Edmonton, Alberta

I have always hated bus-wrap advertising (as well as bus-bench advertising for that matter)… I consider it to be a crass “mental invasion” and an exploitative, unwelcome form of visual pollution. For this reason alone, I’ll admit to a bit of schadenfreude at the inept “unveiling” of the Alberta Wildrose Party’s campaign bus earlier this week during a pre-election event, what with the “questionable placement” of party leader Danielle Smith’s photo on the side of the vehicle.

As might be imagined, the “far-right” Wildrose Party (who make the Conservatives seem like Liberals, according to some) has more than its share of detractors—this public relations faux pas went viral within hours, sending ripples of mirth across Canada. Below are a few other examples of bus-wrap fails from around the globe…

Manitoba, Canada

Spring arrived here with an uncharacteristic “bang” and “chirping” during the night, with the first rains and (freakishly-early) first thunderstorm—accompanied by the first frog songs of the year.

Best wishes to colleagues near and far on this vernal equinox (a day earlier than usual on the calendar, by dent of 2012 being a leap-year)… in particular to all my Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, and Zoroastrian friends; and Happy New Year to colleagues and acquaintances throughout the Indian sub-continent!

Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak!  نوروزتون مبارک

Painting: Return of Spring by William Adolphe Bouguereau, 1886.

San Francisco, USA

My friend David Peters (no relation) is involved in orchestrating an open online call for posters to support Occupy: What’s Next? The invitation is to “reach out to the world with an idea for positive change.”

The submission deadline is 30 April 2012. Read more about the call for posters, jury process, guidelines, etc. here.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Last night, an Israeli couple—two graphic designers named Ronnie Edri and Michal Tamir—decided to cut across the growing anxiety and fear over the possibility of an Israel-Iran war, and to address Iranian citizens directly. They created a slogan that people could impose over their Facebook profile picture (or any picture).

The reciprocal response online to the message of love and understanding from Iranians was almost immediate, and the social media-sphere is rapidly spreading this positive meme around the world… read more here.

Perhaps you’ll consider sharing in or spreading this movement yourself? Methinks it’s high time that the voice of common, peace-loving people be heard above the cacophony of manipulative leaders, their opportunistic backers, and the saber-rattling of mainstream-media.

Bravo to Ronnie and Michal!

—William Shakespeare

New York, USA

Henry Wolf was an Austrian-born American graphic designer, photographer and art director best known for his art direction of Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Show magazines in the 1950s and ’60s—an influential contributor to that Mid-Century Modern era whose style has enjoyed such a resurgence in popularity of late. In particular, he is known for his bold yet simple use of expressive typography, surreal photography, and conceptual illustration.

Henry was born in 1925 in Vienna, Austria, from which he and his Jewish family fled the Nazis beginning in 1938, traveling through France and North Africa, before arriving to the United States in 1941. He worked with photographers Richard Avedon, Melvin Sokolsky, and Art Kane before launching his own photography studio in New York’s Upper East Side.

He became art director of Esquire in 1952; in 1958 he became the art director of Harper’s Bazaar (succeeding Alexey Brodovitch); and in 1961 he started a new magazine, Show, for A&P heir Huntington Hartford. In 1965 he moved over to the advertising world where he directed numerous high-profile campaigns. In 1971 he launched Henry Wolf Productions, a studio devoted to photography, film, and design. In later years he taught graphic design at Parsons School of Design in New York, as well as the School of Visual Arts, and Cooper Union.

Henry was honored with many awards, but more importantly, he was admired by colleagues, peers, and competitors alike. Read a biography written my Milton Glaser here and view collections of his works here.

—Rudolf Nureyev