|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Fall, the NJ office of AARP asked DfSI to help them design and print a postcard to advertise a televised debate of candidates running for Governor. When over half a million postcards went out, AARP members got the word and tuned in in record numbers. Nielson polls showed that the show got 4 times the viewers the station typically gets and total viewership tallied in at 440,000!
White Dog Foundation's Brewer's Plate Dinner
Benefit Neighborhood Bike Works
Unite Workers and Students Unite!
Welcome Ali Brody as the newest member of DfSI staff. Ali studied art and human development; was involved in AmeriCorps; and most recently, was a service coordinator for United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia. Ali brings a unique background and contagious energy to Design for Social Impact. As Project Coordinator, she'll be the touchstone within DfSI to help you get your project done. We are all lucky to have her on board! 
|
10 Years of Artistry & Activism (continued)
The Griot is a celebration in itself - filled with story, information and action items. Here, you'll hear about our Featured Project and get the inside scoop on what it took to tell the client's story in the best way possible. We'll share Real Impact that our clients are having in their communities; and give you news about events we think You Should Know are happening. Our Shop Talk feature will give you some helpful tips for working with us. Each month a member of our staff will contribute to the At Our Best column, sharing their particular expertise and insight on a variety of topics. This month's entry, by our Senior Designer Cara Cox, will help you understand how important design is to us and why we use it to make an impact. In this Time for Change section, I'll take a moment out of our, sometimes hectic, schedule to tell you about bigger plans we have for our organization and the community we serve. For the next 10 months, we'll be commemorating 10 Years of Artistry & Activism. We'll salute the work of our clients and see how far they have come in the last 10 years; open our doors for on-site discussion groups and studio tours; bring together networks of people to create a stronger base for the stories we are telling; and showcase the striking design work that our whole team has created for the past 10 years. Of course, it wouldn't be a DfSI project without a party! So, keep an eye out for a date sometime in early Fall. I hope you'll join us for this exciting time as we reflect, rejoice and aspire to new heights for the next 10 years... and beyond. Ennis Carter Founder & Director Return to Top |
|
|
Get the Message? (continued)
I believe design is a "good" idea because it's "the" idea that makes it so. Whether it be propoganda for war or a poster for the next blockbuster hit, the visual combination of message and imagery moves people to act. Designers are observers, and with an acute understanding of our ever spinning culture, design is able to move one step ahead, defining movements and selling change to the masses. Billboards, furniture, newspapers, cds, clothes, books, signs - our whole world is designed. Gods among men, creating new visions, conceptualizing and recontextualizing life into a tri-fold brochure. We brainstorm through ideas with a sharpie and a prayer, always in search of the right message. And people deserve the right message... they deserve quality design. A serious organization should be displayed as such. A banner for a rally should express a powerful and immediate statement that grabs people's attention. Design is a communication between the creator, the client, and the audience - a dialogue in which traditions are both challenged and celebrated. Each viewer bringing their own perceptions to the piece, drawing their own conclusions. The beauty is always in the finish. Cracking the spine of a book, smelling the fresh ink, getting goose bumps when the concept becomes clear. Design demands attention, compels us to look, to think. It represents us as a society. The latest colors, a political situation, design is our visual history. We owe it to ourselves to take part. So tomorrow, take a closer look at your shampoo bottle, judge a book by its cover, and whatever you do, "don't think about elephants." (For an explanation of the elephants, and to learn more about what goes on in the head of a designer, read The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd.) Return to Top |
|
|
Tussock Sedge Farm (continued)
Tussock Sedge Farm is a family farm located in the rolling hills of Bucks County, PA. The farm raises healthy beef in a manner that reflects environmental stewardship, agricultural heritage, care for their animals and for their customers' health and enjoyment. To help strengthen the presence of their small family farm and highlight the connection between agriculture and environmental preservation Tussock Sedge Farm decided to reach out to new audiences and consumers. Design for Social Impact worked with the family to develop a forward thinking yet familiar brand identity and a useful and visually engaging website. As the summer growing season approaches remember to support your local farmers. Visit www.TussockSedgeFarm.com today to find out more. An Inside View This project is a good example of how diverse our projects can be. Not everyone at DfSI supports the meat industry - even at a sustainable level. But some folks here are very excited about this new way of looking at the issue and want to support it. As a group, we decided that the issue was important for social impact. The people who wanted to work on that issue got a chance to do so. Those that didn't were not on the project. A win-win for the project, our client and our own beliefs. Return to Top |