HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #17
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HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #17
A newsletter about design and creativity, and how they contribute to a better world.
Hello, Friends.
Welcome to Edition #17 of HUMAN.
This week, we’ve asked one of our UI designers to share their experience of moving to Amsterdam after almost a year of working remote. We’ve also rounded up our favourite corners of the internet to share awesome companies like Justdiggit, and collaborations between others like Burger King and Loop efforts to reduce single-serve waste. We’ve also covered a recent partnership between the UN and Google to ensure people can access reliable, information about climate change. Finally, we’ve covered a series of illustrations by Damon Xart, exploring the softness of gradients as colours and forms blend together.
Enjoy.
Last Call for Megs: Cape Town » Amsterdam.
Megs, our South African UI designer, has finally joined our team in Amsterdam after almost a year of working remotely from her home in Cape Town. We asked her to jot down a few thoughts about the experience, and what she loves most about living in Amsterdam, and how it’s been working in the office again.
And now, the first Sunday of every month will be car-free in the Netherlands.
Training from Scandinavia to Malta? You won’t have to wait much longer.
An innovative new camera can keep everything from 3 cm and 1.7 km in focus.
Koa uses the blockchain to show how much each chocolate grower gets paid.
Stripe and Alphabet - amongst others - are spending c.$1b on carbon removal.
The ‘Declaration for the Future of the Internet’, by the EU and 33 other nations.
Thousands of solar panels will power Germany’s first climate-neutral arena.
While big-tech goes Meta; Snap Inc. is betting on physical experiences.
Select UK Burger King are trialing a partnership with Loop to reduce waste.
Sometimes, when it comes to fighting climate change, simple solutions are best.
Can’t understand climate change? Try Googling it.
Google is synonymous with the Internet; we know this. But with this synonymity comes a problem: it can be difficult to find, interpret, and trust the information we receive from the near-infinite number of answers we receive. Typing something as simple and ubiquitous as climate change returns “about 4.040.000.000 results” in just 0.67 seconds. Thankfully, the problem has been recognised, and is being solved.
In collaboration with the UN, people around the world can now find “authoratitve information from the United Nations in 12 languages”. As well as reliable organic search results, Google is also working to surface “short and easy-to-understand information panels and visuals on the causes and effects of climate change, as well as individual actions that people can take to help tackle the climate crisis”.
Access to information is a fundamental human right, and is part of the reason that Google has become so wildly successful and endemic in modern society: because they democratised information. However, as the information age has blossomed and bloomed, so too has the rise of disinformation. In fact, the UN Secretary-General - António Guterres - has called for a tackling of the ‘infodemic of misinformation plaguing the world.”
Actions such as these - especially from companies operating at the size and scale of Google - are a beacon of hope in the quest to reverse the impacts of climate change. They show not only strong corporate social responsibility, but also a recognition of the issues facing us when it comes to information, and the need to ensure that our access is not only democratised and unhindered, but also accurate and true.
If you’ve come across any other great examples of big tech working to combat climate change, we’d love to hear from you and see if it’s something we could feature in a future edition of HUMAN.
Created by Damon Xart, this series of illustrations explores the softness in gradients and colours as they shift and blend together. The beautiful combinations and soft forms are definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a touch of inspiration in your day, or just want to look at something cool.
If you're enjoying HUMAN, feel free to share it along with a friend or colleague! We’re always happy to welcome new readers, and they can sign up for themselves here. If we’ve left you wanting more Wonderland, you can check out our latest work here, or follow us on social. We do our best to update it regularly!
Thanks for reading,
Team Wonderland.
