GOOD magazine recently published a glossary on social design which includes mentions of two Worldstudio initiatives, Design Ignites Change and the School of Visual Arts summer program, Impact! along with Worldstudio principal, Mark Randall.

For over 15 years, Worldstudio has collaborated with choreographer Sean Curran and the Sean Curran Company. Recently, Worldstudio principal Mark Randall designed projections for an evening length work created by Curran in collaboration with the world-renowned a capella group The King’s Singers.

Six members of The King’s Singers provide vocals, while six dancers articulate Curran’s physical and conceptual exploration of landscape, horizon and time. One of the world’s most celebrated ensembles, The King’s Singers won a Grammy in 2009, while The Los Angeles Times proclaimed, “There’s no fresher, more invigorating new American dance now than the choreography of Seán Curran.”

The King’s Singers perform work from a wide range of composers including, Jean Sibelius, John McCabe and Joby Talbot and Zoltan Kodály. The beautiful lighting design is by Joe Doran.

For the projections, Randall designed a 4.5 x 30′ horizontal screen that hangs above the performance space. Abstract imagery and text supports the movement and music on stage.

Travel Songs had it’s world premiere at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center, University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana on November 9, 2012. Most recently the piece was performed at the University of Florida, Gainesville in February. Additional performance dates are being planned for the US and Europe.

An online series hosted by Worldstudio principal Mark Randall, in conversation with business leaders, creative professionals and influencers working in the area of social change. Click here to learn more ».

Mark Randall, principal of Worldstudio, was recently profiled in an article on Fast Company’s Co.Exist. This article is part of Catchafire and Co.Exist’s Generosity series, as Mark was named one of the 11 Most Generous Designers.  Read the article »

Worldstudio developed the brand identity, packaging and website for zakti, a company that specializes in selling fine loose leaf teas from around the world. Their teas are sourced from small, family owned farms as well as larger plantations that have been perfecting the art of growing tea for generations. Each batch is labeled with the harvest date and location to help the consumer appreciate the natural variations and nuanced flavors of tea, which change from season to season and from region to region.

In developing the brand for zakti, Worldstudio worked closely with the founders to create an identity that is expressive of their vision. In the Sanskrit language, zakti translates to positive energy. In addition to building an e-commerce website, Worldstudio developed a cost effective packaging system that is easy to update and print in-house as the small-batch specialty teas arrive.

The founders of the company are dedicated to supporting the communities where they purchase and sell tea. They focus on the principles of sustainable development: building and maintaining positive relationships; ensuring ecologically sound practices; and achieving a profit that generates a fair income for themselves, the communities where they do business and their employees. Just the type of company Worldstudio is fortunate to work with.

Worldstudio is honored to be included on the Public Interest Design 100 list, representing one-hundred people and teams working at the intersection of design and service. (check us out under under R for principal, Mark Randall, #83). The list was curated by John Cary founding editor of PublicInterestDesign.org in collaboration with infographic designer, Megan Jett.

According to the introduction “This inaugural “Public Interest Design 100″ list seeks to honor many of the diverse, passionate people at this intersection of design and service. It is a collective portrait of the future of a groundbreaking movement. Together, they are re-imagining the world.”

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The Design Activist’s Handbook, a fantastic book on socially conscious graphic design, was recently released. Worldstudio is honored to be represented in its pages, but even if we weren’t, we would definitely recommend this action-oriented design publication by Noah Scalin and Michelle Taute.

The Design Activist’s Handbook is simultaneously thoughtful and accessible, which is a tricky combination to achieve—particularly when broaching the complexities of how to instigate social change. It gives very practical ideas for actionable steps while also addressing the importance of ethics in social design practice. As the authors explain in the introduction:

… we’ll take you through a process for defining your own professional ethics as a designer and using those guidelines to make the right choices for you. You’ll also find stories and ideas from dozens of design activists that show you what a socially conscious design career actually looks like.

And flipping to page 48 will bring you to a profile of Mark Randall, “Design Rebel” and Worldstudio principal. In this interview, Randall gives details about we are able to do both business and good.

In addition to the Handbook, we are also honored to be mentioned in some other books published earlier this year. Just Design: Socially Conscious Design for Critical Causes, by Christopher Simmons, highlights Design Ignites Change, the Urban Forest Project and a Create! Don’t Hate project. Common Interest: Documents, by Emmi Salonen, showcases work for our client, the Fashion Center Business Improvement District. Additionally, the Design Ignites Change projects Pecans!, A Book by its Cover and Es Tiempo are featured in Andrew Shea’s new book, Designing for Social Change.

We are happy to be recognized for our work in the social design field, but mostly we are delighted to see an influx of published critical thought on how this work is done and look forward to even more knowledge to inform activist designers.

Jonathan Torres mentors high school students in a YMCA Youth Institute. Ajani Takahashi Lofton strives to fight against selfishness and prejudice. These are just two examples of college students studying art and design in the United States who also demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and have been awarded Worldstudio AIGA 2012 Scholarships.

The scholarship program’s primary aims are to increase diversity in the creative professions and to foster an ethic of social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow. To this end, scholarship recipients were selected not only for their ability and need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to giving back to the larger community through their work.

“Creativity has enormous potential for social change,” says Worldstudio principal Mark Randall. “These are the artists and designers of tomorrow who will make a difference in their communities.”

AIGA Executive Director Richard Grefé added, “Worldstudio AIGA scholarships reflect an appreciation for the extraordinary potential of the creative mind and the true value of joining excellence and diversity in the interest of social and environmental improvement. We are delighted to be able to recognize the potential of these young designers to achieve all these aspirations.”

Since 1995, AIGA and Worldstudio have awarded more than $900,000 to minority and economically disadvantaged college students who are studying fine art, graphic design, illustration, interactive design or photography. Each year, more than 500 students apply for these scholarships, with 20 or 30 students ultimately receiving tuition grants.

Artwork from top to bottom: Jonathan Torres, Junior, California State University of Long Beach - Christian Hincapie, Senior, Cooper Union - Timothy Foley, Freshman, State University of New York New Paltz - Olivia Kilgore, Freshman, Reed College.

The students’ work and personal essays are on display at www.aiga.org/2012-2013-Worldstudio-AIGA-Scholarship-Winners/.

Hometown hero, Harlem Globetrotter Larry “Gator” Rivers, returned to Savannah three years ago and teamed up with an old friend, Dr. Mildred McClain, a leader in environmental justice and executive director of Harambee House. Together they are launching Harambee Farms a series of community gardens throughout Savannah to provide neighborhoods with fresh, organic produce and much needed jobs for young people.

Savannah has some of the highest obesity rates in the country, to raise awareness of the gardens and promote fitness, Gator is forming a youth basketball team called the Harambee Globecroppers. In addition to working in the gardens, the Globecroppers will put on Globetrotter-style basketball games in schools and public venues to promote heathy eating and the importance of exercise.

As part of the innovative Design Ethos conference – conceived by Scott Boylston and hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design – a “DO-ference” convened six teams in a three-day intensive worksop composed of creative professionals and college students. Each team strategized ways to empower assets existing along Waters Avenue, an underserved yet vibrant area of Savannah.

Mark Randall of Worldstudio and Noah Scalin of Another Limited Rebellion, lead a team of passionate and talented design students to address some of the challenges faced by Harambee Farms. The team identified three areas to focus on: funding, farm operations and systems as well as communications which included: awareness, recruitment and education.

Results from the three day intensive were compiled into a document for Harambee Farms to use during this early phase of their development. In addition, the team created simple graphic elements that can be used to immediately brand the organization and raise awareness. A local design studio has been recruited to donate up to 60 hours of their services to help Harambee Farms prioritize and implement the group’s recommendations. The hard work of the team was rewarded by the deeply emotional response from members of Harambee Farms.

The team consisted of students; Marco Amaya, Medini Cardenas, Carlos Estrada, Michael Kress, Tiffany Lindeborn, Annie Masincupp, Danielle Raynal, Rebeca de la Torre, Carla Paola Torres, and professionals: Mark Randall, Worldstudio, Noah Scalin, ALR and Cameron Tonkinwise, Parsons the New School for Design.

All photos: Tiffany Lindeborn

On the first day of the workshop, the team visited Saint Pius X one of the Harambee Farms locations and explored the Waters Avenue neighborhood.

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The group worked diligently over three full days. To close the Design Ethos conference each of the six teams formally presented the results of their efforts.

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Simple graphic elements included; produce stickers, garden signage and laser-cut stencils in a variety of sizes. In addition, discarded election-year yard signs can be put to good use – promoting Harambee Farms.

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Gator inspired the group not only with his caring, energy and enthusiasm but his magnificent talents with a basketball.

]]> http://blog.worldstudioinc.com/gardening-basketball-health-fitness/feed/ 0 http://blog.worldstudioinc.com/dicexhibit/ http://blog.worldstudioinc.com/dicexhibit/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:09:52 +0000 admin http://blog.worldstudioinc.com/?p=1982 In February, East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania showcased an exhibit of student work and videos from Worldstudio’s Design Ignites Change program. In conjunction with the exhibition, Mark Randall lead a social design workshop for advance communication design students and gave a lecture to the school.