Hello everyone,

I would love to hear designers opinions on the following issues for my design investigation project.

In your industry, do you feel that you should be governed by ethical and moral guidelines?

Are you aware of a moral code of practice in your industry?

Do you work towards your own moral code?

Do you feel as a designer that your skills should be used for positive use? If yes, why is this so important? If not, what are your reasons for not doing so?

My deadline is next tuesday so it would be great to hear from as many people as possible!

Thanks very much,
Louise

Our clients are finding that the cusp of the transition from old media to new media requires a year of double portion marketing. To put in place the new processes of search engine optimisation, google maps, email marketing, blogging, and all of the wonderful new content options available to companies looking to harness the internet's targetting and connectivity, is not cheap: especially if the 'old-media' budgets are still in place.

For an internet based tool, the 'blog' is quite untypical. Taking time out to reflect on something, sharing creative ideas in a written form, it feels like a bit of good old fashioned correspondance, except you're not sure who you're writing to, or if you'll ever get a response. Is there time to blog?

Surely we must make time! Or are you going to tell me otherwise and prove yourself wrong?!

Spitting distance from Brick Lane, at the Stolen Space Gallery is the exhibition DRAW. Showing, in their words, "original drawings from over 300 vanguard artists in the urban, tattoo, design, illustration, skateboard and music.

Tiny, talented and inspiring.

Well worth a visit.

The ability of colour to provide instant communication and recognition plays a major part in branding and whilst researching the colour yellow for a company identity, my thought process led to dusters... Why are they yellow?

Having had a stab at an explanation, I appeared to be drowning at sea. Apparently they are not just yellow so you can see them in the dark, there is a more logical and interesting explanation. An article from the Guardian states:
"...one of the duster's great attributes is its use for polishing. In the past, before the advent of pressurised canisters and the dreaded CFCs, this was done with beeswax. The manufacturers of such may have decided to make and sell its necessary accompaniment dusters. Wishing to keep an identification with their main product they would naturally have dyed them yellow. Early dusters were not the bright ones of today, but a more ochre colour - indeed, some were pastel green.

Alternatively: an enterprising marketing director of yesteryear may have attempted to corner the market by using most people's association of the colour yellow with springtime, through an increase in sunshine and daylight hours. He would have realised that sales of dusters would be increased enormously by using the appropriate colour especially during the annual spring cleaning season."

View the complete Why Dusters Are Yellow? article here

1) Compare it to the best thing in the world

2) Don't set a deadline

3) Don't give it to anyone as a job

4) Review it at the end of a meeting

5) Debate its purpose publicly

6) Forget about it for long periods of time

7) Fail to show open support from senior management

8) Complain about the cost

9) Get busy doing other things

10) Neglect it

This bag epitomises everything that I'm finding weird about the world at the moment. Here is an Indian newspaper recycled bag. Now i can understand the obvious rationale - poor people making bags out of newspaper. So you can feel good about feeding the poor without damaging the environment. But then i think to myself, 'are we really helping the world, what's the NET benefit? Am i really spreading an ecological message? How did this bag get here? What happens if the world suddenly upped its requirement? ' so many questions from one small bag.

Just when you think you're actually quite quiet, a whole load of things come along at once. So many of our Monday morning meetings consist of discussing how to generate more business, and then by the end of the week we're overloaded with work. It's a mystery where it all comes from.