Swell Creative
Design & Flotsam
We just adopted our first nerdbot. His name is Swift and he rules the roost here in the Swell studios!
Summa, summa, summatime!
We for one, are stoked fall is just around the corner. But let’s linger on summer just a bit longer, shall we?
With the end of summer gaining on us, we can’t help but be excited about the autumn season. We’re lucky enough to live in Colorado where Aspens turn so bright they burn your retinas and the fishing gets so good it’s like, well, shooting fish in a barrel. (At what bizarre county fair did that ever happen by the way?) But before we go putting our Rainbow sandals away for the year, we thought we’d take stock in our summer and highlight some of our favorite moments.
50 reasons, in no particular order, Summer 2009 has been wicked awesome:
• 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival
• David Byrne at the aforementioned TBF
• The Ace Hotel Palm Springs
• Fly Fishing the crystal waters of our beloved state
• Our new Jetta Sportwagen
• Riding our bike instead of driving our new wagon
• Walks on Crystal Cove Beach
• Floating the Ruby Horsethief with college buddies
• BBQ’d salmon from Four Corners Cafe
• Art Day with Sam Pagni AKA Sarah Goldfarb
• Kings of Leon at Red Rocks
• 4th of July fireworks at La Jolla Cove
• Camping in the Black Canyon
• Sola Salons photo shoot in Dallas
• Chef’s Tasting Menu at Abacus, Dallas
• Leinenkugel on Detroit Lakes, Minnesoooota
• Pallisade Peaches
• Creating the Denver Biscuit Co. identity
• BBQing in style at Melissa’s
• Horseshoe tournaments
• Ridgway’s Pickin’ in the Park
• Denver Kids, Inc. Empowering Our Tomorrow Breakfast
• Top Chef Masters
• June rain / July sun
• Pinot Noir
• The economy
• Sirius/XM Radios’ XMU
• Our new Mac Book Pro
• The re-popularization of jean shorts
• Harry Potter
• Late sunsets
• Sunsets
• Shoes without socks
• Asparagus
• The color green
• Colorado Boy Brewery
• Hopper/dropper Copper John combo
• Kate’s Place
• Adult Sno Cones
• American Apparel 50/25/25 T-shirts
• Dinner at Root Down with great company
• Maker’s Mark with a twist
• Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion
• East Fork, Cimaron Mountain Range
• California Mexican Food
• Thunder storms
• Deals on winter gear
What made your personal Summer 2009 Hotness list?
Greener, Smarter, Better Looking-er
Environmentally Conscious Design That Doesn’t Require You to Wear Hemp Sandals (unless you work at Toms Shoes, in which case it may be required)
Whether for profit or pure do-gooding, companies large and small are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon. Whatever their reasoning, selfish or selfless, us global citizens stand to reap bi-product benefits both environmentally and aesthetically. For many companies, green design and social responsibility is no longer being looked at as a necessary inconvenience, but rather as a platform their business can position themselves on. To celebrate this shift in the global consciousness, we’ve compiled a list of five of our favorite companies leading the way with responsible design. So pull up your favorite yoga exercise ball cum ergonomic desk chair, grab a handful of your favorite organic granola, and enjoy.
Pangea Organics - Using 100% biodegradable, all-natural, organic plant ingredients, Boulder-based Pangea Organics is a full line of ecocentric bodycare products. Heavy hitters, IDEO, who created their brand identity and packaging, used Pangea’s sustainability platform as jumping point to design their eco-conscious packaging. The 35 product line’s packaging utilizes compostable and/or fully recyclable materials, as well as screen printed labels which eliminate the need for harmful glues traditional labels require. Additionally they donate 25% of their profits to sustainability research and education. Despite being made of all natural plant materials, it doesn’t taste very good. Trust us on that one.
Support them and look good doin’ it: www.pangeaorganics.com
Good Magazine - Sold wherever smart people hang out, GOOD is quarterly magazine that encourages and inspires conscious readers to band together and “give a damn.” With articles running the gamut on subject matter, GOOD delights readers with insightful thoughts on everything from politics and the arts, to the cultural zeitgeist at large. Balancing the sometimes heavy subject matter with an optimistic point-of-view, smartly designed layouts, photography and illustration, the editors keep the magazine accessible without losing it’s decidedly smart edge. Carolyn O’Hara says the editors “want to reshape national discourse. There’s just no reason not to do it in style.” Amen.
Printed on recycled paper, the magazine has an earthy, yet upscale feel. With a predilection for good design, the editors make sure each edition will captivate those of us with the most discriminating of taste. And we’re not the only ones who think so. GOOD was awarded a People’s Design Award by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
You choose whether you’d rather pay $10, $20 or $50 for a subscription, with 100% of that going entirely to the non-profit of your choice. Get your GOOD on.
Read it, love it, support it: www.good.is
Toms Shoes - Want to look like a BoHo chic surfer dude or dudette while still giving back? Well then Toms has the shoe for you. Also awarded a People’s Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, Toms creates funky, casual shoes designed for summer living. For every pair purchased from the company, they will give a pair to a needy child in a developing country.
Made from renewable resources and recycled materials, the espadrille style shoes are completely vegan and have a low impact on the environment. We rock ‘em while cruisin’ the beach or the studio. Comfy, cool and caring.
Learn more: www.tomsshoes.com
Whole Foods Market - How much do you love going to Whole Foods Market? It’s like a field trip for us organic junkies. Aside from the tasty samples and cute hippie chicks, they have such a great design aesthetic. From cool recycled plywood signage to compostable containers, Whole Foods Market understands the value of good design. Their newly designed private label packaging utilizes recycled and compostable packaging and looks way cool. We were there the other day playing I Spy for the new designs.
Their commitment for sustainability is hard to match. Not only do they seek to offset their impact on our globe, but also to educate the community on ways to improve their quality of life now and for the future by introducing them to many sustainable initiatives. One of the central ideals of the sustainability movement is locality. Buying locally made/farmed materials and foods is one of the easiest ways to make a big impact on our globe. Whole Foods Market is so dedicated to this idea, they created the Local Producer Loan Program, providing up to $10 million in low-interest loans to small, local producers. In doing this they are able to help out the farmers and producers, help out the local economies and help out good ol’ Mother Nature. Kudos y’all.
Check out the long list of ecological commitments on their website: www.wholefoodsmarket.com
Mrs. Meyers Clean Day - Using biodegradable ingredients and easily recyclable packaging, Mrs. Meyer’s is committed to the health of the planet. We use the stuff and can’t get enough of it. As Thelma A. Meyer says it “works like the dickens on dirt.” We couldn’t agree more. And as the label suggests, it smells like heaven in a bottle. This is one of those designs we wish we had done. Vintage inspired and infused with lots of fun, we give these guys an A+.
Be the envy of all your neighbors, get some for your self: www.mrsmeyers.com
Finnish designer and illustrator Maija Louekari must be a really happy person. How could you be sad and still create such crazy happy work? In 2003 she won a contest staged by the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and Marimekko (the ubiquitous Finnish textile designer). Since then she’s continued creating her playful designs for Marimekko, as well as a host of other stuff I wish I was doing.
Check out an interview of her on Marimekko’s site. She even looks a little bit like one of her designs.
Rex Ray, Paper God
Went to T Gallery and MCA here in Denver this weekend to check out the Rex Ray dual exhibit. It was an inspirational feast for the eyes. What an incredible artist and innovator. We want to be like him when we grow up. Please excuse the poor quality, clandestine iPhone photo. It’s 2 panels of a 5 panel piece. In total it must be 40-50 feet wide by 13-15 feet high. He even created custom wallpaper to dress the entire wall behind it. Truly beautiful. See more
Alexander Girard
Recently our favorite vintage design enthusiasts over at Grain Edit interviewed Andy Cruz (Co-owner and art director) of House Industries about their decision and process of re-releasing lots of incredible works by Alexander Girard. It’s a great article with lots of great imagery from the career of Girard. Read it here
When did airlines get so boring? Bring back color!
Zacaroni and cheese.
