Recycled Bags - Three Inspirational Brands

Looking for a bag that says “me be hip, urban, and environmentally responsible? Vy&Elle, Freitag, and Baumm are three inspirational companies that use recycled billboards, truck tarpaulins, and seat belts to compose sharp, one-of-a kind accessories.

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Vy&Elle was founded in 2002 by British designer Nicola Freeguard. As of 2007 the company has reused over 100 tons of PVC billboard vinyl to create colorful totes, messenger bags, and other accessories.

Read more:
www.handbagdesigner101.com
Vy&Elle Bags, Treehugger.

If you've never seen a Freitag bag or surfed their ultracool website, just stop and click: Freitag. Around since 1993, the popular European brand offers an extensive line of graphically bold bags, computer and iPod cases made from truck tarpaulins, seat belts, and bike tubes. One of their newest products, the F84 Mac Sleeve Air is constructed from rooftop tarps and looks like a manila envelope.

The company’s keen eye for design is evident not only in its products, but also by its website. Be sure to play with the F-cut tool, which allows you to move stencils over a selection of truck tarpaulins and "cut out" your own bag.







Last but not least, Baumm is based in Buenos Aires and, like Vy&Elle, uses old billboards as its material source. Interweaving the arts with environmentally conscious product design, Baumm collaborates with artists and has also has entered the realm of furniture design. Especially clever is their concept “B-own,” whereupon Baumm designs bags with a company’s billboard campaign and gives them back to the same company as a new marketable product.

Read More:
Baumm Recycled Advertisement Bags, Inhabitat.

Turf Tube Protects Tushes

Live through an Arizona summer and you’ll quickly learn that the most innocuous objects – flip flops, cell phones, patio furniture – can transform into searing weapons. To protect our rears from burns, Michael Dollin and crew from Urban Earth Design have invented Turf Tube, an indoor/outdoor seat covered in artificial turf. In contrast to materials such as concrete, steel, wood, or plastic, which can heat from 10-45 degrees above ambient temperature, artificial turf increases a respectable six. The turf's rapid heat dissipation makes it ideal to withstand the Arizona desert heat, where summer ambient temperatures range from 100 to 120 degrees. In addition to their burn-free surface, the no-frill Turf Tubes are durable, customizable, and manufactured locally. The designers envision a host of turf-topped possibilities including coolers, grills, lounge chairs, trash cans, lights, bar stools, swings, and pillows.
See also: Phoenix Home & Garden - Turf Tube

100+ Cool Business Cards

I am just about out of business cards, and I found two great sites full of inspirational designs: 42 Awesome Business Card Designs, and 70 Amazing Business Cards.

Flip a Strip - Rethinking the Strip Mall

Challenging designers to "transcend the non-descript status quo" of the Strip Mall, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art organized a part invite, part open competition requiring participants to "Flip a Strip." The competition received 95 entries from teams in 46 cities and 6 countries. SMOCA recently announced the top ten finalists, which included three Phoenix architecture firms: Architecture-Infrastructure-Research, Scottsdale AZ, Gould Evans, Phoenix AZ, and Marlene Imirzian & Associates, Phoenix AZ. Work by these and other finalists will be the focus of an exhibit at SMOCA running October 4 through January 18 2008.

Branding Obama: A Designer's Breakdown

Newsweek has an interesting interview with designer Michael Bierut in which he breaks down the elements of the current presidential campaigns, paying particular attention to Senator Barack Obama's cohesive branding across print, event, and the web. Judge for yourself with these links to the current candidate's websites: Clinton, Huckabee, McCain, Obama, and Paul.

101 Ways Designers Can Change the Earth

Here's a great list, courtesy of The School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, in cooperation with AIGA Seattle and Aquent, entitled, 101 Things Designers Can Do to Save the Earth. The list includes some sites to visit, books to read, and things to ask your printer.

Are You Being Greenwashed?

Interesting article about companies trying to appear green, and what designers can do ensure they really are making socially responsible decisions, and not just "greenwashing". From businessweek.com via Phoenix Ad Club

Jail Time for Guerrilla Ad Campaign?

The city of Boston suffered a terrorist scare, as the guerrilla marketing campaign for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon on Adult Swim resulted in calls reporting "suspicious devices" - possibly Improvised Explosive Devices. Boing Boing is covering the story in detail. Fark has a funny thread going on the CNN story, Flickr has photos of the devices, and Gizmodo is reporting the devices are selling on eBay for 5 Grand. It's a crazy world!

UPDATE: Oh my god. The guys responsible for the stunt held a press conference outside the court where they refused to answer any questions that did not relate to 1970's haircuts. This can only get funnier. CBS4 Boston has the video.

UPDATE 2: So how much did this little fiasco cost? Turner Broadcasting has agreed to pay one million dollars.

UPDATE 3: City of Boston drops the charges. via boingboing.

Photoshop CS3 Beta Available

The Unofficial Apple Weblog is reporting on the availability of Photoshop CS3 Beta. Think Secret says that it could be available as early as this week. via TUAW:

UPDATE: It's here! Download Photoshop CS3 Beta

New Website for AIGA

UPDATED 6/07

AIGA National updated the Design and Business Ethics Manual. This is a great resource for walking clients through the various avenues of the creative process. The manual is separated into 8 PDFs covering photography, copyright, print design and environmental responsibility, and other topics.

The Arizona chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, just went live with a re-vamped website. New features include a calendar with local and national events, news, discussion boards, and a job bank.

AIGA, the professional association for design, is committed to furthering excellence in design as a broadly-defined discipline, strategic tool for business and cultural force. AIGA is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.

Review of Quark vs. In Design

Interesting article on ars technica entitled, An InDesign user's review of QuarkXpress 7 which puts the two packages to the test, and reviews the pros and cons of each application.

UPDATE: There's an article on PowerPage about Quark's new Interactive Designer.