Buy Local.

With the state of today's economy, it is tempting to head into larger discount conglomerates, chains and franchises. This mentality has taken a toll on small businesses, leaving Main Street America somewhat stranded.

However, I recently discovered The 3/50 Project, which I think is a fantastic initiative aimed at saving brick and mortar independently owned businesses. The idea is to commit $50 a month to spend at three locally owned businesses in your community.

Take a look at the statistics from The 3/50's website: If half the employed population spent $50 in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. And, as 3/50 points out, much of the spend returns to the community via payroll, taxes and more. All it takes is one person with fifty dollars.

Everyday Design

An excerpt from a chart showing the evolution of a few memorable everyday items from the 1950's to present published by UK's The Guardian. View the interactive gallery here. Proof again that design is all around us.

Portraits

Berlin-based photographer Andrea Hidebrandt created this stunning set of portraits. I love the neutral color palette and mix of pen and ink over the images and the mood it creates.

{via behance}

Field Trip!

Remember how much fun you had in school when you had a field trip day? Today my recently turned 5-year old son Cole and his class are at the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden.


First, they built a boat (okay, I think they just 'sandpapered' and decorated their boats) ...


... and then they launched them. Check out the high tech paddle boat configuration with the Popsicle sticks, wooden spool and rubber band. Ingenious!

I'm not sure what's in store next, but I love that our cousin has been sending these step-by-step images from her camera phone all morning. Isn't technology great?

Return to Sender

Here are just two of many adorable return address rubber stamps found at Paperwink. I can think of lots of cool applications using these stamps on an inexpensive self promotion mailer when you need high creativity on a shoestring budget.

{via Oh Joy!}

Blu Whale

I love this "Blu Raspberry" whale poster distributed by French Paper. Fantastic illustration!

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

To all the Dad's everywhere, have a lovely Father's Day weekend!

That's My Kid

On my morning drive today, I heard a touching story on NPR about a father and his adopted son and the father's "Aha!" moment when he realized, "That's my kid". Share your "Aha!" parenting moment with us today!

Listen to Brian & son Johnathan Miller's story below, part of the StoryCorps project. Happy Father's Day from Elements to all of the fathers in our lives - may you be showered with love, ties and sporting equipment.



StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission it is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening.

Tweeting and the Classroom

Twitter seems to be taking over and giving people a new addiction to feed. People are Tweeting from work, home, bars and now teachers are using the social media resource in their classrooms.

College professors are having students create profiles and during lectures
they are able to Tweet to their teacher any questions or concerns they have.
Students in large lecture seminars now have a closer connection with their
professors and a new way to voice their opinions. The professor is able to
see what concerns or issues the students are having in real time and help
them better understand the material. Read more about Tweeting and the classroom here.

As a college student, I think this is a great idea and have recently
realized how Twitter can be used in so many situations. Consumers
connecting with companies, celebrities keeping their fans updated and now
teachers are using Twitter as a learning tool. What next?

Introducing Elements Intern: Kyle Tildsley

Kyle Tildsley with our new Elements sign.

Kyle is the new summer intern here at Elements. He is entering his senior year at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where he is working towards his BA in Public Relations and minor in Sports Studies. Kyle helps the team out in many ways including, but in no way limited to, research, writing, monitoring social media sites, updating media lists and assisting in marketing and administrative work. Say hello to Kyle at intern [at] elementsdesign [dot] com.

If you can read this ...

Everybody's Watching

If you’re communicating on social networks, ideally your customers are paying attention … and that of course is exactly the point. There is however a significant likelihood that your competition is paying attention too.

Hell, I’ll admit to monitoring what our competitors, and our clients’ competitors, are saying on their blogs, Twitter and Facebook. And I'm darn sure they’re monitoring us.

I’m guessing that you’re guessing that my point is: you’ve got to be at least a little guarded and circumspect about what you say. And that would almost completely wrong.

Social media is – and this is the important part – about being honest. It’s about having a genuine and open conversation. Become too guarded about what you say and absolutely nobody will be interested. No, I’m not suggesting throwing caution to the wind, but by all means, feel free to take a few chances.

Take a Cue from Big Bird and Friends...

"They taught us about sharing and the letter Q. They taught us to jump rope in Spanish and how to count to 10. They taught us about life in the city, diversity, and the true love of a rubber ducky.

But did you know that Sesame Street actually has lots of lessons about how to be a better blogger?"

Five simple rules for simplifying the mystery of what makes a good blog by Sonia Simone, senior editor of Copyblogger and founder of Remarkable Communication.

It's Amazing What You Can Do With A Post-It Or Two

I wish I was still in school and had this kind of time. Savannah College of Art and Design student Bang-yao Liu pieced together this stop motion film created with nothing but 3M Post-It Notes. Unbelievable. How many hours do you think he spent on this? I think 3M needs to hire him.

Consumed

The word “consumer” seems innocent enough. The definition – anybody who purchases something – is easy to understand. It’s not difficult to spell and pronounce. So why do I hate this relatively innocuous group of letters so damn much?

At first, I thought it was contempt bred by familiarity. Having worked at or for businesses that make products for people (as opposed to businesses that make products for other businesses), I hear the word a few more times per day than the average person.

I quickly realized that sheer volume was clearly not the issue (no matter how many times I hear them, I never grow tired of the words “yes dear,” “sushi” and “all you can eat“). The answer, I realized some time ago, is the unfortunate way this otherwise unremarkable adjective reduces all of us to our wallets.

And even though I’ve written plenty of communications intended for people who purchase things, I have studiously avoided using the descriptor in question whenever possible. I believe that – like me – most folks would like to be identified by something - anything - other than their ability to purchase stuff.

That’s not to say I won’t buy that highly desirable shiny widget if the maker of said highly desirable shiny widget has the audacity to refer to me as a consumer. It is to say that, all else being equal, I’d prefer to purchase my shiny widgets from an organization that recognizes me as something more than dollars and cents. Wouldn’t you?

Beautiful Birch Trees

This room makeover is so inspirational to me -the subtle tone-on-tone colors and the illustrated birch trees on the wall in particular. I also like the groupings of artwork, especially the little bird perched high up on the shelf. Simply stunning!

{via designsponge}

Finally! New Moon Trailer Released

So excited! New Moon opens November 20th.

Lovely Little Beauty Products

Here is a beautifully designed line of beauty products called Green + Spring being introduced later this month in London only (drat).

{via bloomacious}

Elements in the News

Elements recently completed a branding initiative for Constellation Health Services - and gained some media exposure in Norwalk's The Hour. The initative included a logo, tagline and website.

"The company has a new home in Norwalk, a new logo, a new Web site, and, perhaps most importantly, expanded services and new plan for growth.

The new name and logo, according to CEO Joanne Walsh, is a "direct reference to many parts coming together to create something significant. It has a nice, positive feel to it."

The old name, she said, was geographically limiting and did not reflect the scope of services offered.

The new Web site -- www.constellationhs.com -- will be launched later this month." C. Bosak, The Hour

www.constellationhs.com will go live shortly - check back here at Hello, Elements for the launch date!

Moss

As spotted on my way to work this morning on a stone wall I pass. The image doesn't quite capture the beauty of the vibrant lime color. It was perfect having rained all day yesterday and the stones were still damp.

Rainy days like these make me want to curl up on the couch with a good movie - and my pick for this week is Away We Go by director Sam Mendes (of American Beauty fame). The film is "a heartfelt chronicle of a young couple and their search for the right place to raise their unborn baby", (Anne Brodie, MonstersandCritics.com) starring John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live).

Not only do I just love, love, love the tagline "All we can do is be good for this one baby," but I also love one of their marketing tactics for the film. A Pandora mix has been created that includes music from the film's musical star, new singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch. (And, if you know Elements, you know we love a good Pandora playlist.)

The link popped up on my Pandora today, and I've chosen it for our studio playlist-of-the-day! (It smacks a little of the Garden State soundtrack.) You can also use the film's website to stream the playlist here.

(Plus - a bonus - the hand drawn & photography combo poster art is really cool.) Away We Go is playing in select theaters now.

Sneak Peek: "Ahoy!"

Sneak peek at the "Ahoy!" birthday card designed for Goods, LLC. Illustration by the very talented Erica Pelton Villnave. Stunningly beautiful calligraphy by our good friend Crystal Kluge.

The Brainstormer

For anytime you're truly stuck.

{via Drawn!)

Vintage Maps Framed

What a gorgeous idea. Loads of inspiration found in these vintage maps - the colors, compass roses, typography, vinettes around the edges, the details. I wish I could see this map more closely. I did a quick search for this map and couldn't find it. If anyone finds this map of Cape Cod, please, let me know. More framed map images here. {via wifestyle files}


I did find this copperplate engraved 1758 map of Connecticut here. It was made in London and interestingly, it was the first map made of the whole state. Too bad it is so small (only 7" x 9").

Here is another website where I found antique maps for sale.

Last one (because I could keep going for a long time on the subject of maps!) is this beauty above. It is an old tourist map of Belgium and Holland found for sale here.

AIGA | CT Presents: Pam Williams of Williams & House

With advertising and marketing budgets being cut right and left in this economic downturn, more and more, companies are turning to public relations as a low-cost solution to self-promotion.

Want to learn some solid, proven public relations strategies for your business from a veritable expert? Mark June 25 on your calendars - AIGA Connecticut presents Pam Williams, co-founder of Williams & House, a strategic communications and public relations firm will answer 25 questions that will help you grow your business and get the ink you want.

Thursday, June 25
6:30 - 9 pm
Cash Bar

Omni New Haven Hotel
Temple Room (mezzanine)
155 Temple Street
New Haven, CT

AIGA Members: $15
Non-Members: $20
Students: $5 with ID

Reserve your spot at secretary@connecticut.aiga.org

For more information and updates, follow AIGA | CT on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Treasure Map in Progress ....

Sneak peek at my treasure map as it's being designed:

Erica has my edits and will soon move to painting!

By the way, designers take note: Erica Pelton Villnave is an awesome illustrator. Fun to work with, extremely talented and has added so much to the project. She is a joy to work with. Thank you, Erica!

Crayola brand retrospective

Brand Spotlight: Crayola
TheDieline.com has posted a great image showing the evolution of the Crayola crayon box over the years. Interesting to see the progression from one-color printing to four-color.

The container I remember as a kid is the box of 64 with the built in sharpener. Oh how I loved the variety of colors, and lamented when my most used color ended up being the shortest crayon in the box.

Treasure Hunt

Here are some of the images taken from my around my neighborhood this morning for the illustrator to use in the creation of a treasure map. This will all make sense when you see the finished illustrated map in a few days! I'll post it if you promise not to tip off the 5-year old pirates who will be attending ... Shhh.

Poppies outside the Fitzgerald's house (hiding place for a clue). I'm referring to it as the "Poison Poppy Patch". (There will be a key hidden in there for those brave enough to look under the leaves)!


The Watermelon Tree is a neighborhood landmark and has a storied history. On our treasure map, I've renamed it "The Terrified Tree" and a clue will be tucked into the bark.


Below is Haycock Point's pier at sunrise (on a rather overcast day). It's so beautiful. On the map, it's referred to "Walk the Plank Pier" and there will be a clue on a stake in the beach (called Liar's Lagoon on the map) down the stone steps in the sand right next to the pier (we don't need any kiddies going overboard).


This is the flag pole at the end of the point's park. For the few hours the party is happening, we're hanging a Jolly Roger on the flagpost as if to tell everyone in Branford that we've been "taking over by pirates!". The Thimble Islands are off our point where legend does say Blackbeard hid his treasure, supposedly on Money Island. But for Cole's party, they won't need a boat to find their booty.

This beach is filled with tiny rocks and near those rocks in the water is where the treasure (will be) buried. I've named this "Shipwreak Beach" on the map.

I can't wait to see these kids running from clue to clue to find the treasure! I'll post the map when it's completed.

Link to complete set of treasure map images on our Flickr account here.

Ace Hotel

Next time we're in NYC overnight, I think I'll check into the newest Ace Hotel to open. So far locations include Seattle, Palm Springs, Portland and NYC.
Who wouldn't love this hotel bathroom? The heavy tall drapes make you feel like you're in a swanky nightclub. I'm also loving the "A" font on the wall.


Again, I'm attracted to the typography in the old "HOTEL" sign. But also love the chandelier! I think Kerry's post on Ireland hotel lighting might be true of all new hotels ...


Ace Hotel website. I liked it, however, I didn't get the navigation in the images immediately. Otherwise, nicely designed. It has a retro, warm feeling to it. What do you think?