The NYC Department of Health and Yves Behar of fuseproject have joined forces in an effort to encourage safe sex in New York City.

The coalition recently unveiled a brand new look for the NYC condom, as well as a high-design dispenser, which will debut in 200 New York City venues in the coming weeks. Both the condom’s packaging and the dispensers were created by Behar, who believes the new designs will promote awareness and increase acceptance.

According to Behar, “Good design can help bring condoms out of the closet. The brand’s friendly design and the dispenser’s approachable shape convey openness and acceptance. They say condoms are nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Since the NYC Condom was introduced last year on Valentine’s Day, the Health Department has distributed more than 36 million condoms. That’s twice the number given out annually before the City launched its own brand. Some 900 local businesses, clinics, and non-profit organizations now distribute the condoms free-of-charge.

It’s an interesting program, and all signs seem to indicate that it’s working–more proof of the power of design.

The good people over at HOW are currently seeking submissions for the 2008 HOW Promotion Design Awards, and according to them, “There’s a category for every design occasion, from wedding invitations to pro-bono projects to client promotions.”

One Best of Show winner will receive a free trip to the 2009 HOW Conference, where he or she will be honored in an awards ceremony. All winners will have their work featured in HOW’s October 2008 Self Promotion Annual.

All entries must be postmarked no later than March 21, 2008. The official rules and entry forms are available here.

You asked your legal, copyright, and trademark questions, and Jean has answered! All questions are culled from the comments section attached to the original ‘Ask Jean’ post. We invite you to ask more questions.

Dear Jean,

I occasionally do some freelance work, and I have some questions about typefaces and logos.

How much leeway do I have when using a typeface, such as Times or Arial from the Core Web Font set, in a logo? If I use one of those typefaces as a foundation but tweak the outlines, does that free me from liability? Was I even liable in the first place?

I’ve also been looking at fonts with a SIL Open Font License. These are often referred to as open-source fonts, but what if they’re used in a design? Can the resulting logo be trademarked or protected by a copyright? Does it make a difference if the logo contains only text, like the FedEx logo? What about if the logo also contains original artwork?

Thanks,
Kris

Dear Kris,

There are two questions here. The first is whether or not you can freely use typefaces in logos. The answer to that question is yes, and it’s true for both Core web fonts and fonts distributed under Open Font agreements. In fact, the creation of text or

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you are no doubt familiar with Google’s logo. It’s a deceptively simple mark. In fact, it almost seems non-designed. Of course, that’s not actually the case. Not at all.

Ruth Kedar is the designer responsible for the logo, and in an interview with WebProNews, she talks at length about her process and the goals of the project. She also discusses the details. For example, she has this to say about the color choices:

The colors evoke memories of child play, but deftly stray from the color wheel strictures so as to hint at the inherent element of serendipity that creeps into any search results page…

Wired has more about the logo, including sketches of some of its earlier treatments, and Kedar again provides commentary. Together, these pieces make an interesting read. The Google logo has perhaps become more ubiquitous than any other mark, and the story of its genesis paints an interesting portrait of a certain period in web and graphic design history.

If your sweetheart is a graphic designer, it’s quite possible that he or she loves not only you but also Helvetica. Developed in 1957, Helvetica is the ubiquitous, sans-serif typeface that captured designers’ hearts almost immediately upon its release with its perfect, neutral letterforms.

There’s no sense in being jealous of your sweetie’s love for Helvetica. It’s everywhere, from the iPhone to Target to the NYC subway. Helvetica will always been in the picture. Instead, accept Helvetica’s place in your relationship. That should earn you at least a few points this Valentine’s Day.

Begin your journey to acceptance with Helvetica: The Movie. Not exactly romantic, Helvetica is a documentary about the much-loved typeface. The film was originally released in 2007, and it’s still playing in only a few locations around the world. (Visit this site and scroll to the 2008 dates for show times.) Alternatively, you can order up the movie online or just add it to your Netflix queue. A two hour film about a typeface may not sound all that interesting, but it will definitely help you understand Helvetica’s influential role in modern culture. And the movie is surprisingly funny and entertaining throughout, due in large part to the graphic and type designers who appear in the film.

If the movie doesn’t convince you that your sweetheart isn’t the only one out there nursing a bizarre love for Helvetica, (more…)

I have to be honest. I giggle sometimes at people who include quotes in their email signatures. Usually, it’s because the quote just doesn’t make sense. The others I laugh at only because I’m jealous that I don’t have one as good. One day, I read this quote on one of my client’s emails: “Make your plans to fit the circumstances.” It was attributed to General George S. Patton, Jr.

Patton Speaking with Lt. Col. Lyle Bernard, at Brolo, Circa 1943

I didn’t laugh at that quote. In fact, it got me thinking. No matter how busy I am, I needed take the time to make a marketing plan, a plan of action for my company. Simple or complex, I needed to take the time­ so I could do something. I’d always wanted to do this so that my decisions would be more proactive instead of reactive, and I also knew that I had to put it in writing so that I would have a roadmap to getting things done. Since I’ve developed a plan, it has really helped the company grow. It’s also helped me to understand what works and doesn’t work when it comes to marketing my
studio.

I guess you could say that I’ve learned to make my plans fit my circumstances. With that in mind, here are few things I’ve learned that can help you make your plan:

Do Your Research: Go through your client list, and examine what you’ve done to attract and maintain the clients that you enjoy. Are they in a particular industry that you’d like to find more work in? Were they referred by another client? Did they find you because of your Web site, a brochure or a PR effort? However you got them, maximize that channel to attract similar types of clients.

Stretch Yourself: Pick a method that expands the way you typically market yourself, for the experience and the possibility of where it might lead. The worst thing that could happen is (more…)

Apparently not all of Adobe’s products are as essential as Photoshop and Illustrator. This month, Adobe announced that it will cease to operate its relatively new service, Adobe Stock Photos.

The Adobe Stock Photos service was introduced in 2005, but it wasn’t heavily promoted until 2007, when Adobe released Creative Suite 3. The service provides users access to numerous royalty-free stock photo libraries, including those maintained by Masterfile, Getty and JupiterImages, and everything occurs via the Adobe Bridge interface.

Say goodbye to Adobe Stock Photos in Bridge.

The Adobe Stock Photos concept was a good one; it’s like an iTunes Store for royalty-free images. But for numerous reasons, the service never caught on. Here’s why:

ASP dealt almost exclusively with the “expensive” stock libraries. Designers working on big-budget projects often use such resources, but those with less to spend or those in of only small, lower-res images almost never do. ASP thus had little to offer customers in these latter categories.

Also, big-budget designers were typically already committed to a single stock photo company, or they already had an effective image searching process in place. Either way, ASP was a little late to the game.

But let’s turn our attention back to that first reason, because that’s what’s most interesting about (more…)

Jacqueline Khiu, DESIGN 21: Social Design Network.

Jacqueline Khiu is the design and content manager for DESIGN 21: Social Design Network. DESIGN 21 is an online community and competition site that explores social consciousness through design. It is a collaborative project undertaken by the global design and merchandise company Felissimo and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Before joining DESIGN 21, Jacqueline was the design editor of Surface magazine and also the editor of both the Australian design and architecture publication Monument and the lifestyle magazine Australian Style. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on a range of subjects including the ability of design to affect global change. Her opinions are both well-informed and interesting, and I thank her for sharing her time with us.

NoD: DESIGN21 is a Social Design Network that inspires social activism by connecting people and organizations that are interested in improving the global community in which we live. Can you please describe how you facilitate the connections that help bring about that end? Is it simply the important matter of creating the context for productive dialogue or is there something more tangible that is happening at Design21?

Jacqueline: DESIGN 21 is an online platform that sets the stage for interaction between designers and non-profits primarily, but really any socially conscious individuals and organizations who are interested in the notion of “better design for the greater good.” People and organizations are welcome to join for free, create a profile and talk to each other. Beyond discussion, we give non-profits (who are, in a sense, the focus of the community) the ability to post specific “needs” to the site. Through a wish list function in their blog they can seek out designers or volunteers for projects or activities - and from the activity we’ve seen this seems to be working quite well. (more…)

The American Design Awards Semi-Annual Design Contest is under way. In fact, the February 15, 2008 deadline for submissions is rapidly. There are twenty-two categories in which one can compete, and graphic and web designers both international and domestic are encouraged to submit their work.

The competition seeks to promote ethical and fair design practices, so those who choose to take part in the competition should keep the following guidelines in mind: 1) Do not display pricing on a website; 2) Do not take part in spec contests; 3) Do not undervalue time; 4) Do not copy anyone else’s design work; 5) Do not use templates for a quick and easy fix; 6) Do not work without a working agreement; and 7) Do not “steal” clients.

Winning designs will be posted on the American Design Awards website. Winners will also receive a personalized certificate, promotional merchandise and other prizes.

Complete guidelines and entry forms are available here. More information about fair and ethical design practices is available here.

Jorg Colberg of Conscientious and Miguel Garcia-Guzman of Exposure Compensation asked a handful of prominent photographers, curators, editors and gallerists to select a portrait and describe what makes it great.

The Stewart Sisters, 7th Grade. Photographer: Judith Joy Ross.

The responses they received are both enlightening and ambiguous. Take for example these words from Timothy Archibald about the above portrait taken by Judith Joy Ross:

The girls are being photographed, communicating with the viewer, being self aware and being all of these things and more, nothing is very dramatic, nothing heavy handed, but the end result feels utterly profound. The result seems to be a picture of these girls, but then seems to be communicating something universal as well.

More images and all of the written responses can be found on Colberg’s site.

via kottke