I worked with Rainforest Action Network to produce a short video introducing the dangers of mountaintop removal coal mining to the public. We were fortunate to get an excellent voiceover from Susan Sarandon, as well great footage from iLoveMountains.org, a regional anti-MTR group with talented and dedicated videographers.
I served as director, editor and animator on the project.
Producers: Nell Greenberg and Jonathan McIntosh Videography: iLoveMountains.org Voiceover: Susan Sarandon
Project:eARTh – 350.org
Behind-the-scenes video and interviews from Icelandic news program Kastljós.
eARTh (Earth Art) is the world's first satellite-based art project. Designed to spread awareness about climate change, people formed massive images that were photographed from satellites in orbit. I coordinated with artists in several of the locations, most notably on the Langjökull Glacier in Iceland (pictured above) and in Brighton, England (pictured below).
For Iceland, I designed the image, planned out its dimensions, and created a gridded plan for organizers to follow in order to reproduce the image accurately on a large scale.
TOP: Brighton, England. BOTTOM LEFT: Cover art of Thom Yorke's album, "The Eraser" BOTTOM RIGHT: Diagram overlaying adapted cover art on satellite image of Brighton Beach.
In Brighton the challenge was similar, but with a twist: Instead of designing an image from scratch, I was adapting the cover art from the 2006 album "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke, who partnered with us on the project. The image, originally by Stanley Donwood, depicts the story of King Canute in which he futilely attempts to hold back the tide of the ocean.
Adapting the image was a challenge. Stay too close to the original and the image would be unrecognizable, not to mention a logistical nightmare to create with thousands of people. If I simplified the image too much I'd lose the amazing Gorey-esque character that makes it interesting in the first place.
On the day, organizers had to do some last-minute resizing due to low turnout (the clouds and waves ended up shrinking a little), but overall the execution was top-notch. Special thanks to Heidi Quante for organizing the event.
In early 2011, 350.org campaigned against the outrageous subsidies that the fossil fuel industry receives. At the same time, there was lots of debate in the media (spurred on by the Tea Party) about the merits of offshore drilling. I researched, wrote and designed this infographic to explain why neither offshore drilling nor oil subsidies will lower the cost of gas.
Research uncovered lots of good information, but it was difficult to weave it all together in a way that was coherent and compelling. I went with a modified flowchart format (a "faux"-chart, if you will), which allowed me to weave a larger narrative, while still giving each chunk of information space to stand on its own.
Given that the subject matter was relatively dry, I made a conscious effort to keep the tone of the infographic informal, incorporating playful elements, like the winding arrows and the bright colors, to go along with the slightly cheeky copy.
Project:greendesignlibrary.com – Green Design Library
The creator of Green Design Libary, Adele Peters (former manager of the Sustainable Products and Solutions program at the University of California, Berkeley) approached me with an idea: Create a place where industrial designers can find the latest sustainably-designed products.
We worked together to develop the site from a concept to the final product. The site is designed to encourage browsing, helping people dive right into the library of gorgeously-designed sustainable products right from the front page.
350.org's Workshops are about teaching on-the-ground skills and tactics for effective grassroots organizing. I designed this custom display typeface for the materials used in those workshops.
Project:Vegan Challenge! – Personal
Vegan Challenge was an experiment between my friend Denise and I. I'm a vegetarian and she's an occasional meat-eater, but we were both curious about what it would be like to go totally vegan. We decided to give it a shot—one month with no animal products whatsoever. To document the experience, I designed and built a blog where we could write about and compare our experiences, and share it with our friends.
Despite the seemingly innocuous name, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the most radical groups in the country, blocking action on a wide variety of progressive causes. With 350.org, I developed the branding, website and materials for a campaign to rally small business owners against the Chamber.
Chamber history infographic.
The design heavliy references the visual language of American small business. Desaturated reds, blues, and greys create a subtle Americana feeling, while a combination of typefaces from Hoefler & Frere Jones (Leviathan, Vitesse and Gotham Condensed) act as a modern equivalent of vintage storefront signage.
Materials for the campaign included a window cling (pictured above) that local businesses could post in their storefronts and an infographic explaining the long and sordid history of the Chamber (pictured below).
