The World Wildlife Federation advertising campaigns consistently utilize their existing surroundings very well.

Here is the latest example of their campaign ads, using a paper dispenser with South America cut out, and green foil to tint your view… “clearly conveying that with every piece of paper you take, you’re taking away from the greenness of South America. How multisensory and engaging beyond a simple sticker/poster.” (NotCot.com)

The second example is an amazing use of shadows on a billboard, demonstrating rising water levels. Click here for a Youtube video of the billboard in action. Both ads are designed by the prestigious Denmark based Saatchi and Saatchi.

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.

AIGA San Francisco, the professional association for design, has issued a call for entries for a new graphic design competition celebrating the work of designers who set out to positively impact our society and communities.

“So often designers work on pro bono projects, or other projects for good causes, in isolation. In our professional lives we can get the feeling we are sneaking a non-profit client in through the back door, as we strive to meet our other professional obligations.”

Entry Deadline = November 9, 2007.
All design work entered in the competition must promote or support social good and actively engage in enriching our lives.

London’s Victoria And Albert Museum brings it’s spring exhibition, China Design Now; the first in the UK to explore the recent explosion of new design in China, from the 2008 Olympic stadium to the most interesting fashion and graphics.

China Design Now places exhibits in the context of China’s social, cultural and economic reforms over the last 25 years, providing both a critical survey and a narrative that enables visitors to see how China’s new design and consumer culture has developed, what its driving forces are and where it is going. China Design Now will include case studies of influential individuals, companies and organisations that have played an important role in shaping aspirations in today’s China.

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With a people-centric design ethos, I never fail to be inspired by the contemporary outputs of London based Design Studio WIRE.

Founded in 1997, by John Corcoran, Peter Higgins and Tim Higgins, WIRE operates around the philosophy “to make a positive difference by changing the way people think and act”. The work tackles complex issues such as sustainable development, regeneration, inclusive design, community engagement, health, young people, music and the arts. See some more of their work over on Anamorphosis.

I came across a PODCAST mp3 from London’s Design Museum this month. The podcast covers an event entitiled FEEDBACK, held on 9th February earlier this year, which discussed the work of the late Graphic talent, Alan Fletcher, and “explored the history, working practice and achievements of pioneering design organisation Pentagram,” which Alan Fletcher co-founded.

Event speakers included current Pentagram Partners Harry Pearce, John Rushworth, and Paula Scher, each in conversation with Emily King, curator of the Design Museum’s Alan Fletcher exhibition. London designer Ben Terrett was in the audience, and his blog post earlier this year also profiles some thoughts and photos from the event.

For me, Pentagram remain one the most powerful design agencies, consistently producing pioneering contemporary and strategic communication design, with consistent focus to social issues. This is a design studio which all socially conscious creatives should take inspiration from.

Listen to the PODCAST

Founded by Graphic Designer Jody Boehnert, of London based studio Iambe comes Eco-Labs, a non-profit ecological literacy initiative, aiming to provide a platform for collaborative design addressing sustainability & systemic change in the UK. I caught up with Jody this month, as she presented a paper entitled “Should Change be Radical?” at the Sustainable Innovation 07 conference.

“EcoLabs has been created to function as a network, and at the moment I sustain it though my private practice (iambe). I founded EcoLabs, because I came to believe that to achieve more epic design projects, designers need to collaborate. The network facilitates collaboration and nurtures a dialogue on sustainability.

We aim to nurture whole systems thinking, foster ecological literacy, and promote the transformation of the design model. EcoLabs will help create an alternative cultural vision that will drive transformational change, to meet the goals of fully sustainable society. By supporting ecological & systems literacy we will develop a shared vision of where we want to be and how to get there. Visualizations are an important source of inspiration: what will a sustainable global world look like in 10 or 50 years? We will animate the solutions, and help build a social movement to make it happen. (Jody Boehnert)

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The following prizes will be awarded tonight at the ceremony of the Swiss design award at the Konzertsaal in Solothurn:

• Merit: the distinction that honours a continuous long-term contribution to Swiss design – goes to
Pierre Keller, Director of the ECAL/Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne
• Market: CHF 30’000.– goes to Martin Woodtli for a «series of posters for the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich»
• Newcomer: CHF 30’000.– goes to Beth Kottonau for the men’s collection «Jutter»
• Research: CHF 15’000.– goes to Christian Iten, Daniel Lüthi, Emanuel Zgraggen for «tangent – a multi touch surface»
• Swiss Textile Design Award by Swiss Textile Federation (CHF 20’000.–) goes to CréationBaumann,Weberei und Färberei AG for the adhesive textile material«GECKO»
• Swiss Product Design Award: CHF 20’000.– goes to Vitra AG, Birsfelden (Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec) for the office chair «Worknest»

The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Solothurn will last from November 3, 2007 to January 6, 2008. A publication has been brought out to accompany the exhibition. This may be ordered from the Swiss Design Center.

More information via: www.designpreis.ch