The banners were turned into totebags by Urban Samaritan

Every year the Union Square Partnership installs new banners for the winter/holiday season to promote the district surrounding Union Square Park. Worldstudio works with the USP throughout the year on a wide variety of materials from event collateral for Summer in the Square and Harvest in the Square to promotional coupon books to email campaigns.

For the past several years when the winter banners are taken down, instead of being disposed of, they are repurposed into totebags and given away at the following years’ annual USP holiday party. The bags are made by Urban Samaritan, a local nonprofit that uses the proceeds from the up-cycled products to support homeless and in-need citizens in New York.

The bright colors and large typographic messages from the 2010 banners made eye-catching totebags that we are proud to carry!

Union Square Partnership 2010 holiday banner designs

Notre Dame is one of only 115 institutions of higher education recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a leader in community engagement. Worldstudio is working with Notre Dame to strategize, coordinate and communicate its robust outreach efforts which, over many years, have grown organically from its Catholic identity and generate from many areas of the University.

Worldstudio launched the project by reviewing past research, current activities and messaging, followed by a series of focus groups and interviews with external and internal stakeholders. This led to a series of conclusions and recommendations that are currently under consideration by the University.

On Thursday, September 22nd, over 1,200 foodies attended the 16th annual Harvest in the Square. Featuring more than 50 restaurants and 40 wineries, Union Square Partnership raised $326,000 to benefit Union Square Park.

This was the second year Worldstudio developed the theme and did the event graphics for Harvest in the Square. The approach for 2011 drew inspiration from vintage fruit crate labels. The illustrator, Jon Lund, was hired to help realize our vision of the park pavillion as an iconic monument with apples representing New York, and the local food and grapes, representing the wine. With these elements in hand we designed everything from lightpole banners, postcards, invitations and email campaigns to promote the event and tshirts, signage in the event tent and actual crate labels for the day of festivities.

We were flattered to receive several beaming emails from our clients after the event, “Thanks for coming up with such a great concept, I wanted to make use of the Pavilion in a meaningful way and your concept was beyond what I had hoped for.” / “I hope your ears were ringing because guests were raving to me about the graphic design work this year.”

It was a great event and we were happy to help make Harvest in the Square such a success for the second year in a row!

The identity is built from a suite of icons that form the four main areas the program addresses: Healthy Homes, Water, Energy and Recycling.

Enterprise is a leading provider of the development capital and expertise it takes to create decent, affordable homes and rebuild communities. Their Green Communities‘ initiatives provides funds and expertise to enable developers to build and rehabilitate homes that are healthier, more energy efficient and better for the environment – without compromising affordability. Enterprise is the nationwide leader in the area of green affordable housing and has made it a mandate that nearly all of their homes will comply to green standards by 2015.

To initiate the project Worldstudio developed a “Green & Healthy” umbrella brand with applications for manuals, PowerPoint presentations, training materials and collateral. In addition, Worldstudio is offering strategic planning and content development for various aspects of this comprehensive program. The goal is to make affordable housing not only healthy and green but to engender a sustainable sense of community among the developers, management staff and residents.

Manuals and training materials are aimed at developers, staff and residents.

PowerPoint presentations are used in workshops for developers, staff and residents.

left: Posters in a number of languages engage residents to participate in an energy study. right: The Green Leader Icon, a symbol for an initiative initially conceived by students in Worldstudio's Impact! Design for Social Change program. The Be A Green Leader initiative engages residents in green and healthy workshops and engenders a sense of community within the building.

Worldstudio partner, Andréa Pellegrino, recently accepted an invitation to join Icograda’s Executive Board (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) as a co-opted board member. Andrea’s experience in building strategic alliances, association marketing and developing socially responsible strategies and programming are of particular relevance to Icograda future direction and projects.

President Russell Kennedy welcomed her and observed that, “Andréa brings a wealth of experience in fostering strategic alliances and demonstrating the value of design, skills we anticipate will enable new initiatives and growth for Icograda.”

The team from San Francisco gathers to review images

“At the beginning of this project, I found myself living under a bridge with the homeless for a couple weeks,” says Chris Mumma a photography student from Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

For a photography assignment Chris was searching for people who were looking to overcome their current predicament and were working hard to get off the streets. Chris, along with 38 college photography students from 12 cities in the US, UK and Canada, were participating in Answering Adversity – a mentoring program run by the Young Photographer’s Alliance under the guidance of Worldstudio.

“It was slow going. It soon became clear to me that I couldn’t just wait for a success story to fall into my lap,” says Chris. So, he turned his camera on those living at St. Vincent Haven, a homeless shelter in Newark, Ohio. The shelter offers services that are geared towards motivating its twenty-four residents toward long-term independent living. During four weeks photographing at the shelter, he came to understand the challenges faced by the mostly unemployed residents.

It is required that every resident apply for at least five jobs a week. During Chris’ time at the shelter a third of the residents had found employment. With the jobless rate in the US over 9%, finding a job is especially difficult, underscoring their perseverance. Chris’ beautiful black and white images captured intimate moments as the residents went about their daily lives at St. Vincent Haven. The photographs are contemplative and thoughtful, not only exposing the quiet dignity of the residents, but also illuminating some of their darker struggles.

Chris Mumma spent weeks photographing the residents of St. Vincent Haven, a homeless shelter in Newark, Ohio.

The world is facing economic hardship not seen since the Great Depression. Unemployment, home foreclosures, loss of savings and retirement are leaving communities, businesses, families and individuals faced with tough choices. Reminiscent of the WPA and FSA photographs commissioned by the US government during the Great Depression to record the lives of everyday Americans, Answering Adversity sent teams of college level student photographers and their mentors into the field to photograph stories of innovation, determination and courage during hard times.

Young Photographers Alliance, the non-profit organization that produced Answering Adversity, provides encouragement and assistance to young photographers entering the field, through a project that explores the power of photography to communicate, document and inspire. Talented college students and recent graduates are partnered with leading photographers who act as mentors to collaborate on a photo essay around a compelling social theme.

The students participating in Answering Adversity, were mentored by 12 professional photographers over the summer of 2010. Olmo Reverter Fernandez, a student at the University of Westminster, created a series of diptychs that contrast aspects of everyday life in London as seen from the perspective of the most and least advantaged. In his work Olmo aims to humorously highlight divisions in wealth in the growing social divide.

Olmo Reverter Fernandez created a series of diptychs that contrast aspects of everyday life seen from the perspective of the most and least advantaged in the UK.

Michael Conti, a student from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester NY, shot a portrait of Mike Bailey who was living on the picket line in front of the Mott’s canning factory where he was laid off. Michael’s photojournalistic approach covered Mike’s 5:00 am shift on the picket line, along with sleepless nights in his tattered tent in front of the Mott’s factory.

To Bonnie Rae Mills, a student from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, her mentor in life and hero has always been her mother. As a reflection of this, Bonnie created a series of startling black and white portraits of Debi La Bell and her family who are struggling to make ends meet. The piercing images, shot against a black background, communicate strength, stress and perseverance, all for the sake of love.

Bonnie Rae Mills shot portraits of a mother and her family, "An ordinary person, dealing with extraordinary challenges – and sticking it out."

Yasmin Alichav, a former chef now studying photography at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, speaking about her experience says, “It was amazing to be able to concept and execute a creative project about a subject that is really close to my heart and bring attention to a great group.” Yasmin worked with Food Not Bombs, an organization that shares vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities around the world. In California alone, there are over 61 groups that use the movement to protest war, poverty and the destruction of the environment. “In addition to taking photographs, I was able to dedicate time to volunteering for my favorite organization. I didn’t want to just shoot, I wanted to participate,” she said.

“I believe that passion always shows in a photographers work, and clearly it did with hers,” says Edie Tobias, Yasmin’s mentor, a professional photographer who is currently the Vice President of Media Products at Corbis, one of the largest stock photo agencies in the world. “It was intimidating to Yasmin at first to approach complete strangers – homeless strangers no less – to ask if she could photograph them. Once she crossed that hurdle and became comfortable, she really soared,” says Edie. “She has a great eye and visual aesthetic. Her love for the craft, and passion for the cause, are clearly depicted in her very strong work.”

Yasmin’s rich color images capture the hustle and bustle of the volunteers and recipients in action. Detail shots – such as one of magenta saturated beets – communicate the honesty and integrity of the food and the efforts around preparation and serving.

Yasmin Alishav photographed the volunteers of Food Not Bombs who cook meals for the hungry and homeless.

A goal of the program is to stimulate social awareness and to give emerging photographers the ability to work with successful professionals to fine tune their craft, create images for their portfolios, develop business and skills, and explore markets for their work.

“I feel I gained a lifelong friendship with Edie, a successful, intelligent and resplendent example of a kind and caring mentor,” says Yasmin. “She gave us so much encouragement and help and continues to meet with us and believe in our abilities as photographers.”

The photography community is facing tough challenges. The glut of talent, the decline in the market value of photography in real dollar terms, along with the very limited prospects of actually making a successful, financially viable career, make photography a difficult profession to succeed in. “The odds aren’t quite as bad as getting a first string slot in the NBA but they are close,” says Dan Lamont, a participating mentor and Seattle-based photojournalist, who is a regular contributor to international media outlets such as Newsweek, The New York Times, Stern and LeMonde, among many others.

He goes on to say, “The young people in this program are self selecting. They applied and made the extra effort. It is that kind of effort that will make them more competitive in such tough conditions.” Lamont believes that by participating in programs like this, a student’s work will have more exposure than their less ambitious peers, among the people who might help their career development.

To the uninitiated, photography is often seen as a singular pursuit. As Nicole Franco, a student in San Francisco says, “This program places validity, in that, this truly is a collaborative industry. Photography is a collaborative process. Images are created and shared through relations built and maintained.”

There are young people who are passionate about expressing their vision of the world through photography – but every year, it becomes harder and harder for them to do so.  “This program is dedicated to rallying the resources of the creative community and general public in support of young talent,” says Deborah Free, who along with Jerry Tavin is one of the co-founders of the Young Photographers Alliance. “ We believe that great talent is not just born, it’s developed. We want to focus on meaningful connections between emerging and established photographers to ultimately energize and advance the profession as a whole.”

In addition to the experience the students gained over the course of working on the project Young Photographers Alliance is planning an exhibit which will run from January 14-28, at the Calumet Gallery in New York City which they hope will turn into a traveling show. Editorial coverage of the program will give the students added exposure. In addition to adding some great pieces to their portfolios, a number of the students have won awards for their images and essays.

In speaking with the students about the value of the program, words like “inspiration,” “encouragement” and “confidence” come up again and again. “The experience really came full circle for me because, what the volunteers at Food Not Bombs were doing, is the somewhat the same as what the Young Photographers Alliance was doing for us,” says Yasmin. “I feel very fortunate to have met my mentor, and we’ve developed a relationship that I plan to keep for a very long time.”

Yasmin Alishav photographed the volunteers of Food Not Bombs who cook meals for the hungry and homeless.

Worldstudio has been working with the Steinway Astoria Partnership on a new branding and messaging program including naming, logotype, stationery system, lightpole banners, bus shelter poster and most recently a custom website with robust content-management system.

Steinway Street – located in the eclectic community of Astoria, Queens has been a vibrant center of shopping for over 100 years. The street is named after the famed piano maker who still builds world-class instruments in the neighborhood. Often referred to as “The World’s Longest Department Store,” Steinway Street is currently home to 300 retailers – from old-fashioned mom-and-pop stores to regional chains.

Astoria is a thriving neighborhood and retains much of its old-New York flavor – a mix of immigrant families and recent “hipsters” who have settled in the area to avoid paying Manhattan real estate prices.

Worldstudio created a cohesive identity program to establish a presence for the business improvement district that manages Steinway Street and promotes the district as one of the more vibrant shopping areas in Queens.

Worldstudio developed a logotype reminiscent of the vernacular retail signage from the mid-20th century. The tagline “Something for Everyone” is supported in a streetscape campaign with whimsical illustrations by noted illustrator Laurie Rosenwald. The goal was to develop a visual language which made reference to the past while looking forward to the future.

Steinway totebag

Steinway lightpole banner

Steinway bus shelter poster campaign

Steinway website

In addition to ongoing partnerships with AIGA and the Designers Accord, Design Ignites Change is pleased to announce a new partnership with ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). The collaboration will not only expand the program’s influence into the interior design discipline, but will also encourage ASID members to participate in the School: by Design mentoring program – an initiative of Design Ignites Change that puts social and sustainable design thinking into action by asking high school students to “redesign your school” with the help of their college and professional mentors.

The first ever Design Ignites Change Implementation Award winners have been hard at work. An update on how they are using funding from Design Ignites Change to do remarkable work in their communities can be found here.

And, if all of that wasn’t enough, Mohawk Fine Papers and Johnson and Johnson together with Cynthia Rowley joined forces with Design Ignites Change to create unique products to benefit the program.

Twenty-five leading letterpress printers were asked to create fifty limited edition notebooks to be sold on Mohawk's Felt & Wire shop. 100% of the proceeds are going to Design Ignites Change to support the youth mentorship program School: by Design.

Each sale of the “Dress-Up Band-Aids” gives a dollar to Design Ignites Change. Worldstudio's Andréa Pellegrino joined Cynthia Rowley to celebrate the product launch at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum.

For information about becoming a Design Ignites Change sponsor, contact apellegrino (at) worldstudioinc.com. If you’re interested in participating in the program, contact awhipple (at) worldstudioinc.com.

Summer in the Square is the Union Square’s nine-week free entertainment program. The series, attended by thousands of families, area employees, shoppers, students and tourists, includes dynamic music and dance performances, exciting children’s programming and outdoor fitness classes.

left: Summer in the Square postcard. right: Event photo by James Worrell.

On Tuesday, September 21st, over 1,200 attendees converged on Union Square Park for the 15th annual Harvest in the Square. This year’s celebration of community and cuisine sold out in advance for the first time in event history! Featuring 60 restaurants, and 24 wineries and breweries, Union Square Partnership raised $290,000 to benefit Union Square Park.

top left: Harvest in the Square postcard. top right: Harvest in the Square credential badges. bottom left: The food and wine tasting fundraiser in Union Square Park. bottom right: Harvest in the Square anniversary logotype. Event photos by Kate Eisemann and James Worrell.

Worldstudio’s Nina Mettler and Andréa Pellegrino, Johnson & Johnson Chief Design Officer Chris Hacker and Cooper-Hewitt Director Bill Moggridge were on hand to celebrate Ms. Rowley at a luncheon on September 11th at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.

The stylish Band-Aids can be bought at www.cynthiarowley.com for $10 with a dollar of each sale going to Design Ignites Change.