London, UK
I’m happy to see that Banksy is still active… around the globe.
New York, USA
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.”
Remarkably, less than 5% of the world’s population even knows that the Declaration exists. Do you know your human rights?
To celebrate the milestone 60th anniversary (10 December 2008), designer Seth Brau created an engaging type-based video. Enjoy it, here, and please do what you can to help disseminate the Declaration, an important and timeless treatise for all humankind. You can find over 337 different language versions of the Declaration here.
New York, New York
Two days ago, the DOT (Department of Transport) unveiled the first of 216 safety signs featuring colorful artwork and haikus. The signs will be installed at a dozen high-crash locations near cultural institutions and schools citywide, using state money collected from DWI (driving while intoxicated) fines.
The DOT hopes that the “Curbside Haiku” initiative will draw attention to “the critical importance of shared responsibility among all street users to help keep New York City’s streets as safe as they can be.”
The series features 12 designs with accompanying haikus by poet John Morse, each one expressing a different safety message by focusing on one transportation mode. Half of the signs will be hung in pairs, with the image and haiku text appearing; the others feature an image with a QR code on the sign that lets New Yorkers “discover the safety message via their smart phones.” They’ll be displayed from now until next fall at a dozen hubs across the five boroughs…
See more haikus and read more here.
Thanks to my friend JuanMa Sepulveda for the link.
Madrid, Spain
On a tour of Central de Diseño / Mataduro Madrid these two posters caught my eye. The original was designed by Franz Krausz in 1936 and issued by the Tourist Development Association of Palestine. The updated version (below, 2009 I believe) and featuring the Israeli West Bank barrier needs no explanation… I couldn’t fine a designer credit on the serigraph.
Any questions?
(from occuprint.org)
Lots more where these came from… some better than others.
(more of this ilk from Mr. Fish here)
London, UK
A host of British artists have designed posters to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The posters were unveiled at Tate Britain earlier this month, along with the programme for the London 2012 Festival. The full list of contributing artists are Fiona Banner, Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed, Tracey Emin, Anthea Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Gary Hume, Sarah Morris, Chris Ofili, Bridget Riley, Bob and Roberta Smith, and Rachel Whiteread.
This post is drawn from a piece published in Creative Review, which also ran a follow-up article about the posters done for the Munich Olympics in 1972. Above: a sampling of the posters that have been unveiled…
(sage cautions worth heeding in these troubled times)
.
…for some new glasses and a Movember moustache…
Porbandar, India
Today is the birthday of the great Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), now celebrated around the world as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Although I have not been able to find verification that the “Seven Dangers to Human Virtue” attributed to him were actually stated by him (this could, admittedly, be an Internet meme—the airwaves are filled with chatter about him), from what I know of the man, they seem to fit with his character and worldview.
The illustration is from a Russian postage stamp issued in 1969 in honour of Gandhi’s 100th birthday (illustrator unknown, copyright free through Wikimedia Commons).
