Posts tagged marketing

Choose Reality

I’m super excited to be working with The Climate Reality Project, the latest climate awareness effort by Al Gore. The campaign aims to “focus the world’s attention on the full truth, scope, scale and impact of the climate crisis. To remove the doubt. Reveal the deniers. And catalyze urgency around an issue that affects every one of us.”

Watch the video for the first event, 24 Hours of Reality, which the FearLess Cottage helped produce, along with the talented folks at Brooklyn film studio m ss ng p eces:

On September 14, there will be live streaming presentations from Al Gore and others all across the globe giving the latest information on what’s going on with all the dirty weather and political issues that are blocking action on climate change.

For the latest news and updates, follow The Climate Reality Project on Twitter and Facebook.

Thoughts on design

I was recently asked to give some thoughts on design. What kind of work I like to do, and what I like to see in other people’s work. This is part of what came out:

My goal as a designer is to create what I like to call meaningful brand connections. That can mean a lot of different things… A memorable experience. A story worth repeating. Alluring design. Efficient use of resources. Clear messaging. A sense of value for both the brand and their audience. Something that helps people, our health and our environment. Something that makes people smile. Or at least a positive feeling about a brand. The work I like usually has some combination of these elements. I’m a type and graphics geek, but cool looking design isn’t enough to win me over. It needs to have a purpose.

- Jeff Oeth

(Artwork by Brad Neely.)

Cities under water

New data confirms that sea level rise may reach six feet by the end of this century. Such a change would put many existing cities under water.

In the United States, parts of the East Coast and Gulf Coast would be hit hard. In New York, coastal flooding could become routine, with large parts of Queens and Brooklyn especially vulnerable. About 15 percent of the urbanized land in the Miami region could be inundated.

Whether you believe humans are causing it or not, the planet is heating up very quickly. Flooding is just one of the dramatic effects that will drive many Americans out of their homes.

(Image via this clever ad)

Bruce Mau: “Yes is more”

Designer Bruce Mau wrote an excellent piece on why the green movement has failed to inspire, and how designers can bring change to the world:

Think carrot, not stick. Seduction, not sacrifice. Yes!, not No! If we are to accomplish the objectives of the environmental movement—to create a culture that can exist in perpetuity and in harmony with the ecological systems that support us—we must re-imagine and redesign everything we do. But we must also do so in a way that allows people to experience beauty, exhilaration, love, pleasure, and delight without destroying our planet and its nature.

Smokey Bear

Happy birthday, Smokey Bear!

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the Smokey Bear campaign is one of the all-time greatest in cause marketing. As a kid, I named my favorite teddy bear after Smokey, and still today I can’t help but grin whenever I see his adorable-yet-authoritative image posted around the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Here’s a quick look back at Smokey’s life:

For over 65 years, Smokey Bear has been Public Enemy No. 1 for wildfires in the United States… On Aug. 9, 1944, he made his first public appearance, and Americans have been on the lookout for forest fires ever since.

Read more »