I recently attended a movie premiere for the film, Ethiopia, Staring Into the Sun put out by Seattle’s Sublime Frequencies. The film by Olivia Wyatt documents her visits with 13 different tribes in Ethiopia. Olivia also documented her trip in Polaroids, on view here. The film captures the music and dance of each tribe, and provides no background information, translations, or themes. It simply gives the viewer a glimpse into the lives of these highly diverse people through dance, music and dress. This leaves you to draw your conclusions about the culture based off the visuals. You can tell which cultures are more egalitarian, more religious, more prosperous, and more modern. It was amazing how different these cultures are despite their shared geography. While the tribes’s hardships are sometimes obvious, their passion for music, elaborate dress, decoration, and fervor of dance is truly inspirational.

I think we could all use a little head-shaking, body-painting, drum-beating fun every once in a while.

Ethiopia- Staring into the Sun from olivia wyatt on Vimeo.

The purpose of the yearly retreat is to gather representatives from each chapter together to discuss the future direction of AIGA, review successes from the past year, determine areas of improvement, and to create dialog among the chapters through a variety of workshops and break-out sessions. Chapters share inspirational success stories debate/discuss initiatives, and brainstorm new ideas.

Here is a summary of a few things I learned this year.

“What’s wrong with the world is that we are not finished yet” William Faulkner

While AIGA is still the strongest, most united design organization in the nation, they still face the challenge of overcoming a perception of being snooty, of the old guard, and elitist. They are battling this perception with a new approach to content development at the national level. They are flipping the pyramid upside-down so instead of news/information filtering from the top down, it will be generated from the bottom up. Regional chapters will bear more of the responsibility to develop content, and share at the national level. The AIGA.org website is undergoing a re-design to reflect this new display of content.

Artisan v. Strategist

AIGA Executive Director,  Rick Grefe spoke about the relevancy and importance of design in today’s environment, and how designers need to be re-positioned away from being thought of as developers of artifacts and move toward being defined as developers of strategy. This falls in line with Frank Chimero’s talk at AIGA Portland’s  Designspeaks last month. Frank agreed that a re-brand of the role of designers is necessary and suggests the title, “a planner with an aesthetic sense” is a more accurate description of what a designer does.

Living Principles

Gaby Brink and Phil Hamlett of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design have been diligently working on the next step for the center. The result of which is a website and movement called the Living Principles (still in beta). The Living Principles website will be an online community where designers can share case studies, and feature stories on successes or trials and tribulations as they relate to sustainability in design. It will have an extensive list of resources, including a dictionary of sustainability terminology, videos of influential speakers, and various impact calculators to evaluate design decisions.

5% Campaign

AIGA announced its new initiative for the year, and that is to create programs for chapters to encourage the design community to contribute their talents and their time towards pro-bono work. The idea is based off the similar initiative promoted by the American Bar Association for lawyers. AIGA wants designer’s pro-bono commitment to exceed that of the legal community and set the goal at 5%. That is, asking designers to contribute 5% of their time to pro-bono work. Designers in certain regions can be connected to non-profits through the Taproot Foundation, and AIGA will be listing pro-bono projects in a separate section of the jobs listing section of the new website. Rick Grefe strongly believes as I do, that designers have much to offer the non-profit community, and that we play an integral role in the national push for social change.

Drinks with Debbie is now open to the entire conference

AIGA’s President, Debbie Millman attended and spoke at the conference. She is focusing her presidency on the idea of connectivity, hence the conference’s theme, “Engage.” She walked the walk by inviting the all 400+ people in attendance to “Drinks with Debbie” at the hotel bar, an event previously limited to 9 spots. The purpose of the theme, “Engage” is to further discuss how AIGA can reach out to a broader audience. These audiences include: in-house designers, the business community, and the general public. While many chapters have been implementing some programs to address these audiences, there still is much room for improvement. Many break-out sessions focused around issues of engagement from these sometimes disenfranchised entities.

Southern Hospitality

From the pizza employee at Lupi’s  who gave me an extra-full wine pour because he loved Portland (we bonded over our shared Rogue nation membership), to the taxi driver who drove us out to see the Chattanooga Choo-Choo plus gave us a full history lesson of that and surrounding landmarks for no extra charge,  to all the hotel employees at The Chattanoogan who called me “ma’am,” the residents of Chattanooga definitely reinforced the idea of southern hospitality. I also enjoyed my first foray into authentic Southern foods. It seems as if there is nothing they will not fry. I delighted in the fried stuffed sandwich at Terminal Brewery (to go with the delicious beer sampler and sweet potato fries), and devoured fried green tomatoes with cheesy grits at the riverfront restaurant, Blue Plate. Others in my group sampled fried pickles and okra. At one establishment I saw a huge plate of nachos go by, only the tortilla chips were replaced by potato chips.

Ain’t no party like a designer party

It’s no secret that designers know how to party, and many AIGAers are known for their wild and crazy antics (hotel hallway pyramids) lasting until the morning hours. I had a wonderful time reconnecting with my friends from last year’s conference, Chris from Hawaii; Janie from South Carolina;  Patrick from Jacksonville; and of course my Portland ladies: Shona and Lisa. And, I made new memories with new friends, getting caught in the pouring rain and lightning, dancing up a storm to jazz music, and closing down the bar at Hair of the Dog.

Check out photos from the retreat on flickr.

I am proud to be a part of such a substantial, relevant, and inspiring institution. I look forward to our Portland Chapter Retreat where we share what we learned, and plan the next evolution of AIGA in Portland. I have many ideas for how to shape our local chapter, and if you want to be an active part in helping AIGA meet the new objectives, please reach out to me with your ideas. We always are looking for input and help.

Thanks to the many folks at AIGA for making the retreat possible, and Chattanooga for being a great host! I enjoyed my visit to the relaxed, sleepy town on the riverbend, and hope to be back to the South again soon.

Yeah, I know it has been awhile, but good things take time, patience is a virtue, etc. The Our Portland Story Volume 1 book is actually wrapping up. Final edits to pages are being made by generous designers, my editor is pouring over every last detail, and a new website that I designed is being programmed by the talented, Andrew Barden.

I am hoping this will all come together in time for an end-of-July launch.

Seen here is a sample of the current cover art and design comps for the new website. Let me know what you think! If you want to stay tuned on updates, please make sure you sign up for our e-newsletter.

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Our Portland Story Volume 1 is part coffee-table book, part yearbook, and part insider’s travel guide, but is all about Portland by Portlanders. Our Portland Story sought submissions of text and images from Portlanders of all walks of life that together capture many different aspects of the city at this place in time. Stories submitted for consideration included historical reflections of Portland’s past, accounts of a memorable tattoo, observations from a Portland bus ride, and the story of a scooter riding mom wearing pink.

The final book will be a cross section of community views and values told through personal stories and images.

I could go into a lengthy diatribe about Renny’s proposal that, when tricked, big brands could be a more powerful source for good in the world than governments. Or I could illuminate for you the philosophy behind the future of the link as proposed by Ward. But rather, I thought I would share a couple of humorous Lego animation videos set to one of my favorite comedians, Eddie Izzard, as shown by Luke.

Ryan, “Is that Zorro waiting for the bus?”
Mel, “Well if he is Zorro why doesn’t he just…”
Ryan, “Zorro doesn’t have any superpowers.”
Mel, “Oh no? Than what exactly is it that he does?”
Ryan, “He runs around and duels people then marks a ‘Z’ on their chest.”
Mel, “And he escapes his victims via bus?”
Ryan, “Apparently”

CA Highlights

Los Angeles

Stumbled across the Hollywood walk of stars, the Capitol Records building and Iguana Vintage Store. Traffic. More yogurt shops than I could possibly have imagined. Lost. Traffic. Lost. Traffic. Fryman Canyon hike. Coffee at Urth Cafe. Dinner with friends in Thai Town. Everywhere we go I notice hats are very prominent in all varieties- including French berets, and tiny black sequin caps strapped awkwardly via elastic to side of head. Traffic. Fabulous people everywhere we looked – stilettos, mini skirts. Traffic. Hollywood Blvd. Hookers. Canters on North Fairfax - a Jewish deli thatputs Kenny & Zukes to shame. Griffith Park Observatory visit. Take in the views, breathe in the smog.

Huntington Beach

Brunch at Mothers Market. Decide Portland smoothie shops have nothing on this CA juice bar with a 5-page menu. I chose a Ginger Snap, steamed to kill off my emerging sore throat. Beach nap with stolen shells.

Long Beach

Miller High Life on the bluffs. Teenage hooligans throw rocks at cars on the beach below. Lost. Traffic.

San Diego

Midnight arrival, no food served on busy Mission Beach party row. Ran across 4 different puddles of vomit. Beach house bed is full of sand.
Temecula wine tasting. Witness a near cat fight between two female bartenders over which Cabernet we were tasting. Picnic with old friends.
Wedding! Photobooth antics and my first and last Long Island Ice Tea.

Home

Drive Temecula to Portland in one trip. 5 gas stations. 4 chili-mango snacks. 2 energy shots. 3 rest stops. 1 Veggie In-N-Out burger. Home. Sleep.

I discovered many items of tangible retro goodness, including these amazing papers (highly scan-able) and tear-outs from an old atlas. The page shown here diagrams the routes of famous aviation adventures. I spent a good 45 minutes hunting through the boxes and boxes of old postcards. The combination of the beautiful old illustrations with the original handwritten personal scrawls on the back, make for a fantastic glimpse into and old way of life, a story and art piece.

The postcards were presented courtesy of a postcard club in town called the webfooters. I marked my calendar for the April 17-18th Antique Paper Show and Sale. At a $2 admission fee, this event has got to be good.

Download these graphic goodies from my new flickr set, “Rad Design Finds.”

Remarks, Art & Graphics Hits the Street

I just started the distribution of Remarks, Art & Graphics a small newsletter that I developed from a variety of my blog posts, photographs, and design work. The R.A.G. (as I call it) started as a promotional piece, but I see it possibly evolving into a different future of its own. A few lucky design firms might receive their copy in the mail today. If you are interested in receiving one, drop me a line. Or, you can download a low res pdf version here.

The Best

1. TriMet
OK TriMet, you made the list this year mostly because I used you more than ever before, but also because I hope it will put me in good standing with you since I am entering the year car-less. While I admit there were days I cursed your name (stranded freezing for 45 minutes at a Beaverton station, or stuck in traffic a nearly motionless street car). Overall, you have provided a year of great service, and more importantly, interesting stories. There was the drunk bum who kept dropping his boom box, the woman who simultaneously ranted about cars in the bus lane while devouring an entire chocolate bar, and finally, the driver who yelled at a mentally handicap man repeatedly to stop talking. I look forward to more fond transportation memories in the coming year.

2. In Defense of Food and Food Inc.
The one-two punch of these two heavy-hitters completely changed the way I ate and bought food this year. In Defense of Food is Michael Pollan’s gentle exposé on the practices and politics of the American food industry as it relates to health and well-being. Food, Inc. which also features Pollan, is a  shocking documentary film on the same topic as it relates to health, but also economic, social and environmental factors. Some of the most shocking facts are those that relate to meat production. For instance, the average hamburger comes from meat from over 100 cattle, and since those cattle are raised nearly on top of each other, are covered in their own feces, AND because they are fed an unnatural diet of corn and grains, they are teaming with E.coli and lack the antibodies to fight it. SO to solve this problem, meat processing plants have turned to washing the meat with ammonia. Delicious! Unfortunately that is really just the tip of the iceberg. The industrialization of food in America spans many issues such as: health, government regulation, immigration, genetic modifications, environmental damage, and consumer protections. Educating myself about the consequences of my food purchases has made me a bonafide label reader, food co-op owner, local product endorser, and near-vegetarian.

3. Last Thursday Alberta Street
I was thrilled when I discovered that one of my favorite Portland events, Last Thursday, grew to be bigger and better in 2009 with the closure of the street for the event. To me, Last Thursday is less about the art (which is often more mediocre than its First Thursday counterpart), but the spirit. The summer sun illuminated a circus-like scene of handmade welded bikes, costumed stilt-walkers, roadside DJs and washboard bands, bongo circles, and monochromatically dressed dancing mimes. It seemed as if the whole town was in costume, observing this sporadic parade and thus becoming part of it.

4. GOOD
I could spend hours singing the praises of GOOD which describes itself as an “integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good.” They produce a magazine, website, social media content, videos, and events all centered around the collective goal of striving to promote forces of good in the world through content informing about education, politics, environment, health, business, culture, and yes, design. It is obvious to any GOOD reader that design certainly plays a huge role in why GOOD is successful. It features engaging, unique and beautiful infographics, celebrates profound photography and most importantly is supported by high quality content that is gathered from contributors from all over the world.

Here are some links to my favorite GOOD features:

http://www.good.is/post/the-year-in-picture-shows/
http://www.good.is/post/Transparency-How-Clean-Is-Your-Tap-Water/
http://www.good.is/post/creative-acts-that-mattered-at-cop15/

The Worst

1. The local business closures
First went Nutshell, the high-end vegetarian restaurant that wowed me with their salt and olive oil menu. Then, came Urban Wineworks with their painted barrel collection and wine classes. Next, we lost Office on Alberta with their swanky designer supplies and artist exhibitions. Finally, the most painful of all, went Quality Pictures, the Northwest gallery that was my former number one First Thursday destination. In 2009 all went the way of the dodo.

2. Greenwashing
Now call me a crazy hippie, but Comcast’s “paperless” billing campaign rings a little less true to me when they are sending me a different elaborate direct mail piece every other day. And excuse me for pointing out that selling bottled tap water (as most bottled water is) with 15% or so less plastic is a tiny step considering it is largely a product that is the antithesis of “green.” Just because a product is less bad does not make it good. The hard truth is that many products are just, in their nature, not green. Sorry Clorox, no matter how many illustrated leaves are on your natural toilet bowl cleaner, I do not consider your product anywhere near green especially considering your “on-the-other-hand” line up of chemically questionable atrocities.

Going green when it comes to products means eliminating unnecessary products that companies have convinced us we needed. When we do buy, it should be from companies whose green standards are built into the foundation of the organization at every level, and are not just a passing phase. Most importantly, it means buying products in bulk with re-used packaging (package designers everywhere will gasp).

3. Parking tickets
That dreaded yellow envelope on my car. The smug ticketer having long since slipped out of sight. I curse under my breath since nobody is around to listen to my pathetic explanations and excuses. And to add to the pain, new in 2009 came the extended fee hours – until 7pm  – and now no free Sundays. A true injustice and setback to proponents of free parking everywhere.

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Thanks to all who made 2009 memorable and successful. Cheers to 2010!

I read about this traditional game when researching the subject at the library (yes, the granite building with the books). There, on my hunt for Winter Solstice traditions of yore, I was aided by three very eager elderly women, who were handing me books left and right, faster than you can say “Dewey Decimal System.”

I finally arrived at Robert Chambers, Book of Days, published in 1869. The Book of Days is an amazing and beautiful old book that describes in detail key historical events, people, and forgotten customs of cultures from every corner of the world. It is organized by the days in the year in which the events, people or customs are relevant. The book is chock-ful of ancient yore, illustrations, and wisdom. In searching through all the pages belonging to Winter Solstice traditions, I finally arrived at the game of Snapdragon. Below is the description from the Book of Days:

“One favorite Christmas sport, very generally played on Christmas Eve, has been handed down to us from time immemorial under the name of ‘Snapdragon.’ To our English readers this amusement is perfectly familiar, but it is almost unknown in Scotland, and it seems therefore desirable here to give a description of the pastime.

A quantity of raisins are deposited in a large dish or bowl (the broader and shallower this is, the better), and brandy or some other spirit is poured over the fruit and ignited. The bystanders now endeavour, by turns, to grasp a raisin, by plunging their hands through the flames; and as this is somewhat of an arduous feat, requiring both courage and rapidity of action, a considerable amount of laughter and merriment is evoked at the expense of the unsuccessful competitors.”

Drafting off this concept, I created a Christmas postcard to mail to friends and clients, and a Snapdragon Game Kit complete with vodka, raisins, and instructions. Maybe, with my help, this ancient tradition will take hold again, and from every house you will hear cries of pain (as knuckle-hair singes) and carolers will sing the old Snapdragon theme song:

‘Here he comes with flaming bowl,
Don’t he mean to take his toll,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

Take care you don’t take too much,
Be not greedy in your clutch,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

With his blue and lapping tongue
Many of you will be stung,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

For he snaps at all that comes
Snatching at his feast of plums,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

But Old Christmas makes him come,
Though he looks so fee! fa! fum!
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

Don’t ‘ee fear him, be but bold–
Out he goes, his flames are cold,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!’
—
Cheers to new beginnings in 2010 and a joyful holiday!

Papergirl Portland from abraham ingle on Vimeo.

My partner and I recently helped Abe Ingle and a small group of Portland art supporters, bike enthusiasts and pedicabbies to pass out hundreds of pieces of free art via bike all over the city. The project was called Papergirl, and it has its origins in Berlin. The art that was distributed was collected from artists who donated original drawings, paintings, and prints. After a month showing in Second Nature gallery, it was rolled up paperboy style, and distributed on the streets at random.

It was a great experience to be a part of, to see the wonder, the excitement, the hesitation and confusion of recipients young and old. Thanks to Abe for putting together the event in Portland.