Leap are due to create the visual identity and communication collateral for what will be the UK’s leading eco-hotel The Scarlet.
The Scarlet is due to open in the Summer 2009 and offers an escape for grown-ups to eat, dream and play in peace.

First things first 2000 a design manifesto

We, the undersigned, are graphic designers, art directors and visual communicators who have been raised in a world in which the techniques and apparatus of advertising have persistently been presented to us as the most lucrative, effective and desirable use of our talents. Many design teachers and mentors promote this belief; the market rewards it; a tide of books and publications reinforces it.

Encouraged in this direction, designers then apply their skill and imagination to sell dog biscuits, designer coffee, diamonds, detergents, hair gel, cigarettes, credit cards, sneakers, butt toners, light beer and heavy-duty recreational vehicles. Commercial work has always paid the bills, but many graphic designers have now let it become, in large measure, what graphic designers do. This, in turn, is how the world perceives design. The profession's time and energy is used up manufacturing demand for things that are inessential at best.

Many of us have grown increasingly uncomfortable with this view of design. Designers who devote their efforts primarily to advertising, marketing and brand development are supporting, and implicitly endorsing, a mental environment so saturated with commercial messages that it is changing the very way citizen-consumers speak, think, feel, respond and interact. To some extent we are all helping draft a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.

There are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills. Unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises demand our attention. Many cultural interventions, social marketing campaigns, books, magazines, exhibitions, educational tools, television programs, films, charitable causes and other information design projects urgently require our expertise and help.

We propose a reversal of priorities in favor of more useful, lasting and democratic forms of communication - a mindshift away from product marketing and toward the exploration and production of a new kind of meaning. The scope of debate is shrinking; it must expand. Consumerism is running uncontested; it must be challenged by other perspectives expressed, in part, through the visual languages and resources of design.

In 1964, 22 visual communicators signed the original call for our skills to be put to worthwhile use. With the explosive growth of global commercial culture, their message has only grown more urgent. Today, we renew their manifesto in expectation that no more decades will pass before it is taken to heart.

signed:

Jonathan Barnbrook
Nick Bell
Andrew Blauvelt
Hans Bockting
Irma Boom
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
Max Bruinsma
Siân Cook
Linda van Deursen
Chris Dixon
William Drenttel
Gert Dumbar
Simon Esterson
Vince Frost
Ken Garland
Milton Glaser
Jessica Helfand
Steven Heller
Andrew Howard
Tibor Kalman
Jeffery Keedy
Zuzana Licko
Ellen Lupton
Katherine McCoy
Armand Mevis
J. Abbott Miller
Rick Poynor
Lucienne Roberts
Erik Spiekermann
Jan van Toorn
Teal Triggs
Rudy VanderLans
Bob Wilkinson

and many more

original Manifesto, 1964

reaction
by Jouke Kleerebezem

disciussion
Info Design Cafe mailinglist

miscellaneous reactions

Bedruthan Steps hotel gains triple success at this years Cornwall Tourism awards 2008!!

Last night at the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2008/9
Bedruthan Steps hotel won the following awards:

Gold Large Hotel of the Year
Gold Sustainable Tourism of the year
Silver Website of the Year


Well done Bedruthan!

Zero Waste - throw away less and make more of a difference

Zero Waste Week is running from Monday,October 20th until Sunday,October 26th and has been set up by Cornwall County Council To order an advicepack about taking part in the Zero Waste Week Challenge visit.http://www.recycleforcornwall.org.uk/zerowaste/

Lee’s view of Porthmeor last weekend

Godrevy last weekend.

Simple changes can often bring impressive results.

As the depressive wave of the credit crunch consumes the nation and we acclimatise towards a more penny-conscious society, some fear corporate and consumer commitments to
sustainability might weaken. But to what extent is the economic situation having a positive impact on environmental activities – are the links growing between
financial stability and sustainability?
At the moment, competition is rife within all sectors. With fewer business opportunities around, such a competitive market enables companies to be more fastidious in their
supplier selection process. Where one company ’s offer is much the same as another, environmental and ethical credentials can provide a strong advantage.

BANKSY IN NEW YORK?

The Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill - www.thevillagepetstoreandcharcoalgrill.com

Out of the Green!

Leap reaches international acclaim in Korea

The Seoul Design Olympiad (SDO) is taking place this weekend and the British Design Council will be attending, representing Leap amongst others.
The Design Olympiad 2008 is a world design festival hosted by Korea’s capital city of Seoul. It is organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to enhance and promote Seoul as the center of world design, in line with its designation as the World Design Capital in 2010.

Re-design’s Sarah Johnson is taking part in two of many sustainable design events during the Seoul Design Olympiad and is putting forward Leap’s work as an example for sustainable design: challenge and opportunity for creatives.
Sarah will be discussing the following topic:

What is Design For?
What is the purpose and potential of design? How are UK designers reimagining and reinventing our world, so it is better set up to fulfil our physical and emotional needs whilst respecting ecological limits?
There is a multitude of inspiring tactical approaches taken by UK designers in response to issues of waste and climate change. But for greater effect, some designers are beginning to revolutionise design practice. They are working strategically, using creative processes to intervene at higher levels in systems. These pioneers are leading the way, developing innovative process models, and positive environmental and social outcomes.

For more info view…
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk
http://www.redesigndesign.org/

Cornwall's Greenest Design Agency Welcomes New Recruit!

Leap-design for change http://www.leapmedia.co.uk, a St. Austell based design agency, announces their latest recruit to the team as Marketing and Project Manager Charlie Guidal. Leap offers a high level environmentally friendly alternative to design and print and Charlie will be bringing a ‘one-to-one - thoughtful’ approach for all clients. Charlie had previously worked as a Marketing & Events Consultant for Cornwall & Devon Media Ltd and with a background in design and media she brings fresh knowledge, creativity and energy to Leap-design for change. Charlie quotes “ The new website re-launches in October and so my hands are going to be pretty full promoting and guiding people through our carbon calculator which also includes an interactive map that will help the client choose a green printing company near to them”. Since establishing in 2004, Leap has grown from strength to strength as more and more clients realise that high quality, sustainable design and print is a valid and affordable option. Leap now comprises a 9-strong team passionate, creative staff.
Matt Hocking, Director of Leap has won several environmental and creative awards and is passionate and proactive about promoting sustainable and non-polluting practices. This ethos is reflected in Leap's work and is shared by the whole team, who are rewarded with a bonus for commuting in less polluting ways such as cycling or by train.

ENDS
07/10/08