Every month at Echo, we collect and share a taste of the reading, writing, people, stories, tools and design that have intrigued and inspired us. This June, we’ve developed crushes on …
This past month, we’ve rather fallen in love with …
…Smooth Jazz.
Do you recognize the pattern on this plate? One man–and now the Internet–became obsessed with uncovering the designer behind the now-ubiquitous “Jazz” design that has, over the year, cultivated a passionate fan base. The story of the search makes for a riveting and funny yarn.
…Mr. Hong’s elementary class.
It’s been a wild ride for us this past month at Echo, creating and sharing our #TellThem Now video and watching as viewers took note. The best part by far, though, has been hearing the stories of how viewers were affected by it. And this may be the very best bit yet: after viewing it together, a Digital Learning class at Hillcrest Elementary in Surrey, B.C. put together their own Youtube video telling their fathers why they are grateful to them. Thank you, Mr. Hong.
…Sugru!
Sugru is the world’s first mouldable glue that turns into rubber. The brand has done an enchanting job of making us feel the rush an inventor feels when he has discovered an exciting new thing. They cut through the potential fog of what the product is with their quirky and lovable 89-second video. We are also offered a visual tour through its 12-year history that is so candid and personal that we want to keep reading to see what happens.
…MAAK PLAATS!
The topic of city infrastructure isn’t always, er, a gripping one, but the design of this research project by Florian Mewes for the Dutch government is anything but boring.
Check out ‘Maak Plaats!’ (‘Make Space!’) here:
http://www.hooikaas.com/alfons-hooikaas/projects/Maak-Plaats-book/
…that we’re all related.
The wonderful A.J. Jacobs, author and humourist, tells us that the “family of man” is no cliche: he says we are, all of us, indeed related. And on June 6, he hosted the world’s largest family reunion, inviting 6.7 million people–all people included in his book, It’s All Relative, which attempts to compile the world’s largest family tree–to The Global Family Reunion in New York City. Here’s the TED Talk that explains his theory.
…shoes with customizable heels.
Because heel height is such a personal decision.
