reactions

Spark, the design association MSLK helped found, had a banner year in 2009 whose highlights included:

- Launching a new San Francisco chapter
- Press features in a number of industry magazines
- Filing for 501(c) non-profit status
- Increased membership

Above all, it’s the incredible talent of the members — especially our steering committee — who make being a part of this association such a fantastic experience. Fittingly, our annual party at NYC’s Vig bar was no less of a success, as well, bringing together members, guest speakers from throughout the year, as well as the vendors who have helped made our projects possible.

Ever feel like you have problems that no one has any solutions to? Help Remedies may have an answer for you.

Don’t know what to wear?

Never been kissed?

Or maybe you just have a song stuck in your head?

Help Remedies have collected humorous (yet helpful) answers to all these questions and lots more. The brand is known for its elegant, minimal design and eco-friendly packaging, but they’ve also come up with great ways to get their customers involved in the brand.  The Help I’m Bored page is amusing and a great way to start a Monday morning.  It also gives a good idea of what the brand stands for: making it simple to solve simple health issues.

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The October issue of Graphic Design USA was dedicated to green design, and featured MSLK prominently:

- Page 20 turns its attention to our project Watershed, with a quote from Sheri Koetting about our eco art installation.

- Page 45 runs an agency profile about MSLK with an interview with Sheri and I speaking about the ways in which MSLK is a green design firm, and why.

We’ve re-run the interview after the jump…

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Sheri and I just got back from a trip today to Wisconsin, visiting the folks at Wigwam to discuss the new marketing materials we’re developing for them.

Having been to the Milwaukee airport more than a few times, I’ve grown accustomed to a few routines: the best airline (Midwest), the best time to fly (avoid late outbound flights in winter), the best place to rent a car (Avis), and the best morning coffee after the plane ride. Sadly, this had always been Starbucks, as I hate Starbucks coffee — too bitter, too expensive, and too ubiquitous. (Sorry, Sheri).

Yet the choices at the Milwaukee airport were always much worse, and the caffeine junkie in me is not always rational… a fix is a fix.

That’s why in my post-flight fog, as I approached the familiar kiosk area in the terminal,  I did a double-take: had Starbucks been replaced by some funky indie coffee shop named Alterra?

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Today is the first day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. For the next 11 days representatives from 170 countries accompanied by non-governmental organizations, journalists, business representatives, and personal enthusiast totaling an estimated 8,000 people are gathering to advocate reform to prevent global warming and climate changes. We met some of these advocates back in September during the UN’s Climate Week when they were beginning their rally cry.

One of the efforts to raise awareness and support for this global effort is grass roots effort called “Hopenhagen”. The people behind Hopenhagen are volunteers  from the International Advertising Association, advertising, marketing and communications industries who have donated their time and resources to do what they do best, create an awareness campaign. Through this campaign, they hope to, “Connect every person, every city, and every nation to Copenhagen. To give everyone hope, and a platform from which to act. To create a grassroots movement that’s powerful enough to influence change.”

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Twelve months after resolving to give up bottled water I can safely say my days of drinking bottled water are 100% behind me. With a new year’s goal to reduce my consumption down to no more than 12, or one per month, to date I have consumed only 4 disposable bottles of water, 3 of which happened in the first few months getting started. Since March I’ve been able to completely eradicate disposable bottled water from my life. Here’s how:

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Need a great holiday card to give to friends & family? Colleagues & clients? Christians & Jews, Hindus & Muslims alike?

Looking to make a difference and give back to the New York community?

You can do all of these things when you purchase MSLK’s “2010″ holiday card. The non-profit organization, Robin Hood Foundation, invited us to create a limited-edition, non-denominational holiday card, and it’s now available for purchase on their site.

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The holiday season is just around corner, and its time to start thinking about gift-giving.

To some, holiday shopping can be an overwhelming task with all of the consumer clutter out there. Fear not, our studio has compiled a comprehensive list of our favorite tips and places for gift-giving with panache.

From the design geek to the philathropist, we’ve got you covered for virtually everyone on your list. Click below to see!

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This weekend I finally got a closer look at Target’s relaunched private label brand, Up & Up. Private brands have a tricky task in distinguishing themselves from the national brand competition. One common approach is to design packaging that works cross-catagory, so the brand has a consistent look from the electronics section to the frozen food aisle. The downside to this approach is the design often appears generic. And while I like the look of Up & Up, it is admittedly generic. They’ve combatted this with smart copy lines on the front of each package. Boring paper towels become “puddle busters,” standard aloe vera gel is “after sun aaaaah,” and just like that the cheaper brand becomes the smarter brand.

While designers tend to focus on the look of the brand, the voice is just as important. It can elevate everyday brands and help clearly define a brand’s position in the market.

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If a picture tells a thousand words, then a movie shot at 24 frames per second surely has even more to say. Months ago when we set out to tell compelling stories of MSLK’s process, our environmental commitment, and the people behind MSLK, we found that words and pictures alone were simply not compelling enough.

Thus begun a long process of creating short movies.

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