Founded and run by Steve Price, Plan-B Studio is a design consultancy specialising in design and art direction spanning an array of media for the fashion, music, PR, film, corporate, NGO and mobile communications sectors as well as design strategy and planning. We caught up with Steve this month to uncover a little more about his career and recent projects.

Notes on Design: Can you give us a brief insight into who you are and what you do? How did your career start?

Steve: Even though (after twelve years) I think they understand what it is I do I am very lucky that I have a very supportive family first and foremost. I also have to credit the beginning of my career to my art teacher. I was fifteen when she pulled me in to her store room to give me a bollocking. Told me that if I actually applied myself I could make something of this. I often think about her and that moment, it was pivotal in my life.

Ever since that day I have applied myself 100%. How my career has gone since then is like everyone elses – like a roller coaster with highs and lows. Working for yourself is incredibly stressful, tiring, stressful (did I already say that?) but more importantly rewarding and it offers me the flexibility I need in my life.

Notes on Design: How and why did you choose a career in graphic design?

Steve: I chose graphic design whilst on my foundation course at Maidstone Art School. I barely knew what it was, but it seemed the most logical path for me. I was (still am) crap at practical building or spatial design; interiors, products, etc.

I found I really jelled with the approach of graphic design, and the commercial element made sense to me; I could see the value of good design. Read the rest of this entry »

Greennovate is a broad network of sustainability-consulting veterans, marketers, designers, engineers, and educators working on “green” initiatives that will assist in the growth of China-based companies. Believing that end-of-pipe solutions are a false way of doing business, Greennovate aspire to create a fundamental shift in the way that businesses in China think about sustainability: while many businesses consider sustainable practices a liability, Greennovate aims to demonstrate how they can be a valuable asset to any firm, and how they will be an essential part of the business future for everyone.

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Find out more about at Greennovate.net and follow Greennovate founder, Mihela Hladin, on twitter @greennovate. You can also see a video of Mihela Hladin, speaking at TEDxShanghai here.
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Greening the Beige (GtB) is an eco-minded arts collective and not-for-profit community network based in Beijing. The organisation acts as a public platform to promote environmental awareness through the arts, frequently collaborating with other organisations and artists dedicated to sustainable development. After signing up to the 10:10 campaign, GtB is now focusing on their annual event – 10/10/10 – which will take place later on in the year. We sat down with founder, Carissa Welton, to unearth more.

Where are you originally from, and what brought you to Beijing?

Carissa: I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the top 10 greenest places to live in the USA. I then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1999, and received a BA from San Francisco State University in 2003. Whilst I was there, I focused my thesis on the contemporary cultural representation of Xi’an through the Tang Dynasty and studied Chinese for 2 semesters. Eventually, in the summer of 2002, I found myself in China taking a boat tour up the Yangtze River to see the Three Gorges Dam.

Can you give us a brief insight into Greening the Beige (GtB) and what you do?

Carissa: I founded Greening the Beige in 2007. The focus is to promote environmental awareness through art, cultural, and communal activities – in other words, an eco-minded artist collective. I run the show as the director, and the platform operates 100% on volunteerism. Read the rest of this entry »

Much of China’s rich cultural heritage is at risk. This is mainly due to lack of awareness and poor enforcement of Chinese heritage-protection laws, which are well conceived but poorly implemented. In a time of extreme economic development and social change, Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) – a non-profit organisation – helps to support local communities and fights to protect their cultural heritage.

Beijing’s landscape is dramatically changing. Gone are the small hutongs, once characteristic of the city, as well as the way of life associated with courtyard lifestyle. Now, ubiquitous towering skyscrapers dominate instead. To highlight the importance of preserving Beijing’s unique cultural heritage, CHP celebrates old Beijing with Do You Hutong? – a cocktail party featuring a collection of individually commissioned siheyuan (courtyard) gate artworks.

On 16-17th July, in the heart of London, newly founded organisation Mindapples joins forces with Courvoisier’s two-week summer extravaganza to present The Big Treat, a pop-up urban health farm that invites you to treat yourself better.

Over the weekend, Courvoisier’s London home at The Future Gallery will be transformed into an experiential treatment room with radical exhibitions and installations to stimulate the mind, body and soul. Working with a host of health conscious enterprises, The Big Treat presents a kaleidoscope of revolutionary approaches to give you your 5-a-day for the mind. In the words of fellow NoD writer, Mark Brereton, ‘From little acorns grow mental, physical and visual health.’
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To find out more about The Big Treat, join the event on Facebook. You can also keep up to date with Mindapples on twitter @mindapples.

‘The ethical issues and paranoia surrounding the laws of photographing children in today’s society are confusing and somewhat farcical. But at what point will the photography of children be completely forbidden?’ This is the question posed by Class Portrait, a collaborative photographic project by Kingston University graduate designers Anna Brooks and Samantha Harvey. Class Portrait was awarded Best in New Blood and a 2nd prize pencil in this year’s D&AD student awards in London.

(via It’s Nice That)

“Smart and Mini Architecture for Local communities and Low income,” or SMALL Architecture, was founded by architect, Li Ye, and is the Beijing chapter of Architecture for Humanity. Barely a year old, SMALL have undertaken a number of socially-led projects to offer design as a service to the often forgotten local Chinese communities. We met with Li Ye this month to discover more about the organization and working as an NGO in China.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us about SMALL Architecture. When was it founded and why?

Li Ye: SMALL was formally founded in July 2009. We provide an architectural service to those who require non-commercial work, and our clients are usually local communities who do not have much money (i.e. low income). In this context, we consider design as a social service.

The concept for SMALL was actually formulated in the summer of 2008 when I was ready to graduate from Tsinghua University’s School of Architecture. Most of my classmates chose paths like real estate or architectural firms for quick money or fame, but I felt I wanted to do something different. I took a break between university and “starting a career”, and tried to do something non-profit; I wanted to see what I would learn this way.

Fortunately, I found my partner, Xiao Zhen, who works in real estate. Also in our team are Hao Xue (law background), Rong Xiao and Huang Zheng (architecture) and Zara Arshad (design). We are currently focusing on small projects to fulfill SMALL’s vision.

Tulou Housing project, Fujian province.

Notes on Design: What is your relationship to Architecture for Humanity (AfH)?

Li Ye: SMALL was registered as AfH’s financially independent Beijing chapter. Chinese regulation, however, enforces very strict control over border cash flow. If you operate as a branch of a foreign firm or NGO, you cannot accept local donations or investment. This severely limits our work, so we decided to run the financial aspect of our organization independently. Our aim, however, definitely remains the same as AfH – bringing design services to communities in need. Read the rest of this entry »

Good 50×70, the social communications project is back for 2010 for its fourth edition. Asking the communication design community to support social issues the project is definitely one of the most prominent social oriented activities in the industry. Good 50×70 asks communication designers to respond to a series of creative briefs that support the issues of a number of NGOs and charities. Poster submissions will be judged online by a jury including Jonathan Barnbrook, Lars Müller, David Berman, Woody Pirtle and Massimo Vignelli.

For more information about the briefs and the project, visit Good50x70.org. The deadline has been extended until Tuesday 22nd June at 00.00 GMT time.

London based Illustrator and Creative Facilitator Emily Wilkinson, works with visual concepts, language and narrative to provide an empathy with information through an interdisciplinary practice, within which she places an emphasis on catalyzing creativity and education for positive change. With an MA in Design Futures from Goldsmiths and previous experience working as a designer at Futerra Sustainability Communications, Emily is currently working as an Associate of Reos Partners. We spoke to Emily this month to uncover more about her everyday motivations, creative practice and responses to designing futures.

Notes on Design: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

Emily: I’m currently working as an Illustrator and Facilitator, although within those areas of interest I also design, art-direct, design, write and research. I originally trained and worked as a graphic designer which was a valuable starting point, but I wanted to be more interdisciplinary and work face-to-face with people rather than be stuck behind a screen. Studying again last year helped me to define what I’m really passionate about; the way that we are all creative and how everyday creativity in education and society ultimately makes for a better world. My first love was illustration and image-making, which combined with new interests in writing and facilitation continues to shape my practice.

Notes on Design: How did your career start?

Emily: I originally trained as a Graphic Designer at Cardiff School of Art and Design. Following that I worked in a Welsh studio as a junior designer. Following that I made the move to London, to work as a designer for sustainability communications agency Futerra. Designing for Futerra was a great learning experience; I loved working in sustainability and worked with some very inspiring and energetic people. Read the rest of this entry »

Sean Gallagher is a British photographer based in China. He has lived and worked across the world, spending extended periods of time in locations as diverse as Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, the UAE and Europe. His most recent work focuses on social and environmental issues, such as desertification and its effects across China, and has recently been published in National Geographic China and The New York Times, and screened at the COP15 Climate Change summit in Copenhagen as part of the Earth Journalism Awards. We spoke with Sean, upon his most recent return to Beijing from Inner Mongolia, to discover more.

Notes on Design: What brought you to Beijing?

Sean: In 2004, I was chosen to undertake a 1-year paid internship at the London office of photojournalism agency, Magnum Photos. At the end of this internship (in 2005), I was awarded a grant, which allowed me to buy a plane ticket to pretty much anywhere I wanted to go. At that time, it seemed obvious to me that China was the story of the moment. Within a few weeks of finishing the internship, I booked a ticket to Beijing.

Notes on Design: How did you get into photography?

Sean: I’m completely self-taught, having first picked up a camera during my studies in Zoology at university in England. Upon completing my degree, I worked various part-time jobs; during my free time, I built my own darkroom and taught myself how to print black and white photos from books loaned from the local library. Read the rest of this entry »