Do Good Design

Today I’m crusading for social enterprises. Why? Because I think we all have the potential to be part of a way of earning an income that also helps people and makes you feel good about yourself.

Social enterprise or “social entrepreneur” are terms that few people know, but I’m keen to get them out into the wider world because I think they’re the way of the future. As one person put it on Couchsurfing, “Is social entrepreneurship just evolved capitalism?” … Continue reading »

Social enterprise, social entrepreneurs, community interest companies (CIC), fourth sector, charitable businesses — they’re all terms for businesses who care about more than profit.

For the most part, what makes a business a “social enterprise” is that where you put the money: in the hands of charitable causes rather than shareholders or owners or even employees.

Researching social enterprise hasn’t been easy, so I thought I’d share my list of resources for Scottish and British people interested in either starting their own or in buying goods and services from one.

Starting your own

… Continue reading »

On the subject of colour today, I’ve been using a tool called The Stripe Generator, which is mainly for knitters but can be used in any design requiring you to come up with stripes of colour.

I’m using the Stripe Generator to create the pattern for a felted bag I’m knitting, and it’s … Continue reading »

As part of the New Life for this year — moving to a new house that’s out of town, right by the sea, but only ours for one year — I’ve been looking at my own personal development. I adore personality tests, management tomes and good self-help books, and the latest I’ve been delving into is Strengthsfinder 2.0, with research and testing of millions of people by Gallup.

You have many talents, innate abilities that mean … Continue reading »

My dream kitchen, circa 1850. This gives you a flavour for the life I’m aiming to have, which is mighty different from what it was only 5 years ago…

Back in 2003, I wore a suit everyday to my corporate job across from the FBI. I got mugged at gunpoint, downed a raft of prescriptions for asthma and allergies, and couldn’t walk to work on Red Alert days, those days in DC when the air is so polluted it’s a health risk to breathe.

I … Continue reading »

I spent last week designing a fourth logo for The Sorting Room cooperative: the “circus” logo.

Since The Sorting Room is about bringing together amateur and professional artists and musicians in a space that encourages creativity, fun and community, I felt like the 3 logos I’d already designed were too staid.

Cirque du Soleil for creative inspiration

I did my usual big heap of research and honed in on circuses to capture that fun — even mad — feeling that I think we have going … Continue reading »

There are 2 types of situations that leave me in despair, exhaustion and downright fury. Tired of ranting on one hand and feeling impotent and miserable on the other, I’m taking action…

The endless, useless meeting

The first situation is bad because I have very little tolerance for meetings that go nowhere and take forever. Perhaps you can relate:

In this nightmare scenario, you’re stuck in meeting after meeting, not sure what you’re even there to be discussing, wishing you were somewhere else actually doing something. You try bringing some order to the

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All three of the logos I’ve designed for The Sorting Room cooperative reference the building’s history: a post office mail sorting room, built in the early 1900s.

The first logo stamp motif is the most direct reference.

This next one I call The Travel Label, because I used the old-fashioned travel labels that use to go on steamer trunks as my inspiration.

Logo #2: The Travel Label

The main font is from the Edwardian (1900-1910) … Continue reading »

As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve joined a group here in Stromness that’s starting up an artists’ cooperative called The Sorting Room. We’re set to open in May alongside the Orkney Folk Festival, and need to have bags and tags ready. And that means we need a logo.

I love designing logos.

Logos are the instant snapshot of your business or organisation. The challenge of transforming some words like “decadent” and “welcoming” into a few shapes and letters that actually convey that idea is … Continue reading »

After months of planning and groundwork, a new community cooperative is taking shape here in Stromness. The Sorting Room will be a “social enterprise”, meaning a business whose profits benefit the community both by helping artists get a fair wage and by creating a space that everyone can be a part of.

Social enterprises are exactly the kind of clients I want to work with. It’s not a non-profit, and it’s not a standard business — it’s somewhere in between, and I believe it’s the most fulfilling and sustainable way to … Continue reading »