By: Steven Heller | April 1, 2009
In keeping with our birthday celebration theme, this is the 10th anniversary of Sappi’s Ideas That Matter. This extraordinary initiative by Sappi Papers to support programs of social merit conceived and designed by designers has been awarding substantial grants to initiatives that have made a difference. Here are a few of them:
Joey’s Corner/Michael Osborne, MOD (above)Joey’s Corner is a non-profitdesign studio dedicated to providing pro-bono, strategic creativeservices to non-profit groups focusing on health care, children’s andsocial well-being issues. The 1% Solution/Jeremy Mende, Mende Design (below, top)This two-sided book makes the case from two points of view–nonprofits and designers–for The 1%, a Public Architecture program that connects nonprofits with architecture and design firms willing to give one percent of their time to pro bono service working for the public good.
Creative Pitch/Dian Sourelis, Brainforest (below, second from top)Creative Pitch is a Brainforest initiative launched in 2005 to encourage Chicago area design and advertising firms to turn unneeded materials into much-needed art supplies for elementary students. Creative Pitch helps turn what normally would be trash into valuable art supplies for thousands of children.
Chill + Spill (ArtHeart)/Steffanie Lorig, Art with Heart (below, second from bottom)Art with Heart’s carefully researched and thoughtfully crafted publications–activity books for writing, drawing, and creating–help youth facing extraordinary life challenges by equipping them with skills and strategies that support resilient responses to adversity.
Ametrica!/Amy Wang, SVA MFA Designer as Author (below bottom)This thesis project features a user-friendly book created to support theUS Metric Association’s mantra to convince lawmakers, governmentofficials, and the general public that converting to the metric system is an important step for the US (one of only three countries in theworld not using the system).
Sappi welcomes submissions. Having been a jury member I can tell you this is one very worthy program.
Tell me in comments about other socially conscious design projects you admire.