Serpentijn Art & Athletics

One of the things I'm most grateful for in my life is knowing ubersmart, motivated, kind people.

Case in point: one of my favorite people in the whole world, my buddy Jason Reimer, recently launched this amazing little company – Serpentijn Art & Athletics.

Serpentijn was founded In 2015 to make a positive impact through art and athletics, based on the belief that both play a vital role in learning and living life to its fullest [...] 10% of each purchase you make goes to a worthy non-profit organization, selected by you during checkout.

Serpentijn's first products include designs by illustrator Keith Negley and painter Barbara Ignatiev.

Serpentijn Art & Athletics

Rad American Women A-Z

I hope a lot of people use these as flash cards with their kids. Good stuff.

Rad American Women A-Z: Resources

The U.N.'s 17 New Goals To Build A Better World

I had no idea the U.N. had such an ambitious agenda for the next 15 years. Boosting the signal on this because more people should know. And it's a lovely infographic.

At the United Nations General Assembly this weekend in New York, U.N. member states are set to adopt the new Sustainable Development Goals. The goals are meant to guide development priorities around the globe over the next 15 years.

U.N. Dreams Big: 17 Huge New Goals To Build A Better World : Goats and Soda : NPR

Dyslexia by Daniel Britton.

A beautiful and effective way to create empathy – by removing 40% of each character, Britton reduces the reading time of a non-dyslexic to the speed of a dyslexic.

I wanted to make non-Dyslexic people understand what it is like to read with the condition and to recreate the frustration and embarrassment of reading everyday text, and then in turn to create a better understanding of the condition.

Daniel Britton | Dyslexia
(via IFLScience)

The Angelica Doll: A natural hair doll for young girls by Angelica Sweeting — Kickstarter

I am a grown woman, and I bought a doll. My favorite part? Feature #3 below. Yay, Angelica!

From the founder, Angelica Sweeting: 

Like most young girls with kinky/curly hair, my daughter Sophia was not happy with her kinks and curls because of the doll I was putting in her hands every day. Sophia wanted long straight hair, and she even started expressing a strong dislike for her facial features and skin tone. With the help of my daughters, we created “The Angelica Doll” — the first natural hair 18-inch doll for young girls.

Features

1. Style and wash the doll’s kinky/curly hair just as natural hair.  YES! My daughters and I tested the hair for eight months! We twisted, bantu knotted, combed, brushed, blew out, curl wanded and re-washed the hair. We did this over and over to ensure this doll would be able to withstand a young girls curiosity about taking care of and having fun with kinky/curly hair! No more tangled doll hair!
2. Facial features true to women of color!  Say goodbye to spray-painted brown Barbie dolls! The Angelica Doll has the face of a beautiful brown girl including a full nose, fuller lips, beautiful check bones, and brown eyes!
3. Exposure to new paths and careers.  Let’s not just tell the next generation of women that they can do anything. LET’S SHOW THEM! The Angelica Doll and future dolls will have new and interesting careers that will expose young girls to what is happening in the world now and the many possibilities they have in the future. The Angelica Doll is a courageous, bold entrepreneur full of self belief, natural beauty, and perseverance. For future dolls we will introduce careers such as engineering, journalism, software development, public relations, etc.

The Angelica Doll: A natural hair doll for young girls by Angelica Sweeting — Kickstarter

James Baldwin tote to support Harlem Stage.

I'm a big fan of the Out of Print store. (Where else can you get an Isaac Asimov "I, Robot" shirt?) Thus, I have to give them a shout out for this fab James Baldwin promotion benefitting Harlem Stage.

We are pleased to donate $5 for each Go Tell It on the Mountain tote bag sold during February to Harlem Stage. Harlem Stage is a leading New York City performing arts center supporting the work of gifted artists of color.  In partnership with Columbia University School of Arts, New School/Vera List Center for Art and Politics, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and numerous other collaborators, Harlem Stage is presenting The Year of James Baldwin, a 14-month city-wide celebration.

James Baldwin tote to support Harlem Stage – Out of Print

(Special thanks to Carina for bringing Out of Print to my attention last year! Thanks, lady!)

A Creative Catharsis.

Ireland's creative community have gotten together to release a lot of pent-up anger and sadness through the medium of the A3 poster, all in aid of Temple Street Children's Hospital.
Ad creatives, designers, animators, directors, illustrators and more have taken time out to dress up their favourite worst feedback from clients, transforming quotes that would normally give you a twitch, into a diverse collection of posters.

SHARP SUITS

(via my sweet pal, Tim)

Signs of Affection project.

If I ran the world, most of the design industry would be busy making/doing stuff like this.

Established in May 2010, the Signs of Affection project aims to make the walls talk. Short positive messages are placed in public spaces around the world to be seen by thousands. To get involved you can submit a few words [...] If your entry is chosen it will be designed, screen-printed and sent to you all for free! Copies will also be sent across the world to be pasted-up on the walls of other cities.

Go on – submit an idea to The Signs of Affection Project.


(via HUH magazine)

First Book: Access to New Books for Children in Need

Does your mom (like mine) insist that she doesn't need any gifts for Mother's Day? If you still want to give her a gift without getting yelled at, you might want to consider donating to this really lovely organization. They provide books to schools and community programs so low-income kids can learn to love the same bedtime stories the rest of us do.

Forty-two percent of children in the United States — more than 30 million — live in low-income households. Most of these children have no age-appropriate books at home, and the classrooms and programs they attend are woefully under-resourced. Approximately two-thirds of these schools and programs cannot afford to buy books at retail prices.

Visit First Book.org for more info

Eat Breakfast.

Yes, pizza IS a completely acceptable breakfast.


"East Breakfast" is an offset lithograph poster designed by Always With Honor for Advice to Sink in Slowly. Advice to Sink in Slowly is an ongoing series of posters designed by college graduates for the purpose of passing on advice and inspiration to incoming students. A free advice poster is available on request to first year students across the UK.

The printing, packaging and postage costs are covered through the sale of fund raising posters such as this one. All proceeds from the sale of these releases goes towards distributing free posters to students throughout the autumn semester. Put simply, the more that sell, the more posters they can give out for free.

Tiny Showcase :: 'Eat Breakfast' by Always With Honor

Back to the Start.

Lovely and touching. Sometimes companies genuinely surprise me.



Chipotle: Back to the Start

Radioactive Control by luzinterruptus.

This must have been SUCH an amazing, eerie installation.





The installation Radioactive Control was created for the Dockville Festival in de Hamburg which tried to demonstrate, in a humorous tone, the paranoia that we are suffering from since the escape of radioactive material in Japan, has brought into question the safety systems at the nuclear power plants.

With our mysterious army of 100 illuminated radioactive figures, which advanced threateningly on the natural environment of the festival, we wanted to invite reflection regarding the use and abuse of nuclear energy, cheap in economic terms, but which can cause grave secondary effects for the environment and health, forever irreversible.

luzinterruptus

(via inhabitat)

Dark Girls – a documentary.

Heartbreaking and beautiful. I wish I could donate more money to get this story out there. If you can, please donate at the link below or send this to your friends.


Clips from the upcoming documentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color---particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.

This film will be released in Fall/Winter 2011. Please "Like" the Dark Girls page on Facebook, we will keep you updated with news there. Please support us by helping us raise money at indiegogo.com/​Dark-Girls-Movie.

The Official Dark Girls Movie Website

BirdProject Soap.

Such a perfect concept. Environmentally-friendly, detoxifying, charcoal-activated black soap that degrades as you use it to reveal a lovely white ceramic bird. Half the profits go to cleanup and care of animals affected by the BP oil spill.



Through the daily act of washing, you will eventually free the clean, white, ceramic birds inside - potent symbols of restoration and recovery. The soap is shaped to be cradled in your hand and is a powerful representation of all creatures affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster.

The soaps are made with natural, locally sourced ingredients: biodiesel glycerin, fair trade olive oil, aloe, activated black charcoal, and a light cypress scent - reminiscent of Louisianan bayous. They are made by Emily Manger Davis of Sweet Olive Soaps, a third generation soapmaker from New Orleans.

50% of profits go to environmental cleanup and care for affected animals of the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster. [Gulf Restoration Network & IBRRC]

BirdProject Shop — BirdProject Soap

(via Springwise)

Man candles.

I love this guy's initiative, and the fact that he has scents like Dirt, New Mitt and Campfire.



Almost every can has been purchased and the soup donated to a soup kitchen, hospital, church or other non-profit organization. A few empty cans have been donated to me. At this point over 3000 cans of soup have been donated.

Once the can is emptied, it's cleaned and the label is removed. That's about it, other than the making the candle piece.

We are trying to work with a few organizations to get recycled cans. Once we receive these cans we will be donating a portion of every candle sold to a local soup kitchen.

Man-Cans.com

(via the always interesting HUH magazine.)

The Working Proof: Susan Schwake and a Fundraiser for Japan

Spreading the word and the love.


sub-studio design blog: The Working Proof: Susan Schwake and a Fundraiser for Japan

Wearing Your Heart tees.

Love these.





Wearing Your Heart - Welcome

(Lots more fab tees over at sister company, Wire & Twine.)

(via @swissmiss)

Why Belgian advertising is offline this week.

I'm linking to this in support of the Belgian agencies that are trying to end the free-for-all madness involved in pitching work these days. If you work in design or advertising, you know how painful and expensive a big pitch can be. You should take a look at this and think about re-blogging it yourself.


THE VIRTUAL STRIKE :: Website closed

A unique gift –- clean water for 20 years.

Just $20.




Send a beautifully wrapped $20 bottle of water to your loved one and give one person clean water for 20 years. 100% of your donation goes to building wells.

Charity:Water - Send a Bottle

i want to go to the aquarium.

(via the function key)