HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #7
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HUMAN BY WONDERLAND #7
A newsletter about design and creativity, and how they contribute to a better world.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to Edition 7 of HUMAN.
Within this edition, you’ll find our latest update on our Sustainable Digital Design platform, and our progress so far in bringing it to market, as well as the usual roundup of the best of the internet for the past three weeks. We’ve also dived into the playful design collaboration between Jean Jullien and Fernand surfboards, and the tongue-in-cheek skateboard designs from Clown skateboards. Finally, a review of sustainable architecture that not only looks great, but that also does good for the world.
If you have time at the end, we’d love it if you could spare a minute or two to fill out the survey at the bottom and let us know what you think of HUMAN!
Enjoy!
An update on our Sustainable Digital Design platform
Back in July we shared Edition #5 of HUMAN, outlining - among other things - the need for sustainability in the way we and the wider creative industry approach digital design. At that point, we were still in the early days of our journey, and were working to discover what would make a Sustainable Digital Design platform genuinely useful, as opposed to creating ‘just another environmental promise.’
Now, as we approach the end of August, we feel more confident in the direction we’re heading, and are ready to share the next stage of the journey with you.
The IPCC climate change report paints a grim future for us if we don’t act. NOW.
Show your stripes visualises global warming by country between 1901-2020
July 2021: the hottest month on record, since we started tracking it
Calling Clean Creatives to commit to declining work from fossil fuel companies
Meet Jenny, Ocean Cleanup’s latest design to help remove 90% of ocean plastic
Fussy is a subscription based refillable deodorant inspired by seaside pebbles
Dear White Parents hopes to create an anti-racist generation via open dialogue
Pentagram’s latest exhibition is dedicated to the science behind decision making
L’après M; a McDonald’s turned food bank sitting at the heart of North Marseille
Our connected lives and digital pass times are drowning us in dopamine
“Bruised Fruit” uses bruised apples to cleverly raise awareness of domestic abuse
Take a moment; life’s not always that serious
Let’s be blunt for a moment. Life’s gotten pretty serious in recent times, and the blame could be laid at the feet of any number of things. Rarely a day goes by without depressing discussions or news about the pandemic, environmental disasters (wild fires, floods, earthquakes; take your pick), the situation in the Middle Eastern, or the economy. Compounded, they foster a feeling of helplessness and exhaustion that can be hard to over come.
Then, to top it all off, the ability to actually address and discuss these trepidations, be they personal or globally, is often blocked by the societal compulsion to remain positive, and look on the bright side. Ironically, this itself has earned the title of toxic positivity. Go figure.
So, we find ourselves in a situation where seriousness is the norm, positivity is the mask, and day-to-day life can feel overshadowed by events almost too big to comprehend.
It’s Bulls*!t. And we at WONDERLAND have had enough of it. So, this week, we decided to use our Caught our attention segment of HUMAN to simply share something cool that made us smile. Surfing and skateboards. We hope it does the same for you.
Described by Design Boom as something to “bring out your inner child”, these beautiful hand-painted surfboards by Jean Jullien, in collaboration with Fernand surfboards, are as charming as they are cool. The unique series of hand-painted boards are playful in their execution and delightful in their character. There are four boards in total, two depicting passively grinning fish, one with a whale flicking it’s tale, and one with a seal happily resting its fins on its belly, each glassed and ready for the waves.
Hand-in-hand with the surfers come the skaters. For those who weren’t aware, skating was popularised by Californian surfers as a way to kill time when waves refused to behave. Now in 2021 the sport has enjoyed a moment in the sun, appearing for the first time in history as an Olympic sport, as well as seeing a spike in popularity due to the 2020 lockdowns.
As the sport sees a renaissance, so too has Clown Skateboards, emerging from a 15-year “power nap” to reintroduce skaters to their tongue-in-cheek designs. The brainchild of a drunken night out between founder Jeff Boardman and artist Banksy, the brand prioritises unique design, and works hard not to take itself too seriously. Their boards fall into two categories: higher-priced art collaborations, and price-friendly boards for riding. Regardless of the category though, each and every board is as unique as it is beautifully designed, standing out for their creative approach and out-of-the-box style.
In the midst of events bigger than ourselves, it’s nice to have something cool to look at and enjoy, simply because it’s cool. We hope they bring you as much joy and inspiration as they bought us.
From amazing abodes to centres of care and hard-working offices, we chart some of the world’s best examples of sustainable architecture, buildings that not only look good but also do good.
Enjoying HUMAN so far? Spare 2 minutes to share your feedback and let us know what you’d like to see more of in future editions!
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
