The Extraordinaries

It is easy to make excuses about not doing volunteer work, but what excuse do you have not to do a little micro-volunteering? The Extraordinaries is a group that helps everyday people do good, 35 seconds at a time. Just go to their website or download their mobile app and get access to all sorts of small activities that will help others. You can help a child out of extreme poverty by providing some worlds of encouragement, tag some photos for a local museum, or help build a database of dog shelters. Lots of the activities can be done right from your computer or phone. Most take less then a minute. You can do good on the bus, while waiting for take out, before going to bed, or in an otherwise unproductive meeting. What is your excuse now?

I couldn't be more excited about this app if I had thought of it myself.

Nutricate

Typically, I consider receipts a waste of time and paper, but Nutricate is looking at some new receipt features that might make me reconsider their worth. Nutricate receipts come with the nutrition information of the meal you purchased. The receipts state calorie, fiber, fat and protein information as total amounts and percentages of daily recommended intakes. These receipts make it easier to track your food intake and make smart eating decisions. To me, the most ingenious part of this idea is that Nutricate is elevating the value of nutrition to the same level as the value for money, changing the way we think about the price of a meal.

Feltron 2009 Annual Report

It is one of my favorite times of the year... time for Nicholas Feltron's Annual Report.

Most designers will be well aware of Feltron's tradition, as his reports are an annual source of graphic and information design inspiration. If you have not heard of them, the Annual Reports are a summary of graphic designer, Nicholas Feltron's year. They cover the places he has been, the foods he has eaten, the fluctuations in his mood, etc, etc. They are not only ridiculously pleasant to look at, but amusing to read. If you are interested in collecting your own annual data, check out one of Feltron's other projects, Daytum.

The Moment Jars

We all have moments we want to capture, celebrate and share. The Moment Jars are a sweet and quiet way to hold on to a moment. Just write your moment down, and place it in a (virtual and magnificently illustrated) jar.

HEMA Paper

Today I was lost in a thought about the secret joys of office supplies. A thought, almost perfectly encapsulated by this copy paper packaging for HEMA by Studio Kluif. A sense of playfulness is (almost) always a welcome addition to the design of everyday things.

Leigh Viner

I just purchased my first Leigh Viner print. Her work is a pencil, pen and watercolor combination, enhanced with digital love. Her subject matter is always quiet, powerful and chic.

You can purchase prints at the jkldesign Etsy shop. I also recommend checking out Leigh's YouTube channel that combines her art with the touching music of Olivier Bostvironnois. A nice collaboration.

Portfolio - Diego Monetti

The brilliant and egotistically-over-the-top-awesome portfolio of Interactive Experience Designer, Diego Monetti. Shaking my head out of envy, amusement and shock.

Someone please hire him and report back.

Designer's Magic 8 Ball

I don't know about you, but I am an avid Magic 8 Ball user. Mine was given to me at my first design job, and it has been on my desk ever since. So I had to smile at this online designer version of a Magic 8 Ball created by Creative Block. Sure, it's just an advertisement in disguise, but what isn't. Enjoy.

Fred Lebain

Fred Lebain's photographic series A Springtime in New York features his own photos, inside his own photos. He took a bunch of beautiful, but mundane photos of New York and had them printed on large, glossy posters. He then returned to the setting of each photo and took them again, but this time with the print out of the original photo inside a wider shot. Each photo has its own unique imperfection to hint at the photo within the photo.

I like this concept a lot. There is a stupidly simple brilliance that makes it captivating.

K is for Karma

Robert Samuel Hanson creates some simple and elegant illustrations. His in progress Alphabet caught my attention with its witty characterizations of the letters. K is for Karma makes me smile every time.

Is It Christmas?

Despite what you may think based on store displays, advertisements, and the color of your Starbucks mug... IT IS NOT CHRISTMAS YET! If at any point in the next couple months you are confused about whether or not it is Christmas yet. Use the handy tool IsItChrismas.com. It will clear up any doubts.

Lil' Vampire Baby Pacifier

Ha! Turn your little one into a mini vampire with this Lil' Vampire Baby Pacifier. (Found through Outblush).

Chris Ware's The New Yorker Cover

Chris Ware has created this thought provoking piece of artwork for the cover of The New Yorker's November issue. It is beautiful to look at, with a season appropriate theme, and some strong underlying messages about modern society. This panel is part of a larger comic called Unmasked. The whole thing can be seen here (although I think it is more effective as a stand alone piece).

(Found through Design Milk).

Candy Corn Street Art

A little Halloween flavored street art from Diabetik. (Found through the Wooster Collective).

Bank Notes

Ken Habarta has just written a book about the notes that people use to rob banks. He has been posting daily examples of the notes on the blog Bank Notes. Each note is accompanied by a picture of the robber and an icon indicating if the robbery was successful or not. The website is searchable, in case you are only interested in robberies involving polite notes (search for the word "thanks" and "please"). From what I can gather, there is not much of an art to writing a robbery note. The website even has a random bank note generator... in case you are in a hurry.