designing with purpose

When Harvey made landfall in Houston on August 25, we knew two things. We knew the devastation would be like nothing Texas had seen in our lifetime and we knew that Texans from all around the state would rally around our Houston family. Texans are some of the most resilient, compassionate and creative people in the world. This is apparent in the droves of T-shirt designs benefiting hurricane relief that have come out since the Hurricanes and subsequent flooding.

Sometimes a simple design is what it takes to make a difference. It’s incredible to see local businesses and designers use their craft for something so good, without any hesitation.

Purchase one (or all!) of the T-shirts we gathered below and you will be making a donation to help aid the victims of the hurricane and flooding (and you’ll also get a badass tee your friends will want to steal, so maybe buy some for your friends, too).

Have we missed any? Send them our way and we’ll add to our list.

in·spi·ra·tion

As creatives we are often left staring at a blank page or screen waiting for inspiration to strike, and we know all too well that that is simply not how it works.

So how does inspiration work?

Inspiration is defined as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” It is a process that I believe is constantly happening in the back of our minds and in order to tap into it we must occupy our brain with something other than the task at hand. Listening to music, walking in nature, looking at a painting, cooking a meal, conversing with someone who has a completely different outlook on life than you, these are all ways that can spark inspiration.

I truly value stepping away from a creative problem and looking at beautiful and inspiring images for even a few minutes each day (ahem, I have over 11 thousand pins on Pinterest). When thinking of inspiration this phrase comes to mind “A watched pot never boils.” Yes I know this is a cooking term, but it applies to design as well. When we sit looking at a creative problem for too long it seems like we may never find the solution. But if you step away and occupy your mind with something else…That’s when the ideas start boiling over.

-Kaitlyn Coffee, Art Director

news + design

There’s no question that web design really allows for endless creativity. And I think we all know by now that the internet has made news more than accessible and abundant. So I’m here to say: Designers and journalists rejoice! We can work together! More freedom in design means more ways to tell news stories. Design should make news look as important as it is. We shouldn’t slack on staying informed just because it’s not in the morning paper. And we shouldn’t slack on design just because it’s “bad” news. Instead, use design to better inform. Get creative with graphics and video, experiment with telling stories in ways that make people want to read the news. Now, I leave you with the media sites doing just that. Some are simple, some more complex, but each one presents all kinds of news in a compelling, smart way and that, to me, is the beauty of creative storytelling and what can make news exciting. I encourage you to check these out and actually take some time to read. Really, it’s good for your brain!

-Claire Higgins, Brand Strategist