ESSENTIAL EVENT // Top Designers Compete In The Annual World Graphic Design Foosball Championship This Friday

This friday night some of the biggest names in graphic design will go head to head in fierce competition at the Art Directors Club, vying for the title of World Champion. No, this isn't a live design tournament—it's the 8th Annual World Graphic Design Foosball Championship. (For those wondering, yes, the logo is meant to be backwards.)

Presented by leading NYC design studios karlssonwilker inc. and the Office of Paul Sahre, the double elimination tournament will feature teams representing more than 50 different professional design organizations, including creative agencies like McGarryBowen and Big Spaceship, studios like Hoefler & Frere-Jones and AHL&CO, publishing companies such as HarperCollins and Penguin, and the design departments at Fortune Magazine and the Metropolitan Opera.

As you'd expect, the championship has a cool interactive website (click on any of the background images to unlock those features, but watch out—a couple parts are semi-NSFW).

Spectators are welcome at the tournament, which kicks off at 7pm this Friday, November 18, and there will be beer from Brooklyn Brewery. The winning team will pedal away with some awesome bikes from Puma.

For a taste of what to expect, hit the jump for a clip from the 2008 championship.

-- John Ruscher

'TIS THE SEASON // New Museum And MakerBot Team Up And Get In The Holiday Spirit

Photo from Bowery Boogie

A new window display recently popped up at the New Museum, and though it's definitely got a holiday theme, this isn't your typical nativity scene or artificial snow winter wonderland. Surrounding a pile of presents stacked in the shape of the museum are fluorescent aliens wearing Star Trek suits and Santa hats, riding atop a toy train and pulling Santa's sleigh in X-Wings.

The display comes from the folks at MakerBot, who teamed up with the New Museum last month to present the New Museum MakerBot Challenge, which invited designers to submit 3D designs that improve on existing design conventions. You can peruse some of the best entries on Thingiverse, and this Friday the winning design will be celebrated at the New Museum MakerBot Challenge launch party.

Usually we'd side with Nordstrom in waiting until after Thanksgiving to get in the holiday spirit, but we'll make an exception for something this awesome.

Check out more photos of the display on Bowery Boogie.

-- John Ruscher

GO HERE NOW // Unconsumption, Your Daily Dose Of Creative Reuse And Mindful Consumption

A few years ago author and journalist Rob Walker coined the term "unconsumption," first writing about it in his Times Magazine column:

Getting new stuff can feel really good. Most everybody knows that. Most everybody also knows — particularly in the aftermath of the consumption-frenzy holiday season — that utility can fade, pleasure can be fleeting and the whole thought-that-counts thing is especially ephemeral. Apart from the usual solution to this problem (more new stuff!), it's worth pondering whether getting rid of stuff can ever feel as good as getting it.

Half a decade later, that idea has blossomed into much more. The Unconsumption Tumblr blog is daily proof that, when you can find a new purpose or home for something, "getting rid" of it can indeed feel wonderful. And so can exploring the countless ways that people around the world reuse and repurpose things.

Walker and a handful of other contributors populate the Unconsumption Tumblr with inspiring examples of creative repurposing, recycling, upcycling, mindful consumption and more. They can be pretty much anything, from a world map made from recycled computer parts to Brooklyn's own Dekalb Market to a plan to recycle decommissioned satellites to resources like Hipcycle.com and ManualsOnline.com. A couple of our favs are the iMacquarium, an iMac repurposed as an aquarium and a chair made out of 10,000 plastic drinking straws.

In addition to its Tumblr, Unconsumption has a wiki, which provides helpful info and tips on the best way to get rid of things you don't want. Walker and company also recently started The Uncollection, which features recycled creations that incorporate Unconsumption's logo, from patches and earrings to dinner plates and stationery.

-- John Ruscher

MEMBER SHOW PROFILE // Get Comfy With Avgo, Michael Zick Doherty's Digitally Fabricated Chair

Avgo is not a typical chair. Nor is it a typical piece of woodwork, or a typical digital design.

Inspired by Ovalia, the iconic 1968 egg-shaped chair by Danish designer Henrik Thor-Larsen, 3rd Ward's Michael Zick Doherty and collaborator Nik Psaroudakis didn't use any screws and glue in their design for Avgo, opting instead for digitally fabricated slices that fit together like a puzzle. "It was designed entirely in a 3D modeling program and then converted by software into commands that are used to tell a CNC Router how to cut the forms out," Doherty says. "We also challenged ourselves to use the curves and angle of the joints to create a form that gave a strong sense of volumetric presence from 2D sliceforms. It was exhilarating to create such a complex form while playing to the limitations of the CNC machine we were using."

Avgo has been featured in the ITP Spring Show at NYU and on Core77, and you can see if for yourself this Friday, November 18 at the 3rd Ward Member Show.

Hit the jump to learn about some of Doherty's other awesome projects and check out some more photos of Avgo.

Avgo is just one of a wide range of amazing projects that Doherty's had a hand in, from the Open Hardware Scholarship-winning Bitponics to Windowfarms to some incredible innovations in mobile technology, and 3rd Ward has helped him both diversify and hone his skills. "I've always been a bit all over the place in terms of my craft," he says. "Being in some of the classes has really been great in forcing me to focus on learning a new skill in a set period of time. It's also just incredible to have all the resources at your fingertips. I'm always wishing I had more time to take advantage of what 3rd Ward has to offer. Teaching the interactive media class has been really amazing as well in that you really get to take a look at what you know from another perspective."

We probably don't have enough fingers to count all of the amazing things that Doherty has in the works, but he gave us a heads up on a couple of particularly exciting ones. "On the digital fabrication front myself and a couple partners will be launching something extra special that I can't say to much about yet, but if you're into creating the physical from the digital you should definitely follow @FabGuild on Twitter for our launch," he says. "I'm also doing research and development with a lab at EuroRSCG which is an agency in the city. My job is to come up project ideas that showcase new technologies. If you're interested in pushing the limits of technology, it's definitely worth checking out (http://madscience.eurorscg.com or @EuroNyMadSci)."

And now for more shots of Avgo:

-- John Ruscher

PROFILE + WORKSHOP // Friday Night: Learn To Make Mistakes With Laurie Rosenwald

"The only way to cure my hiccups is to offer me 20 bucks to hiccup again," says Laurie Rosenwald in a Communication Arts article about her How to Make Mistakes on Purpose workshop, which comes to 3rd Ward tomorrow night. (Reservation required as space is limited, so get on it.)

One of the main premises of Rosenwald's creative approach is that once you start trying, things can actually get a lot harder. "Instead of focusing on a problem to solve it, do something careless, pointless, opposite, random," she says. "Something that has nothing to do with what you're doing or wanting." 

Mistakes are good. That's another key Rosenwald-ism. "It can be a dot, a blog, an object, a word," she says. "The important thing is that the 'mistake' is not carefully chosen. It must be found, and not created with the intention to use it in any particular way."

Rosenwald's got some serious credentials under her belt, so hit the jump for more on why you won't want to miss this.

We can't tell you much about what goes on during a Mistakes on Purpose session, as Rosenwald asks participants to swear "omertà," the mafia code of silence. But, based on the places where she's taught the workshop (SVA, Google, Stockholm Design Lab and many more), it's clearly something of a big deal. Check our previous write-up to hear about the IKEA sheets too.

On her website Rosenwald describes herself as "the world's most commercial artist," and while there's some humorous hyperbole in that statement, she certainly has been commercially successful. Her illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times and New York and many other publications, and she's received lots of awards. Her animation work has nominated for an Emmy, and she designed the awesome typeface Loupot. She's even appeared in an episode of The Sopranos.

Rosenwald's not in it just for the money and fame, though. It's more about doing things that haven't been done before, and making things that haven't already been made. Some of those "things" include the award-winning children's book And to Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, the illustrated guidebook/sketchbook New York Notebook and All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem, an "inappropriate book for young ladies." 

She also recently collaborated with David Sedaris on David's Diary, an app featuring diary entries read by Sedaris and animated by Rosenwald herself. 

-- John Ruscher

GET ON BOARD // The Rainbow Parade Happening This Friday in DUMBO Wants YOU

 

The weather may be getting gradually colder and the city's hues may be looking a bit more drab, but this Friday, November 11, you can help make the streets a lot more colorful. All you have to do is dress monochromatically in the color of your choosing, head down to the Galapagos Art Space (16 Main Street) in DUMBO at 9:45am, and take part in "a short, action-packed Rainbow Parade."

The parade is happening in conjunction with the CreativeMornings breakfast lecture earlier in the morning at Galapagos, which is hosting Brooklyn's color-loving designer Jessi Arrington. You don't have to attend the lecture to be part of the parade, though. Just show up decked out in your favorite color! (If you are interested in the lecture, you'll have to get on the waitlist.)

For some inspiration and an idea of just how much Arrington lovers colors, here are a few fun facts:

• She spent an entire year studying the color pink.
• Her favorite color is rainbow.
• She's worked with the "Godfather of Graphic Design" (and I ♥ NY creator) Milton Glazer.
• After that she founded her own studio, WORKSHOP, which is based in DUMBO.
• She's given a TED Talk about wearing nothing new.

And for a little taste of the rainbow parade experience, hit the jump to check out a video of one that followed Arrington's talk at TEDxOrlando this past weekend.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // TEDxBrooklyn Speakers Announced, Tickets On Sale Thursday

This one's still a few weeks away, but tickets go on sale this Thursday and as avid fans of all things TED, we want to make sure you don't miss out.

On Friday, December 2nd, Brooklyn Bowl will host the second TEDxBrooklyn conference. The "x" means that it's an independently organized event granted a license by TED (short for Technology, Entertainment & Design), the world-renowned series of conferences centered around the slogan "ideas worth spreading."

The first TEDxBrooklyn took place last November at the Pratt Institute and featured speakers such as novelist and WNYC host Kurt Andersen, Fabien Cousteau (grandson of Jacques), NYC artist Swoon, and even Richard Saul Wurman, the architect and designer who founded TED back in 1984.

Organizers just announced this year's initial lineup, and we're excited to see that it's got something for everyone, from rooftop farming and aerial acrobats to some of NYC's coolest tech companies and cultural game-changers.

Check out the lineup after the jump, along with a couple video highlights from last year's conference. And remember: tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 10 at 1pm.

TEDxBrooklyn's initial 2011 lineup:

Susannah Drake :: Principal at dlandstudio pllc :: The future of landscape architecture

Blake Whitman :: VP, Creative Development at Vimeo :: Online video community builder extraordinaire

Viraj Puri :: Founder of Gotham Greens :: A rooftop farm in the heart of Brooklyn

Sean Meenan :: Founder of Habana Outpost :: Sustainable hacienda

Lisa Jamhoury and Dana Abrassart :: Independent Aerial Acrobats :: Creatively adorning Brooklyn's airspace, with original musical accompaniment by Philip Joseph Restine III

Jack Walsh :: Executive Producer at Celebrate Brooklyn! :: Legendary performance festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell, produced by BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn

Chad Dickerson :: CEO of Etsy :: The net’s most prosperous online flea market

Jonny Wilson :: Founder of Eclectic Method :: Audiovisual remix producer/DJ

Jullien Gordon :: Purpose Finder :: Innerview.me + 30 Day Do It

Jen Lyon :: Founder of Mean Red Productions :: Brooklyn’s risk-taking event production

Farai Chideya :: Author/Public Radio Host :: Award winning writer & media personality

Laurie Cumbo :: Founder and Executive Director of MoCADA :: Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art

Ruth Ozeki :: Author/Filmmaker :: Ordained Zen minister to kick off the event

Paul Steely White :: Executive Director at Transportation Alternatives :: Reclaiming NYC streets

Eugene Mirman :: Comedian :: Smartest funny man in Brooklyn

-- John Ruscher

CALL FOR CONTENT // 3W Web Design Teacher Looking For Model Content For New Book

Feel like having your work published and distributed around the world? Listen up:

3rd Ward's Web Design teacher David Karlins is the author of dozens of popular graphic and web design books--from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Macromedia Flash 5 to Illustrator CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques. He's obviously got a knack for explaining things clearly and concisely, but that's even easier to do with some great examples. Karlins is currently looking for "model content" to help illustrate different techniques in his upcoming Web Design For Dummies book.

Specifically? The content can be pretty much anything; craftwork, services, portfolios, product lines, performances, causes and so on—you just have to be willing to see it reframed, presented in different ways and truncated. Karlins promises though that he'll do his best to respect your work.

Check out the image above for an example of how your work might appear--that's Danish jeweler Eric Geist as featured in one of Karlins' most recent books, Adobe Creative Suite 5 Web Premium How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques.

Interested? Get in touch ASAP with David Karlins at dkarlins@davidkarlins.com.

ROBOT HEART STORIES // Designers And Illustrators: Tap Into Your Inner Child

Illustrators and designers: Want to bring a child's imagination to life? If so, check out Robot Heart Stories, an exciting experiential learning project that brings together visual artists with 40 fifth-grade students from Montreal and Los Angeles.

Conceived by filmmaker, storyteller and experience designer Lance Weiler and creative producer Janine Saunders, Robot Heart Stories centers around a robot who's crash landed in Montreal and needs to reach Los Angeles to catch a rocket back to her home planet. The students are responsible for the storyline, using their imaginations to chart the robot's journey across North America. The designers get to depict those stories using photographs taken by the project's organizers at different places along the robot's path.

If you'd like to take part, all you have to do is pick one of the students' stories, download the associated photo, create a design inspired by the story and upload your final creation. For more details check out the FAQ. You've got until November 17 to submit your work.

Your submission will be featured on the Robot Heart Stories website and considered for a coffee table book, with all proceeds going to creative writing programs in public schools.

OK, now get cracking on those designs.

Because, really, how can anyone turn down this little guy to the right?

-- John Ruscher

MEMBER PROFILE // Design Team We Less Than Three Balances Big-Name Clients and a Small-Company Ethos

We Less Than Three's cleverness is apparent right off the bat: Their logo condenses to "We <3," lending itself to a myriad of creative uses. The Brooklyn-based, two-person firm is indeed a labor of love for 3rd Ward members, Andy Gillette and Ashley Quinn.

The pair had been living in Los Angeles, where Andy worked as an art director for HBO while Ashley worked for an architecture firm. Both grew tired of being lost inside big corporations (along with Andy loathing L.A.) so they packed up and moved cross country.

According to Ashley, they attended one of 3rd Ward's Movie Nights shortly after moving here and fell in love with the space almost instantly. The timing was right as their business was already underway.

Part of what distinguishes them from other design firms is a heavier focus on technology. Andy manages the programming for both the sites and apps they build, making We Less Than Three a full-service shop.

"We're really friendly and personable. We communicate a lot with our clients. We'll take on projects with a lower budget if we think it's a really cool project," Andy tells us. Their clients include producer Tom Schick, digital collage "Une Semaine du Google" and Social Bicycles, whose bike-finding GPS app the pair's especially excited about. 

"They're a bike-share program that was actually one of the two finalists for the citywide contract," says Andy. "The app is really cool: You can locate bikes and lock and unlock them."

Screenshots of Sobi; the bike-locating/unlocking app

One of We Less Than Three's underlying threads? "We've been thinking a lot about how the internet can interact with the physical world," says Andy. So far, the public response to the pair's work has been so postive, the firm's had to turn down a number of potential clients. "People have an idea that you're auditioning for the client, but that's not always the case. The client has to be a fit for us."

Some may find it crazy to turn down work in this econonmy, but to Ashley and Andy, it's vital that they remain relatively small. And if you ask us, these two are going to do just fine.

--Layla Schlack