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We cannot continue to put full responsibility on Corporate America to create a greener and healthier society for us. The citizen MUST share the responsibility in creating this change and become fully engaged in seeing it through to its successful completion. A huge majority of Americans do not trust corporations, think they are too powerful and have too much influence over government and too many aspects of American life. Yet we continue to increase the pressure on corporations to become more responsible and create solutions for todays challenges. This is an excerpt from the online book Citizen Renaissance 

In his book The Great Turning, David Korten reviewed numerous US polls from sources such as Harris, Gallup, Business Week and The Washington Post and found that:
• 72% of the public think corporations have too much power over too many aspects of American life.
•74% think big business has too much influence over government, 82% small business has too little.
• 88% distrust corporate executives.
• 90% want new corporate regulations and tougher enforcement of existing laws.
• 4% think America is best served when corporations pursue only the goal of maximising share value.
• 64% think government is run by a few big interests.

If America as a whole holds so much distrust and disdain towards Corporate America then why are we so hell bent on making them create all the changes and solutions to our problems? While we sit on the sides lines complaining about how we have change our way of living. It's time for American citizens to take a more active role in helping to create a regenerative, healthy and happy society.

With all the changes we see and hear about today I think we are missing a crucial one. It's a change in the way we, humans, view ourselves in the natural world. Throughout the history of modern times we have viewed ourselves as the end all be all of evolution, the "king" of the planet and we are making changes accordingly. But it's not just about the external changes we need to make to society, business, government etc. It's about learning and understanding our role in the natural world as opposed to thinking we are the ruler of the it.Most of the ancient civilizations understood the relationship between themselves and their environment. It's evident in their stories that taught humility and respect through a relationship with the animals and environment of their time. Today we have trivialized such stories to Disney fantasies where cute little squirrels try to teach us the morals and respect we should have toward our surroundings. Unfortunately these are just seen as stories of no seriousness and are given no further thought beyond "aw, that was a cute movie."The true leaders of today, those who will bring about real change and usher in a new age will understand the power of learning from the past. They will be able to bridge the past to the present in order to help create a healthier, more responsible and smarter tomorrow.

The Power of Design, written by Dr. Richard Farson, is one the greatest books I have ever read.

Richard Farson is calling on designers to stop being "yes-men" to their clients and realize their potential to make positive change if they hold true to their core values and beliefs. He calls on designers to become Metadesigners. A designer who creates solutions that will continue to make a healthier life both socially and environmentally.

Richard Farson asserts a deeply engaging promise: Design can transform the world. It can put right what is wrong in our communities. It can address society's most intractable ills. Properly mobilized, he argues, design could make a whopping impact on deeprooted dilemmas such as the ravages of poverty, the miserable state of the American education system, and the failure of criminal justice. It could do nothing short of move mountains.

I had the fortunate experience to meet Richard at the CUSP conference in Chicago. He is a wonderfully brilliant person who truly believes that design can change the world and find solutions for all the major challenges we face today as citizens of Earth. His book has been inspiring to me and has helped me to formulate an idea of the positive change I am capable of creating as a designer and a person. Anyone who is looking to make a positive impact on society and the world today will do them selves a great service by reading this book!

Read an excerpt from the book on the AIGA web site. Leadership Is THE Strategic Issue

The CUSP Conference is for people who believe in the power of ideas, the value of imagination and the strength of the human spirit…and that thinking like a desinger is more important that being one.

I had the fortunate opportunity to the attend the innagural CUSP Conference in September 2008. The conference was held in the Museum of Contempary Art Theater in Chicago and was produced by the great people of SamataMason. With high expectations for the conference I was extremely excitied when the conference, the speakers, and SamataMason exceeded those expectations. From muscians to artists to the virtual world to presentations from a tub full of water design was presented in a whole new way. As a problem solving skill, not aesthetic, not marketing, not profit or even demographic. The opportunties for designers are endless, the opportunties for anyone to use to design to create a better life are endless. That was the beauty of CUSP. It didn't matter what your background was, it didn't matter if you were using a grid, the golden mean, what color pallette you choose if your idea or message was simple, creative, emotional or inspiring than you designed a great solution for the challenge at hand.

CUSP was a tipping point for me. I knew that design could be used to create positive change, could be used for such greater solutions than just packaging or annual reports or T.V. spots. But I had no idea just how far designs reach could go. CUSP opened my mind to the endless opportunities being a designer holds and further ignited the fire inside me to learn, experience and share as much of my life as I can. It truly is an exciting time to be alive.

When setting out to create a solution for the Aspen Design Challenge to bring awareness to the Global Water Crisis and do so in a way that inspires action, Jenn Graham and I commited on day one to never look at as a crisis. Instead we agreed that this is an opportunity to unite the world under one initiative, one goal. After all, water is the one element that we all need to survive period.

This project is not just about redesigning water. Nor is it about solving a crisis. It’s about revealing this crisis as an opportunity to finally unite the people of the world, as one.

Water is hope made visible.

In order for a global water awareness and conservation initiative to ultimately succeed, we must leverage humankind’s neurological ability to use new information to change behavior. By utilizing the best thinking in behavioral change, we can accelerate and expand the unifying vision of water to greater influential proportions. This bottom-up transformation in how people see, think and act on water is best coordinated in three behavioral capabilities: learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Read the complete strategy here.

After six months, 20 some-odd books, conferences, countless articles and videos and a 24/7 schedule dedicated to water our view of the world and of the potential humanity has to create postitive change has evolved dramatically. Reveal Waters Energy is the culmination of our excitement, our highest highs and lowest lows and everything inbetween. Reveal Waters Energy is an interactive exhibit that excelerates learning about water, unlearning bad habits and preconcieved notions towards water and relearning that water does indeed connect us all wheather your backyard is in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America or Australia we are all connected through water and are held to its fate. Please take a moment to visit RevealWatersEnergy.com and become a part of making hope visible.

The Necessary Revolution is a "call to arms" to become part of the opportunity to create a fully regenerative society. This book, written by Peter Senge, Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur and Sara Schley is broken down into two parts. The living examples of companies that have already joined the regenerative revolution and how to start a regenerative revolution at your company or organization. 

The Necessary Revolution is beyond inspiring and hopeful. With stories from unlikely partnerships such as Coke and the WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) to the determination of one person to change the mindset of the entire country of Sweden to stories of amazing creativity and patience of people to get their companies to create a regenerative business model not just a "less-bad" business model.

If you are interested in way, shape or form about green products, lower CO2 emissions, conserving our planet, positive change or any other sustainable anything this book is an absolute MUST READ! It is an open source text book to strategic processes to get you and your peers started down the very innovative, rewarding and prosperous path of regeneration.

Today's costumer has evolved. No longer are they interested in just function, feature or price point. They are now looking for a personal attribute, meaning. Brands that are delivering on meaning are succeeding. Apple's Ipod (meaning of Creation through customization), Harley Davidson's HOG (Harley Owners Group) (meaning of Community), American Express (meaning of Accomplishment) this list goes on. These brands have all elevated their products beyond a material object. An owner of one these brands now sees themselves not as an extension of the brand but more importantly part of the brand, the product has become a friend and the customer cannot live with out it. Brands that are not delivering on meaning are feeling the pain. Take Starbucks for example. It's not that the Starbucks brand has diminished in quality as much as the brand has not evolved with the customer. As the customer has grown and come to expect a more meaningful experience, Starbucks has leveled out leaving the customer bored and uninterested. Until Starbucks brings new meaning to their brand their customer will continue to go else where.

Making Meaning is a must read for anyone who is looking to stay ahead of the curve and wants to communicate effectively to people in an ever increasing experience based world. The authors have compiled 15 universal meanings from over 100,000 interviews and ethnographic studies from around the world that transcend culture, language and belief's. From that list Making Meaning takes a simple a direct approach on how to identify, develop and deliver the meaning that is most effective for your brand, business and product. From internal strategies to external 360 campaigns this book covers it all.

It quite amazing to be a part of such a major historic event of Obama excepting the Democratic nomination for President. BUT what was even more impressive, at least to me, was his acceptance speech! It was such a pleaseure to watch a person give a speech with intellect, passion and excitement! What a GREAT change from the past 8 years. The speech gave me chills at times and was filled with hope and belief that America is still about the people and that there actually might be a person who realizes that the BIGGEST obstacle to over come right now is the divide that has been steadily getting larger over the past 8 years. It was just so refreshing to hear a politician to talk about America as America not as democrats and republicans not as right or left, religious or aesthiest. JUST AMERICANS!

Absolutely amazing speech! You really should watch it whether you are an Obama supporter or not. It will go down in history as one of the best speeches in history!

This is a great article that goes into the thought process of how one of the most recognized identities was created, how it was passed on and how its life seems timeless.

A Chat with the Designer of the Google Logo, Ruth Kedar

I found 2 interesting articles that has opened the conversation for what is good design on the web and why does there seem to be a lack of it. Here is an excerpt from one of the articles. This is from the article posted on Subtraction. They are reviewing Armin Vit's article "Where are all the landmark web sites?". Its a really great read with some really great comments from other readers. Check it out.

Two mildly controversial and seemingly unrelated blog posts were written last week that you shouldn’t miss. First, on Tuesday, Armin Vit asked “Where are all the ‘landmark’ Web sites?” over at Speak Up. His contention is that we have yet to see examples of Web design in the fashion of “Milton Glaser’s Dylan poster; Paul Rand’s IBM logo; Paula Scher’s Public Theater posters; Massimo Vignelli’s New York subway map; [and] Kyle Cooper’s ‘Seven’ opening titles.” In short, Armin claims that the practice of design online has yet to produce its own canon of seminal and iconic works that can stand their own in the history books of the profession.