I like rubbing elbows with people who aren’t designers. I attended a TED Active conference a few years back and that’s what I enjoyed most. Writers, activists, advocates, technologists, entertainers, organizers, etc. All people who did creative, progressive things that had nothing to do with type, colors, brands, Adobe or Dribbble. I learned so much while at the same time sharing a lot about what a designer like myself does. But after a long week, last Friday I met a fellow designer for a drink to discuss a potential project. He’s also independent. Aside from the specific work possibility, we talked process, cost, collaboration, animation, 3-year plans, Adobe and Dribbble. A great conversation highly beneficial on both sides because we both “design speak.” Totally refreshing. A charge that shook out some of the cobwebs. Whatever it is you speak, make sure you have someone to speak it with.
Now on Shopify
It’s safe to say we have big plans for Action Backed. Where it’s going and what it could become. One small piece of its offering, aside from client work and collaborative projects, is a set of designed products. Tight and focused, from shirts to prints. We assume it will grow in the months to come, but for now it’s solely a home for “I Voted Today” swag. Stickers, buttons, Ts, voting kits and yard signs for sponsors. All run on Shopify, which is really an amazing tool. Head on over and get ready for election day.
The art of tumbling your way to the polls.
Action Backed worked with Yosi Sergant and the TaskForce team on an updated site design for the #GoVote project for 2014
When you first land on the site, the art hits you. A beautiful, full-width image not only sets the tone but can be easily swapped out to keep the site feeling fresh. We launched with Lisa Congdon’s colorful triangles as they capture a certain feeling at the heart of the project. There’s a beauty to the #GoVote message that transcends a typical piece of voting communication. DIY lettering for the roll-up-your-sleeves nature of participatory democracy. A vibrant patchwork for the multicultural, full color worldview of America. From there, three columns of cascading visuals take you down the page.
I Voted Today
With each vote we take, we show our friends, our community and the world what we care about. We vote every day. With our dollars, our clicks and our voices. And come election day, we hit the polls.
I’m very excited to announce the launch of a new collaboration. Cody Peterson and myself have teamed up to create a new Action Backed project—a modernized take on an American democracy classic. We’ve invested our time and dollars in the campaign design, website, application and a variety of swag to get people excited about voting this November. We also worked with Caleb and Daphne from Uphill Downhill on an animation, which is the piece we’re most proud of. They’ve been wonderful partners and went way above and beyond to deliver one hell of a video.
To help us spread the word, please visit I Voted Today.
Go. Vote. Please.
Decisions, decisions. It’s the midterm elections in 3 weeks. The sort of elections no one seems to give a shit about. Some people are too preoccupied with the Walking Dead (myself included) or college football season. There’s Halloween coming up, then Thanksgiving. Ebola, ISIS or new John Oliver episodes. America is a funny place. I love it and I don’t in the same sentence. Climate change? Climate change denial? At least can we agree that voting is really important and we should be falling all over ourselves to make sure as many people in this country can vote as possible? We say we want people to vote, right? Then why don’t we act like it? America, so full of contradictions. Let’s pretend we’re going to try and appeal to our better selves on this. Let’s get excited about democracy not Congress. Our country as a whole not the other side we don’t like. And the sacred right to vote, not the belittling of people who disagree with us. I’ll try really hard to do this as well. And let’s get out the vote!
Pecha Kucha Night Omaha
Devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. 20 slides, 20 seconds per. In Omaha we’re about to put on our 23rd Pecha Kucha. An organization I serve on the board of directors for, Design Alliance Omaha, hosts them. Ace designer Jake Welchert emcees. As a night of creativity from interesting people in the community, they are wonderful experiences. Most of the 6 minute 40 second presentations over the years have been compelling, entertaining or inspiring. Free of deep tangents, over-explaining and droning on and on, I have yet to see a better format for showcasing projects. Design, architecture, art, collaboration, etc. If you ever have a chance to give one, definitely do it. If nothing else, it’ll teach you to edit, edit and edit. And to only present things worth presenting.
We give a damn about land, water, clean energy and strong communities.
Action Backed just wrapped up three projects for New Energy Voter, an effort to get out the environmental, progressive vote in Nebraska.
The other key component of the vision for New Energy Voter is supporting young people who decide to take the plunge and run for local office. If you’re passionate about working together with people to make things happen on the ground where you live, why not run for school board, city council or a public power district? It certainly is tough work, and it’s not for everybody. But to move the needle politically, hard-working candidates with principles are definitely needed.
