americas
Please email me at ryan@mslk.com, and I will forward you a form if you wish to attend.
One commercial during last weekend’s Superbowl quieted our rowdy group and made me reflect upon how much Google has changed my life. The simple text-based story showed a screen grab of one young boy’s journey through adolescence into adulthood as seen by his queries on Google. It reminded me how much of my life and what I do next is determined by those queries for everything from a dinner recipe, to show times, to travel info. This is why it is essential that part of your marketing efforts ensure that your website, promotional materials, and digital marketing plan lead your company to showing up on the queries potential customers are using most often when they go looking for firms just like yours. To do nothing means Google will be leading them to someone else.
Influenced by the economy, it seems that the eco message in the 2010 Superbowl was heavily downplayed this year. Gone were commercials of companies promoting their sustainable track records and making a difference. Instead there was very little green message at all, except this spot for the Audi A3 TDI® clean diesel. The notable message is, while other cars are stopped in traffic at an eco-check point, the Audi driver is allowed to pass on through. However, based on consumer reactions, the bigger take away seems to be, “There’s those eco-nuts again, overreacting about my garbage and getting in my business.”
This spring, Socrates Sculpture Park will be producing a show that seeks to examine the presence of nature within the fabric of urban life. We at MSLK are always looking for opportunities to create awareness on the impact of our mass consumption and have retooled our two eco-art installations to fit this bill. Since we believe in acting locally and thinking globally, we’re always thrilled when we get the opportunity to display our work in our own Long Island City community. Here are our two proposals:
If a takeout container is a temporary vessel designed to transport food from a restaurant to your home, then why is it made out of plastic, a material which is most enduring? Worst yet, containers like polystyrene clam shells leech toxins into your food and are currently not recyclable in any state due to their lightweight and high cost of recycling.
As a resolution for 2010 I’ve decided to make a change. I’m saying no to plastic takeout containers. I don’t want to buy food that comes in them, and I most certainly don’t want to take home my leftovers at the end of a meal in them.
