This summer, I have the privilege of working with Empax to design a campaign to show the overwhelming public support for embryonic stem cell research. Not the easiest undertaking, but definitely a great design challenge. And as a designer originally from the world of non-profits and social reform, from education to disability rights advocacy, it is a project for which I feel well suited -- personally and professionally. All of this is to say, I am honored to be joining up with Martin and the team at Empax on this endeavor.

Continue reading "Julie Tinker: Researching the Politics of Stem Cell Research" »

I became a designer initially to make things look good; I enjoy the process of creation. As I get older, my take on design has shifted. I see the power it has to make a difference. I design responsibly and I encourage others to do the same. I'm involved in projects I believe in and no longer have the time nor the energy for projects that don’t speak to me or make me think.

Continue reading "Lara McCormick: Coming From A Place of Not Knowing" »

Americans are compassionate and pragmatic people, and both compassion and common sense dictate that surplus stem cells should be placed in the hands of researchers, who are looking for cures, rather than be thrown in red plastic bags full of contaminated medical supplies. I’m confident that reason will eventually triumph, despite the extremists’ delay tactics, which continue to prolong the suffering of millions. We need to make visible the fact that we’re the majority, and show our truth, to counter their bogus arguments, so that voters have no choice but to make the right decision and to rally for change. But how do you make the issue visible? What images do we need and how do we generate them?

History tells us that visual symbols play a huge role in this sort of case. Symbols can stand in for an entire story, highlighting values and a mission statement, driving them past our rational filters straight to the gut. This is a well-known and widely exploited concept in the commercial world as well, known simply as branding.

Continue reading "Ehud Tal: Designing a Symbol for the Majority" »

As a preliminary step towards coming up with a symbol I looked into others for various social or political causes. Some have a design that comes directly from a unique concept or history, like the recycling symbol or the pink triangle while others like the AIDS ribbon and the Live Strong wristband developed meaning through their usage.

Continue reading "Clement Wu: What We've Learned from the Live Strong Wristband and Other Symbols" »

This concise, but powerful video clip features several well known medical professionals who make a strong case for the benefits of stem cell research. The footage in this clip is taken from a 2004 documentary entitled, "Plan B", which follows Martin Kace (the founder of Ninth Floor Project), as he begins to take back his life after an accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Throughout the documentary, Martin strengthens his convictions that stem cell research has the potential to cure many diseases and restore function. The movie concludes with a protest on Capitol Hill for President Bush to rethink his position on stem cell research.

For more information on "Plan B", please contact Caryn at info@ninthfloorproject.org.

Welcome to our kitchen. We’re happy to share some of our preliminary sketches and doodles with you. We haven’t included the napkins, business cards, pizza boxes and backs of hands that we’ve been using – just some work on paper for now. The kitchen is kind of open source, so if you’d like to add your own work, please do. Comments are also important to us, so please express yourself. Thanks.

Continue reading "Design sketches" »