Holiday Greetings, from Circle!

Holiday Greetings!, originally uploaded by Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD.

From all of us at Circle - Merry everything to you and yours!! Cheers!!!

In lieu of the traditional, Circle has opted to distribute holiday greetings electronically (past cards drew from Chinese proverbs, ancient rune translations, etc.). This year's message was written by Robert L. Peters.

COOL! MOSSTIKA Urban Greenery...

A very cool 'living portrait' hanging on a green space wall in Brooklyn, NY. Created by Edina Tokodi and József Vályi-Tóth.


Check the details on their website - http://www.mosstika.com/ - enjoy! Via Robert L. Peters' News+ (via Visual Culture) - cheers!

COOL! Peraves AG – Monotracer...

You have to check out this super cool, covered motorcycle... the Swiss manufacturer Peraves has recently introduced the Monotracer, a two-wheeled vehicle that is reminiscent of those seen in Tron (or Akira, perhaps?).


Anyhow, I'd love to take one for a 'test ride' to see how well they actually handle... I'm sure it'd be an interesting experience. Learn more by visiting the Monotracer website at http://www.monotracer.com/ - enjoy!

Via Lost at E Minor - cheers!

COOL! Anna Garforth / ABE...

I highly recommend you check out Anna Garforth's work... I totally dig her Mossenger - 'moss graffiti', as well as her Head Gardner projects. Anna graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2007 with a BA in Graphic Design and has since worked on a variety of commissioned pieces for a diverse range of clients.


Her self-initiated Head Gardner project involves re-purposing plastic milk bottles into plant heads. From her description on her website: 'It takes on the guerilla gardening concept of beautifying neglected or unwelcoming public space through gardening and growing plants, making it a more inviting environment to be in, as well as attracting a healthier biodiversity.' Tres cool IMO.

Visit Anna's website to see additional pics, along with more cool stuff at http://www.crosshatchling.co.uk/ - enjoy! Thanks to my friend, and local Winnipeg designer Mark Simpson for sending me the link. Cheers!

Images © Anna Garforth, All rights reserved.

Worldwide Identity – Inspired Design from Forty Countries reviewed by Maggie Macnab on DT&G...

The book, Worldwide Identity – Inspired Design from Forty Countries authored by Robert L. Peters and designed at Circle has received another positive review, this time from Maggie Macnab on DT&G. Here's an excerpt from the review:

There is more to being a designer than using tools to re-form and regurgitate our thoughts. There is more to design than balancing concept with execution. Design is intent: the process of understanding relationships and making choices based on that knowledge.

We make our thoughts real when we put them into the world, and they give us back the world we live in. Worldwide Identity – Inspired Design from Forty Countries is thoughtfully written and concisely edited by Robert L. Peters, beautifully designed by his team at Circle (Winnipeg, Canada), and published by Rockport in partnership with Icograda (the International Council of Graphic Design Associations).

Read the review in its entirety on DT&G, here - cheers! :D

COOL! A Gift from GOOD Magazine...

I received another cool surprise in the mail the other night... this time from the folks at GOOD Magazine. I've blogged about them before here and here... anyhow, I received a package with a short letter (as follows):

Dear Friend,
Though it's not much, here are a few items for your efforts to support us. Since I have your address on file, please let me know via email if you want your free subscription for yourself, or if you wish to gift it to someone. If it's the latter case, please be sure to include their mailing address. Hope all is well in your part of the world and thanks again!...

:) that, along with a "Certificate of Subscribership" which congratulated me for being a hero(?... not sure how that worked),


along with some GOOD buttons and stickers. Either way, I was rather chuffed to receive it... thanks to the folks at GOOD! I'm planning to gift the subscription to Circle so that we can all enjoy the great features, graphics (and more) in the fine magazine together. Cheers!

Learn more about GOOD Magazine by visiting their website at http://www.goodmagazine.com/ - enjoy!

Recommended | Free Rice... for the UN World Food Program

With the many recent natural disasters and war(s) making the news headlines on a daily basis, it's refreshing to see something online which could potentially make a real difference. www.freerice.com is a website which combines vocabulary training with the giving of rice.

The concept is simple, for every word that you get right, they'll donate 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program... to date, 31,214,178,130 grains (over 31 billion grains) of rice have been donated. I have to say that the game itself is rather addicting, and you could easily spend an afternoon expanding your vocabulary while donating to a worthy cause. I suggest you give it a try for yourself... I'm sure that you'll manage to donate at least 20 grains of rice! Visit http://www.freerice.com/ - enjoy!

Thanks to Rick Strong for posting this link to the GDC Listserve - cheers!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everybody! I just wanted to make a quick post to wish you all a nice Earth Day and to let you know that MUHSASHUM may not be very active over the next week or so, as I will be away in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan attending the GDC National AGM. Look for a flurry of posting to follow shortly afterwards... ;) Cheers!

Recommended | GOOD - The China Issue...

I recently posted a comment on Michael Surtees' blog, DesignNotes in response to his A Black and White Issue? post (which in turn was a response to another blog post). In Michael's post he brings up some interesting points of discussion in regard to this summer's Beijing Olympics, here's an excerpt:

...if you plan to watch a moment of the Olympics, purchase anything from a corporate sponsor of the games or even follow who wins and looses are you implicitly supporting what a number of protesters are trying to bring to the attention of the world? If you are protesting the Olympics in Beijing yet choose to do any of the following that I mention above is it somewhat hypocritical to criticize others? Is it possible to have it both ways or is everyone responsible to some degree?

Being born a Canadian of Chinese descent I have to admit that I am somewhat, 'on-the-fence' with the over-politicization of the games through the western media. Yes, there are many issues facing China as a rapidly growing, industrial nation... but, what country can claim to be free of problems? That being said, the latest issue of GOOD Magazine: The China Issue has some great features on China, I'd recommend everyone to read them, you're bound to come across something you didn't know about the 'Asian-Superpower' (I've blogged about GOOD Magazine before, here).

The Olympics should remain non-political, concentrate on 'fair' competition and respect for the athletes. In my opinion, the Olympics could represent the ideal world model, where one person from a different culture/religion/etc. can stand beside one another with respect, admiration and/or resolve their differences through non-lethal, competitive sport. I guess we'll just have to wait and see... I invite you all to comment (I'd be interested to hear what others have to say). Cheers!

Something to Ponder on April Fools' Day...

Happy April Fools' Day. Hopefully you haven't been exposed to too many office pranks at your expense... anyhow, a recent post to the GDC Listserve by friend and colleague - Robert L. Peters, really got me thinking... the gist of which is summed up by Mark Twain in the quote above. Anyhow, there were some interesting facts(?) featured in Rob's, And you think oil is pricey? post:

Product US$/Barrel

Oil 108.50
Coca-Cola 126.45
Milk 163.38
Snapple 237.72
Perrier Natural Mineral Water 300.61
Tropicana Orange Juice 307.44
Budweiser Beer 447.25
Scope Mouthwash 682.34
Starbucks Venti Latte 954.24
Ben & Jerry's Chunky Ice Cream 1,609.44
Pinot Grigio Wine 2,117.75
Bertoli Olive Oil 2,370.71
Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Whiskey 4,237.63
Tabasco Pepper Sauce 6,155.52
Visine A.C. Eye Drops 39,728.64
FLONASE Nasal Spray 902,304.00
Chanel No.5 Parfume 1,666,560.00

...I'll admit I've purchased my fair share of the products listed above... so, don't we all feel a little foolish now?

On another note... Circle Design Incorporated celebrates it's 32nd birthday today! Circle first opened it's doors for business on this day in 1976! Happy Birthday Circle!

Recommended | Baby Steps to Living Green...

One of my colleagues at Circle, designer Susan McWatt FitzGerald (MGDC and soon-to-be Mom), has been doing research in preparation for her new arrival (expected late April 2008). Take a look at the stats she came across re: Disposable Diapers... scary. See her original article here.

Holiday Greetings from Circle!

For the past few years at Circle, we've sent out inspirational quotes as part of our holiday greetings (Chinese proverbs, ancient rune translations, etc.). This year we've decided to quote a Swedish proverb. I'll be on holidays from December 22 until January 2... I'm not sure how active the blog will be during this time.

Anyhow, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May 2008 bring you prosperity, peace, love and happiness. Cheers!

COOL! The johnson banks Christmas Card...

The creative team over at johnson banks has really done a wonderful job with their Christmas card this year. From the johnson banks website: The johnson banks Christmas card this year takes the form of trees ram-punched out of magazines and brochures that we found around the office. There’s no point in going green and then merrily printing off some paper based extravaganza, so we set ourself the task of re-using and recycling items that were close to hand.

I really like the idea and commend the creatives for their ingenious use/recycling of materials. See the full story and more pictures here.

BAD Plastic Water Bottle... GOOD SIGG ?

A lot of attention has been given recently to the on-going debate about the safety of plastics for liquid storage. Particularly with the upward trend of personal water bottles in the urban/work environment. A recent decision to pull plastic water bottles off the shelves by the popular retailer, Mountain Equipment Co-op may be a cause for some concern (or at least your consideration) when thinking about your next water bottle purchase... see the Globe and Mail article here. If you must have a water bottle perhaps you should consider a SIGG bottle... they're Swiss made! ;)

Recommended | The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard…

I highly recommend that you take about 20 minutes of time and visit http://storyofstuff.com/ - watch the animated presentation with Annie Leonard. The Story of Stuff site was designed by the uber-talented folks at Free Range Studios (you might recall seeing 'The Meatrix'), The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

We all know it's not easy being green, but being aware of the little choices you can make on a daily basis to promote positive change is a good step in the right direction - Cheers!

Globetrotter ECO Car via Inhabitat...

Via Inhabitat: Ever imagined driving in an ultra lightweight, solar-powered plastic car? If designer Harsha Ravi has his way, this will be the future of sustainable automobiles. Winning the conveted Young Designer of the Year award, Harsha Ravi has envisioned a release from dependence on fossil fuels with an emphasis on eco-friendly vehicle technologies and cutting back the weight and bulk of today’s gas-guzzlers. Ravi’s concept uses a carbon-neutral, bioplastic body with 12 percent petroleum-based/88 percent corn-based plastic that reduces manufacturing energy 30 percent. And there’s much more - a zinc-air fuel cell, nano-paper battery, airless tires, nanopaints to absorb solar energy while parked to charge its batteries, and woven seat material. This car is lightweight, functional, frugal - the ultimate “tread lightly” automotive feast for the environment-savvy consumer... (view the original posting on Inhabitat)

I think it's a great idea and I completely encourage the designer's forward thinking... although, I do have some doubts as to the practicality of the design in environments as extreme as the Canadian Prairies (hot, dry summers and freezing cold winters). I'd be interested to see how an actual prototype vehicle would perform under conditions that normal vehicles would have to endure on a regular basis. What do you think?

LifeStraw - Portable Water Purification System

This has got to be one of the best design/design ideas that I've seen in some time. The LifeStraw is a portable water purification tool that purifies water from potential pathogens like typhoid, cholera, dysentary and diarrhea (via Inhabitat)... check out the original posting here.

Design Can Change - Take the Pledge!

Design Can Change is a non-commercial smashLAB initiative to bring together graphic designers from around the world to raise awareness for environmental impact and sustainable design practices. The Design Can Change pledge:

In my professional practice, I will endeavor to:
Learn: Engage in the topic and seek to understand the issue
Think: Make a sustainable mindset second nature
Act: Put my knowledge to use in my daily work
Inform: Share information and build awareness for sustainability
Unite: Spark change through collective strength

It's an initiative that I fully support. For more information, resources and/or to take the pledge, check out the website at http://www.designcanchange.org/

Sexy 'Green' Sports Cars

Apologies for the lack of posts this past week. I've been away on holidays and thus have tried to avoid using the computer this past week. Anyhow, after getting back to work and skimming through a plethora of emails/blogs/RSS feeds, I'm happy to say I feel refreshed and ready to dig in. One of the links that caught my eye was Top 5 Sexiest Sustainable Sports Cars (via inhabitat). Check out the link! Some of these vehicles are downright bizarre, like the Nissan Mixim. Now, if only they had included MSRP for each model... ;)