Omo – Oversized from LOAF on Vimeo.

For some reason I tend to not watch much video work on the internet, I guess I just get distracted or move on while it loads or something. Apparently my eyeballs are antsy for instant gratification when it comes to blogs. But this cute & quirky little number by Matilda Tristram for Omo really got me. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Via It’s Nice That.

Guys, I think I’m finally owning up to a nascent obsession with bikes. This bicycle by Vanmoof is lightweight aluminum, with solar powered LED lights built right inside its frame, one in the front and one in the back. I mean…good god, this is staggeringly beautiful, a real feat of engineering. And though it’s priced 400 Euros, that is still comparatively cheap against a typical high-end cycle.

Globe Bicycles:

Portland based Globe have really lovely offerings as well, bikes that blend classic & modern, function & comfort. Plus they come in such dreamy colors too!

Thank you to the Nice Modernist who kick-started this inspirational bike daydream I had on t’internet today.

Show alert! Pardon me, I am just not feeling like myself today is a group show with works by Ben Speckmann, Brian Yates, Timothy Pigott, and Tony Francesconi. It explores our primitive tendencies to violence, isolation, selfishness and fear and those times when we seem to embody the beast side of the man/beast continuum.

I know they’ve been working super hard over the last several months (I’ve seen the evidence in Ben’s apartment), can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

Opening Reception: August 29th, 6-10pm
Closing Reception: September 22nd

Barbara & Barbara Gallery, 1021 N. Western Ave
Chicago, IL 773-578-5781

I little while back I was at the Public Works opening at the Andrew Rafacz Gallery but happened to wander into next door to the Kavi Gupta Gallery only to spend the next half hour absorbing Clare Rojas’ work. She’s got this interesting folk-art vibe that I think is really hot.

Image credits: Kavi Gupta Gallery, Google.

Incredible reclaimed & rehabbed light fixtures from UK-based SkinFlint Design. Many pieces date back to pre-war & industrial era factories, mental institutions & hospitals, cloisters, etc. Very very cool! And here’s more good news, SkinFlint ships internationally as well.

Eric Benson, a graphic design professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana emailed me about this fantastic design resource site he’s just launched. Most designers out there are familiar at least on some level with basic recycled paper & green ink standards available out there, but Re-nourish takes this a whole step further. So now it’s even easier to green up your work! There’s a project calculator that sizes your print projects most effectively to minimize waste, a paper finder that sources & compares the most eco-friendly paper options from all major paper vendors, even a source for eco-friendly printers in your area. What’s more, there’s even ideas for how to make web/digital design more green, tips on how to make your studio/work space more sustainable, and case studies with amazing projects for inspiration. Seriously, the cost savings on some of the case studies are jaw-dropping, just because they saved so much paper.

And that’s really just the beginning, there will be even more new tools & resources added in the coming weeks. So go go go! See if you can use some (all?) of these tips into your work! I definitely will be, I really had no idea it was so easy. Thank you so much for sending this along, Eric! You’ve made me a better designer for it.

*Update* Eric & Firebelly Design also created Responsible Design 101, an adorable mini-site of more quick and easy tips for sustainable design. Thanks for the heads up, Will Miller!