And we're 1,000 strong!
September 30, 2007 - With the pledge that Angelica Ruiz, of Bogota, took today, our community has hit a milestone. Of the tens of thousands who have shown their interest in the Design Can Change effort, a full thousand have now made their commitment to change. We applaud you for all your support and are excited by what this means for our industry. Now the question is, "How quickly we can hit 10,000?" Ask your friends to take the pledge; the more of us who participate, the greater the impact.
Design Can Change on ICOGRADA's +DESIGN
August 28, 2007 - The International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) is featuring smashLAB's Design Can Change campaign on their +DESIGN website. Their site "is a program that collects inspiring design solutions. It’s about leading creatively and celebrating creative problem solving that makes a difference." We're very happy to have the project referenced in such good company. See the feature here, and while you are at it, take a look over some of the other wonderful projects they document.
Meet us at a conference in San Diego or Boston
August 17, 2007 - If you're planning any time out of the office next year, perhaps meet-up with us at HOW or Y13. We'll be talking about Design Can Change, and the journey we took with the project, at both of these events. AIGA Y13: Seeds of Change takes place from March 27-29, 2008 in San Diego, California. The HOW Design Conference runs May 18-21, 2008 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Hope to see you then!
DigitalArts cover story on green design
August 1, 2007 - Writer Michael Burns focuses on the state of green design, in his feature article for this month's DigitalArts Magazine. The piece is a great starting point for designers interested in the topic, and looks to many groups who are working to address the issue. Michael also makes note of smashLAB and the Design Can Change effort that we spearheaded. If you have a moment, pick up the magazine for a read. DigitalArts is billed as the world's biggest creative design & technology magazine. (You can also read the article online, at the DigitalArts website.)
Member listings are now online
July 16, 2007 - After much delay, the Member Directory is now viewable to the public. We would have liked to have made it available sooner, but after so many months of only working on Design Can Change, we needed to tend to our other smashLAB projects. We thank you for your patience and welcome you to visit the Member Directory to find designers who have taken the Design Can Change pledge.
Recognition for DCC
July 12, 2007 - We're pleased to announce that Design Can Change will appear in Günter Beer's Web Design Index by Content (Pepin Press), which is soon to be released. Additionally, we've received word that the site has received honours including STEP Inside Design's Best of Web, and as a winner in the Advertising & Design Club of Canada's 2007 "Directions" competition. That being said, we have to wait until November 14th, for the ADCC Awards show at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto to learn whether we received gold, silver or merit. (Our fingers are crossed.)
Local media source discusses the campaign
June 1, 2007 - This month's SharedVISION magazine features Design Can Change and the people from smashLAB in the magazine's "Visionaries" section. We're truly honoured! SharedVISION serves as a resource to help readers live healthier, happier lives while creating a more just and sustainable society. They celebrate the stories of those in the community who point the way to the future, nurture hope and imagine solutions. See the article here. Design Can Change has also recently been noted in Applied Arts, HOW, and Metropolis.
Share your insights
May 29, 2007 - We see Design Can Change as the starting point. When we first created it, we worked to collect an overview of the information available, and present it to our peers in a fashion that was easy to skim and later dig in to. Today we start to rally the community, as we open the Design Can Change Forum. We feel this area is particularly exciting, as it allows the community to expound upon the information already provided, while sharing new ideas and suggestions with one another. Please visit the forum, introduce yourself, and get involved in the discussion. It's your community!
People are talking about change
May 7, 2007 - There are a lot of designers out there who want to make a difference. In just the first month, hundreds of blogs, forums and sites from around the world have been discussing the initiative, and tens of thousands have visited the site. HOW Magazine listed the site as one of their Top 10 and it was recently discussed in an interview at PingMag in Japan. ICOGRADA is featuring the effort this week on their website. Additionally, we've been happy to have the support of groups including the GDC, AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, and the Institute of Designers in Ireland. Thanks to all of you who have joined up and helped to spread the word!
What can you do for the planet?
May 2, 2007 - The School of Visual Concepts, in cooperation with the Seattle chapter of AIGA, is producing a one-day workshop for working graphic designers and creative group managers on how they can start observing more sustainable design practices. This workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 at the Seattle Asian Art Museum and runs from 10 am to 5 pm. smashLAB's Eric Karjaluoto will be at the event to present the story behind Design Can Change and share some ideas. The workshop is sponsored by Aquent. Register online at SVC Seattle
designcanchange.org goes live
April 4th, 2007 - Here we are! After ten months of work, the Design Can Change website is finally live. Thanks to all those who have shown their support and assisted in the effort, and thanks to you for visiting!
Getty Images signs on as the official image sponsor
February 1st, 2007 - We are pleased to announce that Getty Images has lent their support to the Design Can Change initiative as the Official imagery sponsor. We sincerely appreciate their belief in the effort and good will.
