Sometime around 2006 I discovered the blog of Aaron James Draplin and I’m a better designer for it. Draplin creates timeless designs and provides memorable commentary from his studio in Portland, OR. He’s had a hand in designing many of the products I love from the branding for Coal Headwear, to the creation of Field Notes, and even t-shirts for Patagonia.
Whether you’re a designer or just breathing air on this little blue planet, do yourself a favor: watch this man speak. His ramblings are worth the price of admission, which is free – ‘aint the internet great? So take the time and learn something. I’m a better man today because of the shit that comes out of his mouth.
Never before has the death of someone I’d never met filled me with such sadness. Steve Jobs was the creative force behind the products I delight in using on a daily basis and the visionary that gave birth to the industry I’ve made a living in for the past fifteen years. So when it came time to express my feelings of loss I turned to my iPhone and found comfort in the fact that I was not alone. Millions of people turned to tools that would not have been possible without his passion, drive, and creativity. He truly was a man who saw things differently and succeeded in pushing the human race forward.
You become empowered every time you put one of these things together that supports your life. Your water system, your electricity, you build your house.”
Kevin Cunningham, a surfboard-shaper based in Rhode Island, has embarked on a project to create a series of boards from trash he finds washed up on the beach. Over the years the surf industry has dipped it’s toes into sustainable board design but this project is downright audacious. Drift wood and plastic will become the skin and ropes; fishing nets will act to strengthen the board; and plastics (bags and sheets) will be pressed and formed into fins. The boards will be both art and functional water craft. Initially they will be shown in galleries around the country . . . hopefully after they have been put through the paces in the ocean.
If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who give you their food give you their heart.”
Cesar Chavez
When the Knight News Challenge put out a call seeking innovative digital projects, Austin Ellis and I jumped at the opportunity, applying with a plan that would make campaign contribution data more transparent on the web. Now in its fifth year, the contest funds projects that focus on the advancement of news reporting in the digital age that fall in the categories of mobile, authenticity and sustainability. Our proposal titled “Financial Footprints” would use a browser extension to display campaign contribution information to users on relevant web pages. A short quote from our application sums up the basic premise:
If you’ve been in San Francisco recently you’ve probably seen posters urging you to vote “No on 23” in the November 2nd election and calling it the “DIRTY ENERGY Proposition”. It peaked my curiosity and lead me to research just what Prop 23 stood for. After digging through the muddy details it became apparent that this was a blatant attack on our environment, strictly to enrich the corporate bottom line. It’s also an assault on California’s burgeoning green tech field which is leading job growth in the state.
The ability for the internet to directly connect people across the globe has begun a unique form of alleviating poverty called micro-lending. Leading this revolution is Kiva.org, which provides person-to-person lending in the developing world.
It’s exciting to see artist and designers break the boundaries of traditional media. These new and creative ideas do more than just entertain us they help humanity evolve. Ideas and creativity are at the center of what makes a society unique.
Bottled water is the new Hummer. Environmentalists are focusing in on the industry, restaurants are banning it, and the biggest brands are owned by multi-national corporations. But is the industry all bad?
At 2 Out Of Three our desire for aesthetically pleasing and functional design extends outside our computer monitors and into the world around us. More specifically it extends into the building that surrounds us as our we recently completed a bathroom remodel.
2 Out of Three is the website of Abraham Wallin. It serves as a design canvas, photography repository and home to occasionally coherent scribblings. more →
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