Happy Halloween from the Elements Team

Giveaway Thursday!

You know, we love free stuff. Who doesn't?

That's why today, we have some some very cool Twitter cards to giveaway!

These super cool cards are four color, double-sided and have a blank line (which starts with an @) to write in your Twitter "handle" so you can pass them out to all your future followers.

To get your very own FREE short stack of cool Twitter cards, RT this post and make sure you're following us @elementsdesign so we can DM you for your mailing address!

{special thanks to the very talented Aaron Kotowski for the image}

hAppY BirThDay, cHelSeA!

Yesterday was Chelsea's birthday and we celebrated in tried and true Elements style. Cake (in this case, a chocolate, hot fudge, cookie, vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream frosted extravaganza of yumminess from Ashley's Icecream in Branford) + gifts + sharing + laughter + friendship = good times.


Happy Birthday, Chelsea! Thanks for letting us share a part of your special day with all of us.

Co-Working Social: 10.26.09

Last night we hosted our inaugural co-working social here at Elements. After learning of the new trend which brings all types of people together in one collaborative environment, we knew we had to be a part of it.

By definition, a co-working space is designed as a gathering place for individuals working independently but who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working alongside talented people. In short, it's a mix between a cubicle and a coffee shop.

Using only social media to promote and our event planning talents, we decided one week ago to host a co-working social where our Elements team, current co-workers and anyone who wanted to know more could view our space and satisfy their co-working curiosities. We blogged, tweeted, LinkedIn'd, Facebooked and EventBrite'd to our hearts' desire to spread the word about our little gathering.

Four bottles of wine, some classic appetizers and a few simple autumn decorations later, around 25 people showed up on our doorstep to tour, chat, nibble, sip and learn more about co-working. What a fun event and an interesting group of people - we had guests from CFOs to radio host/producers and everyone in between.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and check our Facebook page for event photos. We'll be adding more soon. Our next co-working social will be in December.

All images from this post courtesy of Aaron Kotowski - thanks, man!

Good News: Keep Calm and Carry On

This Good News Monday, we're sharing a story about some billboards that remind us to hang in there - we're Americans - we're resilient. Amy spotted these on I-91 last week, and wondered who was behind them - they're succinct, smart and eye-catching.

We did a little research, and learned the following:

"In a climate of anxiety and trepidation about the economy, an anonymous donor decided to do something to help Americans collectively "take a deep breath". The donor approached Charlie Robb of Charchin Creative (creator of 1999's "God Speaks" campaign) to create a campaign designed to remind Americans of those things which make this country great, and have helped it to survive many difficult economic and political situations over the last 233 years. Recession 101 on numerous outdoor advertising formats including billboards, street furniture, transit and other locations.


The campaign is about America and resiliency. The recession has hurt one of America's greatest attributes - its unshakable optimism. Recession 101 is a light-hearted and succinct reminder to everyne that the nation will get through these troubled times and come out in the end. The anonymous donor intended this campaign to raise people's spirits and lift them up in the face of serious challenges. Recession 101 isn't selling anything other than the American spirit.


Robb approached the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OOAA), seeking support for the campaign, known as Recession 101. OAAA members are donating space and materials to spread this campaign's positive message."

Credit to The Upbeat Sound, The Inspiration Room, Results and ROI and New York Magazine for the images.

Hey, That's Good!

Have you seen this month's issue of Good Magazine? Incredible! Truly inspiring. Every bit of artwork you see on this cover was made from cut paper. Check out the full story of how it was made here. And the issue itself is dedicated to the 100 most innovative and exciting people and projects that are changing our world. Worth a read!

Co-Working Open House

In September, we wrote about co-working - an emerging trend that has spread throughout the country. A co-working or collaborative space is basically an office that opens itself up to independent workers, offering low daily rates to work and have meetings, prepare for presentations and meet new people. After asking around and doing a little research of our own, we are now opening our space to anyone who is looking for a little spot to call their own in the New Haven area.

The amenities that go along with a co-working space at Elements include a bright, beautiful riverfront building with free on and off street parking, wireless access, copier/fax, B&W and color printers, kitchen, workroom, a spacious conference room to seat at least eight, reception area - heck, we even have a single cup coffee maker. (And, of course, wonderful company!)

Elements is hosting an open house this coming Monday, October 26 from 5 - 7 pm for anyone who would like to stop into our office and learn a little bit more about co-working and how it can work for you and your business. (We'll have tidbits and wine to share.) To RSVP or learn more, click here. Hope to see you there!

If you know of anyone looking for office space in New Haven, please feel free to tweet, share on Facebook, post on LinkedIn or email (all of which can be done from our EventBrite page).

Sunrise

Delightful Blogs

Elements has been accepted into Delightful Blogs. They are an "edited directory of 3200 blogs that are personal, passionate and stylish." We are in the Graphic: Design section. Check us out!

Good News Monday

Here at Elements, we got to thinking: couldn't everyone use some good news on Mondays? It just helps start the week off on the right foot. Having received some of our own this morning, we decided to have a theme to Monday posts that will relay positive stories, whether its philanthropic, happy or just plain old "Good News" (named after our quarterly Elements newsletter).

Well this Monday, our Good News is that connfluence, a new magazine by David Cushman (of conncreatives/form:substance) fame has launched, and Elements is featured in the premiere issue.



The issue focuses on Connecticut-based creative agencies and images made by their favorite photographers. (Our friend Derek Dudek snapped Amy's shot.)

It's wonderful to see why designers have chosen Connecticut as their place of residence, work and play and to see the variety of creative images that emerge as they capture their self-portraits.

Congratulations to Dave and the rest of the designers (many of whom are our friends). We're all for supporting the greater good (design). What an accomplishment!

Copyright 2009 David Cushman, All rights reserved.
Reprinted work is copyrighted by its individual creators.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Today is Blog Action Day!

Blog Action Day is an annual event – held on October 15th – in which bloggers from around the world unite to write about the same topic on the same day. When polled about this year's topic, the overwhelming answer was Climate Change.

Elements is committed to both ethical and environmentally-friendly business practices, whether we are turning off the air conditioning on a somewhat warm day or selecting post-consumer recycled paper for a client. Check out some of our past posts which show our interest in these topics by viewing the green category in our blog tags, or read the article Amy penned for the Hartford Business Journal on Taking Your Business Practices Beyond the Recycle Bin.

Meanwhile, around the globe, there are amazing posts being published on like-minded blogs. Here are just a few of our favorites:

Near and dear to my heart: How photographers can make a difference.

Fix the Climate, or the Kid Gets It.

5 Places to See Before Global Warming Destroys Them.

The Nature Conservancy: Why REDD Is Critical: Providing Incentives for Forest Protection.

The posts vary from detailed personal posts to this very generic post from the Prime Minister in the UK.

It is quite incredible to see over 9,000 bloggers uniting on such a timely and important issue our world is facing, and we're proud to do our part. Happy Blog Action Day!

Signs of Fall

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the sounds, smells, feel, tastes and colors of autumn. Here are few personal images from the season I love.

Addie's never a met a pumpkin she didn't want to kiss.

Mount Hope Bridge on a sunny day.

Lost in the corn fields.

Corn Maze at Escobar Farms.

Happy Jack-O-Lanterns.

Nearby Tweeps...and their Tweets!

Social media is all about sharing (well...that's one of the things it's all about, but we don't have time in this post to address ALL of those.)

So, Elements would like to share a neat little tool for finding folks in your area who are tweeting about particular topics. Nearby Tweets is a great resource for personal or business use, but we'll focus on business uses for now.

To use Nearby Tweets, simply enter an address, a keyword and a mile radius, and they'll do the rest - search results will yield both a list of local tweeps (Twitter people), their town or city and their recent tweets.

Now - how to use this information? Well, as Nearby Tweets points out, here are some ways to leverage this resource:

• Monitor buzz - What are people saying about your business/product/industry? Is there an opportunity to address concerns or, better yet, praise?
• Connect with customers - Who is talking about you? Do they have questions that you can answer? This is an opportunity unlike any other to engage fans and even foes. (Maybe you can turn that foe in to a fan.)
• Run/monitor Twitter promotions - Post specials, sales, discounts, giveaways or other promotions. Everyone likes to save (or win something)!
• Crisis management - If a problem comes along, monitor what locals are saying and squash rumors or address issues directly with the public.

What was once communicated in hallways and at the water cooler talk is now in the public arena - you just need the tools and know-how to capture this information and respond in a way that will benefit your business and allow you to connect and engage with your customers.

To learn more about new features and versions of Nearby Tweets, follow them on Twitter @nearbytweets.

[Image via TuxPlanet.fr]

AIGA Make/Think Conference

Graphic designer Stefan G. Bucher used this as his opening introduction at AIGA's Make/Think Conference this year to teach himself Adobe After Effects. Reason #99 in a long list of why I can't miss next year's Make/Think!

Real Change

Make Change is a campaign intended to empower everyone at every level to donate to the American Red Cross. Using the ubiquitous coin roll, a piece of paper, and repurposed it to demonstrate that even as little as 50 cents can make a difference.

The rolls themselves read: "$10 Quarters: feeds those who have nothing to eat"; "$5 Dimes: Shelters those who need it most"; "50¢ Immunizes men, women & children"; "$2 Nickels: Provides clean water to an entire village" with corresponding graphics.

{via: a design mafia}

The Fun Theory

“We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The Fun Theory."

Good Advice Sticks

Here at Elements, we love patterned packaging tape. Why use clear tape, when you can add some design to your package?

The Blanka Company asked several leading designers to share a piece of advice that had been given to them that had "stuck" with them, pun intended. These nuggets of wisdom were then printed in white onto clear tape. Makes me want to purchase it just to read what they say!

Co-Working and Co-Biking

Downtown Denver "freewheels" [Via PDX3525]

Elements has been in the collaborative spirit lately as we learn more about the new co-working trend (a gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space).

So, when we learned of a new program in the same spirit, we wanted to let our blog readers know all about it. Freewheelin, developed by Humana's Innovation Center, is all about collaboration. It's a unique bike sharing system that incorporates the ideals of health, environmental conservation and community. The embodiment of sustainability, Freewheelin allows you to track your bicycle usage so you know how your health and the environment benefits from your ride.

In Denver, Freewheelin works as follows: "There are seven bicycle stations around town where anyone 18 and older can pick up a helmet and bike after registering and providing a credit card (for identification). There are 1,000 bikes for loan to be used from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The bikes can be dropped off at any of the bike stations. Each is wired with a computerized odometer to keep track of miles covered." [ Via Denver Post, 8/2008]

We love the idea - it's good for your health, good for the environment and of course, sharing is good for the soul. This would totally work in New Haven - pick up your shared Freewheelin bike on the green and bike on over to your co-working space shared with a bunch of lively creative and enthusiastic folks - perfect! C'mon, New Haven. Freewheel with us!

As of this writing, Freewheelin has reduced the earth's carbon footprint by 1,899,793.3 metric tons.

Baby's Rock

This could get embarrassing when he's, say, 17?
{Thanks, Dana!}

Elements Goes Pink for October

Illustration by Mister Rob

You may have noticed a change in branding at our Elements website and Hello, Elements - well, it's no mistake. We are uniting with Pink for October, a blog bringing together website owners who are turning their sites pink in observance of this October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

October 2009 marks NBCAM's 25th anniversary, and as a women-owned business, Elements knows how important both awareness, prevention, fundraising and research is to eradicating this disease. All of us (as, sadly, most of you) have known a friend, family member or loved one afflicted with cancer of some sort. Amy's mother passed away from breast cancer when Amy was 11 years old (1979). Medicine and survivorship have come a long way since then, but we still dream of a cure.

There are many awareness and fundraising events happening throughout the country. Next Thursday, my friend Karin will be walking 60 miles over three days in the Washington, DC area - camping out at night - as part Breast Cancer 3-Day benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure with a goal of raising $3,000 individually and $10,000 with her team of three. Karin's grandmother "Oma" lost her battle with breast cancer in 2006. As of this writing, Karin is just $448 from her goal. Visit her 3-Day personal page to learn more.

Elements has also added a Twibbon (a Twitter ribbon) to our @elementsdesign, Facebook and LinkedIn avatars - we chose the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Twibbon in support of Karin - check it out and choose your cause today!