“Primary Voting in Sanford, FL” Photographer: Nathan Clark

Are you voting in one of tomorrow’s 24 caucuses or primaries? If so, why not also take part in The Polling Place Photo Project?

The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

The project was initiated by Design Observer’s William Drenttel in 2006 and is sponsored by The New York Times and AIGA.

In my former office, there was a stack of old Emigre magazines. I spent countless hours paging through those back issues, and I can honestly say that most of what I know about design in the 90s–when technology was changing everything–I learned from Emigre.

The magazine ceased publication in 2005, ending a slow decline that began in 2001. Recently however, a selection of essays from some of the best issues were posted to the Emigre website, where the type foundry of the same name lives on. If you’re at all interested in 20th-century typography or graphic design, I suggest you take a look.

Edward Tufte is one of the undisputed experts on all things pertaining to the display of information.

In this video and the accompanying text he shares his thoughts on the iPhone, and specifically, how it “solves the design problem of small screens by greatly intensifying the information resolution of each displayed page.”

If you design interfaces or work with people who do, this is definitely worth a look.

via kottke

Flickr and the Library of Congress have joined forces and created an exciting new program.

If all goes according to plan, the project will significantly expand the reach of the Library by making its collections vastly more accessible. So far, more than 3000 photographs from two of the Library’s most popular collections have been posted to Flickr’s pages. Users are encouraged to tag, comment on, and annotate these images, just like they would any other Flickr photo. The hope is that this added information–courtesy of Web 2.0–will enhance the collection, benefiting researchers, the public at large and posterity.

Hundreds of color photographs from the 30s and 40s, including the one above, were recently posted to Flickr pages.

In addition, and as part of the project, Flickr has drafted a new usage statement for publicly held photographic collections called “The Commons.” It reads “no known copyright restrictions,” and it’s attached to every image that’s been posted to date. (more…)

PRINT is now accepting entries for its Regional Design Annual, which some call “the most comprehensive survey of graphic design in the United States.”

There are fourteen separate categories and all printed communications published or appearing in the U.S. between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007 art eligible. Art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers, and typographers are encouraged to participate.

Winning submissions will be featured in the November/December 2008 issue of PRINT. Winners will also receive Certificates of Excellence.

The entry deadline is March 3, 2008. Complete guidelines and entry forms are available here.

Are you doing something interesting with an everyday material, such as wire, felt, molded plastic, or velcro? If so, you might want to consider submitting your work for possible inclusion in Designing with Materials, a new book by product designer Inna Alesina and design writer Ellen Lupton.

A sample spread from Designing with Materials

Inna and Ellen are looking for “student projects and professional work that celebrates a hands-on approach to three-dimensional design.” and they’re especially “interested in documenting the design process.” If you’d like to submit your work, contact Inna Alesina.

Her contact info and more information about the project is available via Lupton’s blog, Design Writing Research.

The One Club for Art and Copy, a nonprofit organization, is seeking submissions for it’s One Show Design Awards. Below is a blurb from the site.

The One Show, the premiere international advertising award show, sets the industry standard for creative excellence with categories including print, television radio, outdoor, innovative media and marketing, and integrated branding. Each year, a wide variety of work — from multinational advertising giants to small regional shops — is judged by an international jury of award-winning art directors, copywriters and creative directors.

Winners are announced at the awards show and party in New York City. From there, the work becomes part of our international traveling exhibition… .

More importantly, and perhaps the single biggest reason people enter the One Show is the prospect of having your work immortalized in The One Show: Advertising’s Best Print, Radio and TV, one of the industry’s most respected advertising annuals.

The entry fees are not nominal, but if your work is awesome and you can afford it, this might be worth a shot. To download a Call for Entries PDF, including the full list of categories with detailed instructions for entering online and preparing your entries, go to www.enteroneshow.org.

In Michael Beirut’s book, Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design, each essay is set in a different typeface. He tells us why in this video interview with Atlantic.com, and also discusses some other aspects of typography and design. It’s interesting stuff.

via typographica

The Design Institution seeks to promote the development of the design practice and gathers together designers from all over the world who work everyday to improve the vision of the design world around us.

It’s currently hosting an international competition: The Designer’s Workstation 2008. Designers, both professional and students, are invited to submit their ideas about the ideal work station for the designer of the XXI century.

Materials should be submitted in jpeg format via the Design Institution website. Designs will be judged by an esteemed panel in accordance with the following criteria: innovation, functionality, materials, anthropometry, and context.

Cash prizes of up to $4000 USD will be awarded, and winning designs and other selected works will be published in a virtual exhibition on The Design Institution website.

The complete rules and regulations as well as entry forms can be found here.

Last year, SIGG asked Japanese artists to design water bottles that captured the essence of their culture. The result was a wonderful collection that is going to be offered worldwide in SIGG’s 2008 water bottle line.

For 2009, SIGG is looking to create a similar line of bottles inspired by and representative of the United States. Contestants are encouraged to work creatively, to show the U.S. as they see it and experience it. SIGG is looking for unique, out-of-the-box designs that go beyond stars and stripes. The design should speak to an international audience while representing the United States.

The top 10 designs will be sent onto Switzerland and 6 top designs will be chosen for the new collection. The Grand Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and 100 SIGG bottles (of their design) to give out to friends and family. The other 5 winners will receive 10 bottles of their design.

Complete rules and design templates are available here. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, January 19, 2008.