How many problems stand out to you in this picture? Here are a few things myself and a few friends noted recently.

I should have assumed this, but I hadn’t realized that there are actually two schools of thought. Those that believe trees are a renewable resource and those that don’t. I stand among the people who feel that while trees grow faster than, for instance, the time it takes for coal to form, it doesn’t necessarily make it something that renews itself in a “reasonable” timeframe.

What makes something renewed anyway? Does a tree or forest reach a “renewed” state once it is the same size, supports the same ecosystem, or is big enough to cut down again? I fear to most businesses who stand to profit off of the resource, if it’s renewed, it means good enough to harvest again, and has little to do with that life it sustains or could sustain again.

Besides the gripe I have with the company who asked some poor designer to tell the public that paper (paper!) is a renewable, natural resource, I feel like it’s deceitful and sad to try and say there is any merit in paper plates over any other disposable plate at all. The reason we’re still convinced papers plates are special is because of the very unspecialness of them. They are so unimportant they’re actually amazing. We can throw them away by the thousands!

If a customer does manage to make the mental connection between millions of paper plates, tissues, lumber, magazines and deforestation, loss of habitat, destroyed local ecosystems and handicapped neighboring ecosystems, this company has done a great job of paying lip service to trees and implying to the public that we should be aware and thankful that they are thinking about the value of trees for us. This way, they can destroy those trees, make millions of plates, say it’s made from the tremendous amount of PAPER at our disposal and not actually be lying, nor completely looking us straight in the eyes when saying it. They can also more easily get away with stamping the words “Nature” and “Green” on the label, and not actually mean anything by it. (Clue #2  that this company is only capitalizing on the sellability of “Green” and “Nature” is the fact that the plates were bleached white, as most paper plates are.)

While there is a good time and place for disposable dinnerware, paper plates as an earth friendly purchase is a joke, and there is never a time to sell goods to the public using falsities that are based on problematic notions to begin with. We should aggressively question companies who try manipulate us into thinking anything disposable could be environmentally friendly, paper or not. And any company or individual who tells you the time it takes for a clear-cut forest to return to normal is “reasonable” should take Environmental Science 101 again.

(I’m reminded of the Utah Phillips story in which he begins a speech to a room full of young people by telling them, “You’re about to be told one more time that you’re America’s most valuable natural resource — Have you seen what they do to valuable natural resources?“)

Here’s an example of the logic in action.

What do you think?

When Greg Moore and I first started the itty-bitty design firm Block, Street and Building in 2003, naturally we wasted no time working up a logo. I found these the other day while rummaging through old computer files and thought I’d pass them along. It is interesting to see them now. The long green version, some of you will already know, is what we stuck with and I’m glad we did. 

That was Greg’s great work. In fact, Greg’s design skills are what shaped the unique look of BSB until we closed the doors in 2006. Since then, I’ve been haphazardly rearranging, undoing and altogether hacking away at what we worked so hard to create over those three years. If you’ve been reading the BSB blog over the last several years, you’ve seen a great many changes in the layout and the over all look, most of them excused as experiments, but honestly, if you must know, I just get fidgety and tend to pick at things, including blogs.

Anyway, as you may have noticed, Block, Street & Building really doesn’t even have a logo anymore, since it really isn’t a thing anymore. The blog is still around, but life has changed and my schedule has changed and I no longer contribute to it like I used to. I know someday I’ll get hare up my butt (that’s the saying right?) to revamp the BSB logo, just because I want to. I’ll probably show it to you here first!

For now, welcome to my new blog, Doodle Britches! I plan on using this blog as a way to keep up on my design chatter with like-minded folks. And be sure that things will change around here every so often. Like I was just saying, I tend to tinker with my blogs probably a little more than I aught to. So bare with me. This one has a little way to go before it’s “ready”. Coming soon: Where the name Doodle Britches came from, life as a designer in a reaaaally small town, First Security Bank’s logo – WTF is it?, new Arkansas design firms, and more.

I always love finding a good collection of political posters to peruse, on the internet or in print.

This collection at the Nonist (a frequent stop of mine) from the book The Poster Art of Tom Ungerer is a great sample of work. A flip through just was is represented here will probably turn up something you’re already familiar with, at least vaguely, if the iconic style itself doesn’t ring a bell. I see vestiges of the style in some modern art cartoons (cartoons nobody sees) and 15 minutes flipping through the history of Threadless will reveal the lasting impression, as well. Some of it also reminds me of the illustrations of Kenneth Patchen. I’d love to see the whole book someday. For now, my thanks to the Nonist (RIP), for the peaks and the link to Tomi Ungerer’s webpage.

Looks to me like the tour shirts turned out good. I haven’t seen the posters except for in a brief flash during the crazed brawl between Mr. Bill Krejci and the Murder by Death merch guy. Anyway, can’t wait to see them in person. Shall I take orders? Maybe I can snag a few of the leftovers.

Kings of New England playing a show in a local garage

Twas a big night for BSB clients and friends at last night’s 11th Annual NAMAs (Northwest Arkansas Music Awards). The Kings of New England walked away with a Best Album of the Year and Best “Plugged” Album. Which all goes to show that if you break up, your chances of winning awards increase greatly.

Wooden Stares also gave a great performance at the show, didn’t win anything, unfortunately. They have not broken up yet and are actually going quite strong.

Moreover, Kelly Mulhollan was up for Best Male Singer/Songwriter and his amazing Never Ending Conversation was nominated for best “unplugged” album. He was denied both awards, indicating an overall decline in justice in the world.

Block, Street & Building had the extreme pleasure of creating the album art for all three of these great acts. And for that we’d like to thank God for pulling us through the hard times, our parents who never gave up on us and encouraged us to follow our dreams, even during hard times. To our Apple computers for remaining faithful even when we asked more than we should of them during hard times. To our friends who have always been there for us in hard times. Firewire for being so fast in hard times. Our vision for remaining something resembling 20/20 even in the hard times. And lastly rock and roll like Tel Aviv, old-timey music like Violet Hensley and underground hip-hop labels like Bru Records. And our producers. The NAMA limo driver. And fondue.

As soon as they become available, I plan on posting some of the photographs that were taken at the show. Twas a great evening.