Summer for us means more than just beach weekends and water ice. It means that we get to share our office with motivated interns who are eager to learn the ins and outs of a design studio.

We are seeking applicants on the path to becoming a stellar designer or a savvy, marketing/business/communications specialist. Work flow will vary day to day. Part-time and full-time positions available.

Please send your resume and cover letter with your availability to info((at))bajdesign((dot))com. 

Thanks!

"For 2011, we are assembling a cast of characters capable of stirring the imagination as never before. Explorers, storytellers, photographers, scientific pioneers, visionaries and provocateurs from all parts of the globe. And we won’t be forgetting the other, harder-edged meaning of wonder -- where “I wonder” equals “I ponder.” We’ll be adding in strong servings of thoughtful insight, so that the possibilities we dream of are anchored in reality."

Check the TED 2011 website for news and as always check in with TED.com throughout the year as they post videos from this year's conference.

We <3 TED!

We are helping them to establish their brand with the creation of an identity system -logo and tagline -and soon a website. More to report later, but in the meantime, check out the Potter's Farm website splash page for more information.

Paper a Book Wall

“This is a cross between wallpaper and a mural,” says Johnne Eschleman, of Portland, Oregon, who worked for about 18 months as the resident artist for the Ace Hotel’s New York location.

Larsen suggests that you ask yourself "Which media best supports your communication goals?" Once you've established this,  "everything else will fall into place."

For younger readers One Book has selected The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (also by Sherman Alexie) and The Good Luck Cat by Joy Harjo. In coming months One book will host events around the selected books, in addition to supplemental reading and film lists.

Based in Los Angeles, The Noun Project is a website that gathers and grows a library of recognizable symbols of the world's visual language. The Noun Project symbols are licensed under public domain and are available for free and easy download. The project is straightforward, while celebrating the complexity and beauty of our visual culture.

Earlier this week The New York Times released an interactive map titled "Mapping America: Every City, Every Block," which compiles the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data samples from 2005 to 2009. The map data is powered by Google Maps and allows you to scroll across the US looking at demographics on race distribution.

We have streamlined processes for writing, image selection and art direction for future publication and are currently working on next year’s edition. [see BAJ's SP2 Review project]

This is an opportunity to support community-based agriculture and environmental education
in this season of giving.

TICKETS and MORE information: www.millcreekurbanfarm.org
Tickets $25 online or at the door.

Owner, Dawn Cameron and her staff showcase their love for experimenting with tea blends and innovating the ways in which we can use tea. The site offers all types of tea inspired gifts and food. With each type of tea, the Sanctuary T Shop breaks down and describes the taste, color, brewing tips, health benefits and suggested food pairing for each individual brew. Sanctuary T Shop bestsellers include three black teas – Geisha Beauty, Soho Breakfast and Ceylon OP and one flavored green tea, Spring Harvest.

Sanctuary T Shop hopes that their website will elevate the customers interest and knowledge in teas. The teas are available at a number stores including Whole Foods Market.

Solomonov spoke from the heart about how his brother's death in the Israeli army inspired him to create the concept for Zahav. His charisma and wit balanced the serious tone similarly to his style of cooking. (Have you ever tried his hummus?)

Director of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's Tune Up Philly had his musicians join him onstage. It was breathtaking to see the intimacy that these children have with their respected instruments. They played several variations of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with sparkles of joy in their eyes. Did I mention that this program only started in September?

Other highlights included Simon Hauger, innovative teacher at West Philadelphia High School. He is working with students to design hybrid vehicles and win competitions. He believes that you "can't teach critical thinking skills without critical conditions." Then, Bill Covaleski, Founder of Victory Brewing Company, gave an education on the history of the flourishing craft beer industry without plugging his local brewery once. Kudos for that! Stephen Powers challenged the myth that all graffiti is bad. He is responsible for the Love Letters project across 20 blocks in West Philly along the El (also on the cover of the new City Paper Primer). Powers showed images of a neighborhood in Brazil that he transformed with his vision and cans of spray paint. The close of the day belonged to the powerful Ursula Rucker. Her vocals deepened the souls of all the attendees to properly end the conference.

A BIG thanks to all of those who organized the event!!

Seventeen speakers will frame their talks under the theme: Right Here, Right Now. For sessions -Systems & Societies, Culture & Meaning, Incredible Machines and Between the Ears. Some of our local favorites will have a chance to impress the audience with all of the innovative work and creativity that they are bringing to our community. We are especially excited to see Stephen Powers, artist of A Love Letter For You that we blogged about in June and is also featured on this year's cover of the City Paper's Primer.

Congrats to the TEDxPhilly team for putting together what looks to be an spectacular event!!

The theme for this month is: if not now, when.

After Thanksgiving, we'll find ourselves deep into holiday season. Take time in these next two weeks to write down a few goals - both personal and for your business. What can you accomplish before the end of this year?

We've entered the digital world. At a rally in Seattle, we had a monumental moment in our history. President Obama signed his autograph on an iPAD. Yes, you read that correct: iPAD. Talk about progress...

image from PSFK.

We'll be presenting the new site at today's JBN luncheon before their Political Panel.

Here's the details:
Moderator: Jeff Jubelirer, Principal Jubelirer Strategies
Panelist: Zachary Stalberg, President and CEO Committee of Seventy
Alex Roarty, Political Reporter
Michael G. Hagen, PhD, Associate Professor and Graduate Chair Department of Political Science, Temple University
Time: 12:00 - 1:30pm
$18 for Members
$25 for Non-Members

Hope to see you there!

image from treehugger

I'm inspired by what others do with "trash" and wanted to share a story about Jason Mecier – a San Franciso based artist – who has been making trash into art for about 15 years. He get his materials from different sources – friends, family, fans and sometimes the subjects themselves.

1800Recycling says: "Mecier's mission is to capture the public image of his subjects and in a sense, his portraits are literally constructed from the recycled detritus of the lives of the celebrities he portrays. The use of donated items transforms the process into a two-way work of communication in which the image is implicitly permitted, encouraged and nurtured by its subject."

Think about what you can do with your "trash"...

Image from Treehugger.

Last night, I found a new chocolate bar at Milk and Honey Market from West Chester chocolatier Eclat Chocolate. Named Happy Cat Organic Chocolate Bar, it is a limited-edition collaboration with Delaware County Happy Cat Farm Grown. Fresh, organic herbs married into organic chocolate equals bliss.

I tried the lavender flavor, which was subtle in taste not too floral with a decadent finish. Other flavors include Rosemary, Basil and Lemon Verbena.

Trust me and try some!

We are excited to offer a unique internship to a talented individual. The requirements are basic - organized, ability to communicate effectively, design-savvy, skilled and, of course, experienced.

To apply, please send your resume and portfolio (less than 3MB please!!)
Email: info AT BAJDesign.com

Good Luck!
-BAJ Design

Dear Google, we're honored that you exist and look forward to watching you grow.

Cheers,
BAJ Design

The Philadelphia City Paper’s magazine-esque annual publication, Primer, has landed all over our city. The intended audience is transplants, but since it discloses the down low from neighborhood to neighborhood, Philly vets and newbies alike are quickly grabbing ahold of this canon of insider information.

Our team here at BAJ Design managed the art direction for photography and design working closely with the City Paper staff to lay out each page.

Read it online: PRIMER.

Alex Gibney (Enron:The Smartest Guys in the Room, Casino Jack and the United States of Money) delivers a visually arresting look at the crumbling facade of Sumo wrestling and exposes searing and violent truths about this ancient and revered sport. Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) offers up a buoyant and revealing angle on the repercussions of baby names. Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp) balance levity and candor with their eye–opening profile of underachieving kids incentivized to learn with cold hard cash. Finally, Eugene Jarecki, who brought us the unforgettably powerful Why We Fight, investigates an unsettling theory to explain why crime rates dramatically dropped in the early 90s. Seth Gordon (The King of Kong) weaves the pieces together with brisk interludes, providing context and commentary from the authors. Freakonomics exposes the hidden side of everything, debunking conventional wisdom, and revealing what answers may come if one just asks the right questions.

Definitely a movie worth viewing...

A recent blog post by marketing expert and author Seth Godin discusses the tensions between senior and junior management. Godin argues that companies can lose pace with what’s new when senior management continues to make decisions. He stresses that it’s important to bring junior employees into the decision making process – not necessarily because they are younger, but because they will offer fresher ideas to the company. 

Executives that stay with one company for too long are more prone to missing trends because they tend to stick with decisions that are comfortable. 

Godin ends his post with this quote: "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong." - Arthur C. Clarke

NACI Architecture has recently designed two new Cathcart schools in Snohomish, Washington, which were designed to bring nature into the classroom. The school sits within a second-growth forest and the campus has the backdrop of mountains and trees. Practically every aspect of the Cathcart building design embraces nature and the natural landscape. The architects of the school say “Integration of the site's memory should hopefully raise students' and the community's awareness of the fragility and importance of our natural habitat."

Last night's game lasted 16 innings and ended unfavorably for our Phils. Fans did, however, get to enjoy the second playing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 14th inning stretch. Years ago, I went to one of the longest games ever in baseball history: Game 4 of the 1993 World Series clocked at 4 hours and 14 minutes. Unfortunately, Toronto won 15-14.

Let's hope the Phils power through September into October...Tonight: Halladay takes the mound against former Phil Happ.

Design student Jeremy Innes-Hopkins has created a packaging kit for a new brand called Scratch. The brand provides one box per meal that holds all of the raw ingredients. Everything is washed, chopped and measured out locally by hand. The meal feeds one and cooks in about 20 minutes, using as little as one pan. 

The current meal offerings are vegetable red thai curry, a Moroccan chicken tagine, a Crayfish, tomato and feta pasta and Chicken and chorizo Jambalaya. The packaged meals are currently being sold in select stores in London.

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Gandhi

Thanks goodness it’s Friday and the weekend is just beginning! Hot days, long hours and crowded commutes make it hard to relax, but it is so important. Relaxation is crucial to maintaining your well-being and heath. Relaxation reduces blood pressure, decreases muscle tension and of course, lowers stress levels. The more relaxed you are, the more energy you will have, which makes you more effective at problem-solving and being efficient.

The gadget, called “Re: Time of the Sky,” shows colors that correspond with the blues of the sky, instead of traditional hour and minute hands and digital readings. The watch shows one of 24 shades of blue for each hour of the day. The side button on the watch will reveal the saturation of the sun or moon, so that you can tell the exact time of day.

Ryohei teamed up with media artist Tomoya Kahimada to help with the programming of the watch.

In an effort to combat the increasing number of hours British citizens spend on the couch each week, the National Trust has arranged the creation of large grass sofas. The Trust has installed and grown ten couches, distributing them across British towns. 

The installations, which are useable, encourage citizens to venture outdoors, while providing them with the familiarity and comfort of a couch. With obesity on the rise in the western world, encouraging people to get outdoors is one of the first steps in healthier living.

Earlier this summer I blogged about Novella Carpenter coming to speak at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Of course I went. She was smart and witty! I immediately bought Farm City: The Education of An Urban Farmer and added it to my summer reading list. After some late nights, long afternoons and morning commutes on the train, I finished all thirty-six chapters.

Carpenter charms and educates in Farm City. She humorously narrates her personal experience as a farmer in the raw Oakland neighborhood of Ghost Town.

At first her journey begins with a handful of egg-laying chickens, and culminates with the emotional experience of butchering her two 300-pound pigs. Throughout the memoir, Carpenter confronts her beliefs about eating meat, questioning how one can raise and nurture an animal to kill it. Ultimately she recognizes and embraces the complexities of food and the intimate relationship between human and animal.  

Carpenter’s writing is honest and real. Her voice comes across as reliable and entertaining. Without bogging readers down with too much detail, Carpenter engages them with her explorations of farming and cooking. In addition, she creates a vivid literary landscape of Oakland, its residents and its challenges. 

Farm City is a perfect summer read! It might even inspire you to do some farming of your own.

Design*Sponge – a daily website devoted to design – featured a neat article about using books as coffee and side tables. Stacked on top of each other, these books provide a clever and stylish way to put books you’re not reading to use. If you don’t have that many books, summer yard sales across the city can provide you with the tools for a great home project.

This Wednesday the Philadelphia Union – the city’s new major league soccer team – will host the English Premier League Champions, Manchester United. The teams will face off at the Lincoln Financial Center. In February 2008 the Union became the 16th Major League Soccer team. In April, in front of 34,870 fans the Union played its Home Opener, beating D.C. United 3-2.

In 2009, the team received a name, crest and color. The Union’s colors are navy blue and gold to represent the Continental Army’s uniforms during the Revolutionary War. The Union’s main crest is circular to symbolize unity, and the thirteen gold stars around the bottom of the crest represent the thirteen colonies. The shield shows a rattlesnake, illustrating the 1750s idea of the rattlesnake as a symbol of the dangers of disunity.

This Wednesday the Philadelphia Union – the city’s new major league soccer team – will host the English Premier League Champions, Manchester United. The teams will face off at the Lincoln Financial Center. In February 2008 the Union became the 16th Major League Soccer team. In April, in front of 34,870 fans the Union played its Home Opener, beating D.C. United 3-2.

In 2009, the team received a name, crest and color. The Union’s colors are navy blue and gold to represent the Continental Army’s uniforms during the Revolutionary War. The Union’s main crest is circular to symbolize unity, and the thirteen gold stars around the bottom of the crest represent the thirteen colonies. The shield shows a rattlesnake, illustrating the 1750s idea of the rattlesnake as a symbol of the dangers of disunity.

So, relax this summer...in style.

Carpenter stands her ground as an emerging food writer, recording the rewards of farming in gritty urban America. At the Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, Carpenter studied under writer and food expert Michael Pollan. She continues to keep readers entranced with her lively blog, Ghost Town Farm, which provides updates and pictures of Carpenter’s activities as both an author and farmer.

The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. and include Q&A with the audience and a book signing.

Beginning in 1994, The Free Library of Philadelphia has hosted Author Events that offer Philadelphians the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue with today’s most celebrated voices in the humanities and sciences.

If you couldn't tell already; I'm a huge soccer fan and very excited about the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is only one week away!! US has to face England in the first match on June 12 and is also grouped with Slovenia (vs US on June 18) and Algeria (vs US on June 23). Even if you are not a fan; don't miss your chance to witness some of the best athleticism out there.

image from NYTimes.com

Support art!

We'll report back with a review of the events...stay tuned!

Congrats, Brian!!

It's not only the drama that's left us gasping at each commercial break, but how they incorporated sound design into the program as well. Sound is used strategically to enhance the viewer's experience and plays with emotion beyond what the storytelling can accomplish.

Watch this video featuring Sarah Silverman and the Executive Producers of LOST for alternative sounds and some Q&A.

It got me thinking about all the fonts we see on a daily basis and, more specifically, the fonts we use to express our brands. It is a very personal statement and oftentimes taken for granted. Our advice: Be selective and take your time picking YOUR font. Whether for your business, organization or personal branding; find a font that works for you. Contact us if you need help in that department. ;)

Hope you can make it!

Design Week Vancouver's site explains, "Design has the power to influence our core values, our identity, our expectations and our worldview. Design brings clarity and enhances meaning. Design Currency 2010 offers designers, business leaders and government the opportunity to experience current design thinking. Reshape your understanding of the value of design." For a visual definition, watch the video.

You can follow the conference on Twitter with @designweek2010 and #dw2010.

FontStruct is a free, web-based tool to create a custom font. It uses a basic geometric grid to allow a user to build a font system that can then be downloaded as TrueType fonts used in Mac or Windows applications. Once logged in, you'll also be able to interact with other users in their network.

We think it's pretty cool. Try it!

This picture was taken by Brian, our Principal, in Chiang Mai on a trek in northern Thailand.

(1) Amazon sells its inventory on a about a 22-day cycle; then, pays for the inventory on about a 44-day cycle. This allows them to build interest on the 20 days between. Other competitors are not able to sell their inventory until about 64 days; thus, they rely on short-term credit and have to keep their selling price points higher.

(2) Amazon is the most successful online retailer because they sell the most product. Additionally, they get the most user-generated content in the form of reviews -about one review for every 1,300 sale. When your selling rate is about one every 24 seconds; that equates to a lot of comments. Additionally, they allow useful information such as how people rate the product with one star, two stars up to five stars. You can also click if a review was helpful or not. Then, when you click into a product's review page, they organize by what users rated "The Most Helpful Favorable Review" and "The Most Helpful Critical Review." I'm pretty sure you've been to Amazon and tried to convince yourself not to buy that product...I know I have, which is why I respect them for being so transparent with their negative reviews.

(3) In my post yesterday, I stated, "Design matters." When you are designing a site; it is so important to think about the user and how they will navigate and make decisions along the way. How do you build trust in the products you are selling? Is it easy to make the purchase on your site? Think about the tools you need to design with as well as the tools your customers need to get through your site. Amazon has listened to their customer base and understand that answering the question, "When will this product be delivered?" is essential so they show the answer in five different spots on the same page. They've been able to calculate what these small additions (or subtractions) make on their bottom line.

There is no argument, Amazon's business model has proven to be successful. Thanks, Jared!

It made me realize that not everyone is focused on design aesthetic. That being said, I feel strongly that when you are ready to create your web presence; you should put your best outfit on. Consistency in grammar and formatting is important even for small things like using same number of spaces after a period. Remember, it is a two-way street: design matters.

Read the full article on Philly.com.

Read more details here.

image from pshutterbug on flickr

This is a good move for the Eagles. But, as I posted on Friday, Philly is now a baseball town. Sorry Reid.

A few pages after the article, SI predicted the outcome of how the Major League teams will rank this season. Our Phillies are (obviously) listed #1 in the NL East. I'm a little curious about the decision to move Victorino down in the lineup, but the results of the past few years have built trust in Charlie Manuel's decisions.

On that note, it seems that everyone in Philadelphia has transformed our city into a baseball town. Maybe it's the random Phanatics everywhere, but, hey, it's a good time to be a Phils fan!

The Phillies home opener is Tuesday, April 12 against Washington at 3:05pm.

photo via Sports Illustrated

Recently, they reintroduced their mascot, Dunkie, in celebration of their 60th anniversary. This vintage character got a modern makeover. They also updated their chunky typography to a more italicized script. I'm not a fan of this move, but the application on their packages does look good.

More images can be found on the Under Consideration blog.

The Flip HD has changed my life. That's a bit overdramatic (I know), but this pocket-sized camcorder is pretty cool. It captures 120 minutes of HD footage including sound. There is a built in USB arm that plugs right into your computer. It even has its own application called FlipShare that makes it easy to edit and distribute videos. Yes; I sound like a commercial, but I see the value that this $200 product can have on businesses and organizations. Videos are such a powerful medium and this cost effective tool makes production that much more accessible. We're sure to see a huge increase in the amount of video content on the web in the near future.

1. Be personal. "Dear Stephanie," is a good start. If you don't have your recipient's name; then, please don't send an empty field in your email. Don't make this faux pas (see image).

2. Target your list. Take personal to the next level. Speak to your audience and find out what their needs are. Show them that you are paying attention.

3. Keep it simple. Our space is invaded all day long with emails, ads and other distractions. Be concise and try to use an image to convey the emotion you are trying to say with words. Remember a picture is worth a thousand words.

If you don't already; I highly suggest you read Seth's blog daily. Also, watch his TED talk.

Thank you, Seth Godin!

image via 3rings

Throughout the 90's, Harris started Psuedo.com, and internet TV station that merged "streaming" video and chat to create a new kind of social entertainment. Think of it has YouTube's great grandfather, and remember this was the 90s, so no broadband (56k at best). This was way ahead of it's time, but when the dot com bubble burst, psuedo went with it.
But in 1999 (right before the crash), Harris was kicked out of his own company (with good reasons) and cashed out his stock.  He had millions, and decieded to create a social experiment called "Quiet: We Live in Public".  This was an Orwellian style "Hotel" in the heart of NYC. Imagine living in a place where everything was on camera, and everyone could see anything you were doing at all times. And, I do mean anything (think about that for moment). But, despite the lack of privacy, and voluntary iterrogations, Harris was getting at something:  Here's a quote from the film during the filming of Quiet, what does it make you think of?

"Everything is free except your image. That, we own."

Remember, this is late 1999. Myspace, Facebook, flickr, none of these sites existed yet. Josh Harris saw that this was where the online world was going:  A giant network where our personal information was stored, analyzed, and sold.
While certainly a bizzare experiment (which quickly got out of hand), Quiet was revolutionary. Harris later began to film himself and then girlfriend Tanya Corrin at their home and dubbed the site "We Live in Public". The site, and the relationship, eventually tanked leaving Harris penniless and drowning in debt (so much that he currently lives in Ethiopia to escape his creditors).  

If you have some time, and want to learn about something truly strange that happened right underneath our noses at the turn of the millennium, do pick up a copy of We Live in Public. It may be a bit disterbing at times, but truelly fascinating.  You can find it on the iTunes store for buy or rent.  

The theme this year is Business & Technology: Strategies for the New Economy. (My favorite) marketing author and blogger, Seth Godin, will give the keynote: Insights on Being Indispensable To Your Customers. Other sessions are: Strategies for Success From Grow Your Business Experts, Stand Up Comedy Techniques to Increase Sales, Building Community: Successful Women Share Their Stories, and more. 

If this sounds appealing to you; there is still time to register for the Small Business Summit 2010. Hope to meet you there!

To learn more about the new feature, see Google’s blog.

Let's get one thing out of the way: Yes, the name is unfortunate but forgivable (After all, who knew what an iPod was back in '01?).

Many of us have felt a bit of Deja Vu during the month leading up to launch. In 2007, as the iPhone was readying for launch, we wondered if it was worth $500 for a just a phone, and no one (including Apple) had any idea where it would go (or how much revenue it would bring in in just 3 years). So, once again, we're left with the question: Is a tablet worth
$500?

The answer in short is YES (in all caps if possible). But today I just want to focus with it's application for professional (or not) designers and design firms.

Multi-touch, the technology behind the iPhone's screen, is magnified to a 10" Screen on iPad. Imagine if you will: An iPad version of Photoshop where you could simply touch the canvas and shrink, enlarge, move, twist, and more, all by just touching it. Imagine having intricate maps of a client site loaded on an Illustrator for iPad app, and bringing this tablet into meetings for easy review with colleagues or just for reference. The A4 Chip (The custom designed CPU made just for iPad) and everything behind the scenes on iPad are capable of this and more.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Just like iPhone, Apple has given developers the tools and means (via the App Store) to deliver groundbreaking new functions to iPad.

iPad preorders start on Friday, March 12th and will be released on April 3rd.  Visit apple.com/ipad for more info.

Next, design your personal Twitter background. Mashable's HOW TO: Create Custom Twitter Background blog entry is a good resource to consult. Be sure to keep your image under 800k in size. The dimensions should be around 1600px wide by 1200px tall.

Here's 6 helpful Twitter background resources from Mashable:
     1. MyTweetSpace: MyTweetSpace is one of the simplest ways to create a Twitter background with minimal effort. It allows users to create badges, add graphics, play with text, and more to create elegant backgrounds and left-hand text columns. You can even log in with Twitter and MyTweetSpace will automatically update your background.

    2. TweetStyle: TweetStyle offers free background templates, custom Twitter backgrounds, and a few useful blog posts on the subject of the backdrop.

    3. Free Twitter Designer: This handy little app provides an easy-to-use image editor to help you create a professional-looking theme.

    4. TwitBacks: This is another tool for creating backgrounds. This one specializes in left-hand column-based backgrounds.

    5. TwitterGallery: TwitterGallery is a directory of themes based on color and category. You can even click the “install” button under any theme, log into Twitter, and poof!…your background is ready.

    6. Peekr: If you stumble across a great Twitter background and want to take a quick look at it in its pure form, the Peekr bookmarklet is the way to go. Click on the bookmarklet once to show only the background, and press it again to bring everything back to normal.

Follow us on Twitter: @bajdesign.

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Our first BAJ Design white paper is on social media. Businesses are leveraging the Internet in new ways. Here, you'll understand how Twitter and Google Reader can help you.

See the full list of nominees here.

image via homeportfolio.com

image from the TED blog.

Tickets are for sale.

photo from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Three Musicians, 1921

Vancouver geared up to host the event by improving their wayfinding signage on their SkyTrain transit network. From a design perspective, this is an important update to lessen confusion for the projected millions of first time users -attendees, volunteers, media members, athletes and officials. 

Good luck to all athletes and participating countries!

Plans for a tunnel to link the Pennsylvania and Reading commuter lines were floated as early as the 1950s, but funding to seriously study the project did not start until the late 1960s. The project languished in the 1970s due to lack of funding for the construction until federal money was appropriated during Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo's time in office.

Click to read more about our studio.

-Apple’s tablet computer, the iPad, was unveiled to much fanfare.  Will the sleek new device achieve the same popularity as the iPhone, or go the way of its tablet PC predecessors?

-Yale’s Kroon Hall, the new home for the university’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, has officially gained LEED Platinum status.

-Last week was Social Media Week! The multi-city conference explored how social media impacts marketing, communications, business and culture. Recaps are posted on SMW’s blog.

Good thing for Google last night's game was a nail biter. Their inaugural commercial (my favorite) aired during the 3rd quarter and was designed to tell a story through google searches that followed someone from studying abroad in Paris, France to getting married to researching how to assemble a crib. It was heartwarming, simple and smart. An article on Wired.com quotes Google CEO Eric Schmidt, “We didn’t set out to do a Super Bowl ad, or even a TV ad for search. Our goal was simply to create a series of short online videos about our products and our users, and how they interact.”   

Congrats to the New Orleans Saints (and Google)!

image via architect's newspaper

Other speakers on tonight's lineup are: Katherine Gajewski, Director of Sustainability for the City of Philadelphia; Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa, lanscape architect and Principal with Wallace, Roberts & Todd; and Alex Doty, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

We are BAJ Design- a team of designers, marketers and project managers -creating solutions that help businesses and nonprofits in Philadelphia and its surrounding area grow sustainably with their best foot forward. We just launched a redesign of our website (hence, this blog). Explore the site. Our work can be sorted by capability keywords: branding, website design, etc. Case studies are a new feature that we're excited to update as projects close.

On our blog, we'll be writing about the things we find interesting related to design, sustainability, philadelphia, food and business solutions. Please share your thoughts and, also, connect with us on all of the social media applications: Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. 

Best,

BAJ Design

Farewell.

photo by teofilo via flickr creative commons.

Find out how to successfully use the Internet for your business on our BAJ Design Downloads page.