John Clemmer’s latest installment of FullBleed’s Pro-bono Design Series: Doing Design for Good, out today, features Design Reaction and like-minded DC-based design organization Probonafide. Check it out!

Many thanks to Paul Nini and Victor Martinez for the poster design contributions that illustrate the article.

Some time ago, we at Design Reaction replaced all our tungsten light bulbs with CFLs, began using public transportation whenever possible, and started using reusable bags to bring home retail establishment purchases. However, it is only somewhat recently that we’ve become self-aware that perhaps every time we bake a pineapple into an upside down cake (Scott’s absolute favorite cake), or slice up a banana to eat with our Corn Flakes, we’re enabling our food industry to perpetuate its genetically-modified, preservative-dependent, and fossil-fueled operation. And by “our” food industry, I really mean “American” food industry. 

We’ve previously alluded to the fact that eating locally happens to be a cause after our own heart, and while we always love to see environmentally-conscious posters (in the Design Reaction poster gallery or elsewhere) we’d really love to see environmentally-conscious posters that specifically address the food industry. That’s why we’ve asked local food advocate, writer, and culinary professional Tiffany McGettigan what food issues she would like to see designers react to. She responded enthusiastically, with a call for posters that asks designers to raise awareness about local food issues, and to to encourage the public to make environmentally-conscientious food choices.

Tiffany has herself been raising awareness about local food issues and encouraging environmentally-conscientious food choices for more than a year on her blog The Garden Apartment. There, Tiffany actively documents, in writing and in photos, her experiences shopping at DC area farmers markets and forming relationships with the farmers who grow and raise her food. She also shares her solutions and seasonal recipes for cooking with local ingredients to minimize the miles her food purchases have travelled from the farm to her kitchen. 

And Tiffany isn’t the only one. The movement to eat local has been gaining momentum in recent years, with a large boost in public consciousness attributable to Michael Pollan’s publication The Omnivore’s Dilemma, frequent op-ed articles in The New York Times, and finally a string of food product recalls that have left Americans wondering how they can better understand where their food has come from and what processes it has been through. Discussion of issues in food sustainability and safety, especially in light of recent current events, include a slew of other food industry sub-topics including use of hormones, use of pesticides, animal cruelty, workers’ rights, and many others in addition to the distance food products have travelled. Tiffany acknowleges,

Local isn’t always sustainable — though it’s more likely to be. The important thing is that local gives you the option of a direct relationship with the people producing your food, meaning you can ask questions to determine whether it was grown or raised in a way you support. This is simply not possible with large agribusiness.

We asked Tiffany to elaborate on the accepted definition of ‘local’ in the context of the movement. She explains,

Some people say 100 miles, some say 200, some say within your state or region. It becomes much more of a debate than it needs to be. For me, the important point is to form a direct relationship with the farmer. This empowers you as the consumer to ask questions about your food, and hold the person growing or raising it responsible.

Designers, view Tiffany’s call for posters, and upload your reactions to this issue that affects everyone who eats. We’ll be extending our t-shirt giveaway through July for designers who upload poster responses to this issue. Visit The Garden Apartment, Local Harvest, or Sustainable Table for more information on supporting environmentally-conscious food systems. 

Photo by Tiffany McGettigan, at the Alexandria West End Market, 2008.

Starting today and continuing through the month of May, Design Reaction is going to send a free t-shirt to every designer who uploads an activist poster (or, posters!) to the Design Reaction poster gallery. 

Your poster submissions may promote any social, political, or environmental cause, but must fulfill the Design Reaction file requirements and preparation guidelines to qualify for a shirt. After you upload, we’ll contact you to confirm a mailing address, or you can contact us first if you’d prefer.

If you’re a designer without a Design Reaction account, register today to upload your poster(s), and earn what  will surely become the signature piece of your Summer 09 wardrobe.

While Design Reaction has long been a fan of the Philadelphia-based design duo Joe Scorsone and Alice Drueding, we get especially excited about their work in the context of Earth Day.

And why shouldn’t we? Not only do they design activist posters that address the issue of environmentalism and the food industry (a cause very dear to our heart here at Design Reaction), but they even do it all in a signature black and red color palette (also very dear to our heart).

Scorsone and Dreuding have been working together for over twenty years designing posters around diverse global and personal issues, including the state of our planet’s environment. Their minimalist approach to poster composition, and that killer black and red palette of theirs, make for an instantly recognizable style across their collaborative projects. They actively show work in international poster shows, including Good50×70 and the still-traveling Graphic Imperative exhibition, but if you can’t get to see their work in person visit their web site for consolation. While a simple Google search turns up many more posters, the gallery on their site is the best place to get an overview of the breadth of their work.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Joe a few times at Tyler School of Art where he teaches, and know that he is as passionate about design education as he is about design itself. This Earth Day, educate us by posting your favorite environmentally-friendly designers or design solutions below. We want to know, what environmentally-conscious graphic/industrial/fashion designer do YOU have a crush on?

Above image from sdposters.com; Poster detail: “Contamination of the world’s fish supply is caused by industrial and agricultural pollution and byproducts of many other human activities.” Agreed!

This weekend, we found ten Design Reaction promotional posters left over from a long-forgotten exhibit in a cardboard box in the basement closet the Design Reaction flat file archives.

The posters are 42×26 inches.

Do you have a 42×26 inch space of empty wall?

Consider your office. Your school. Your Hummer.

Comment below with the location of your empty 42×26″ spot, and we’ll try to fill the void. We’ll pick our favorites* this week, and contact those commenters to mail them a poster (that means it’s free, kids).

You can also get at us on Twitter or Facebook, where we’re also taking requests.

*The term “favorites,” here, probably means “quickest responses.”

We like DESIGN 21’s short article on eco-friendly posters. Lot’s of good tips.

Our contribution to their list of suggestions would be to consider virtually sharing as many posters as possible. Design Reaction lets you post any posters on the site to your Facebook and MySpace pages. Just use the “Bookmark and Share” link on any of the poster detail pages to post that thumbnail. A cinch!

Plus, when sharing posters uploaded to Design Reaction you won’t have to worry about copyright issues thanks to the Creative Commons license applied to all of the posters on the site.

Have any other tips that can make a poster even MORE green? Let us know.

I first heard about this designer after seeing his work in The Graphic Imperative while it was up in Philadelphia. His online gallery of social posters is extensive—some have become even more relevant with the current economic climate.

Do you know of other designers reacting to the state of our economy through poster design?

Above image from cedoposter.com

I know I’m way behind on this story but I couldn’t resist sharing it. What I’m especially interested in is another designer taking advantage of Creative Commons.
Vist the site and view the poster.

And tell me…do you know of any other designers who are applying a Creative Commons license to their work?

Above image from frighteningprospect.com

Keep up with our every move by following us on twitter. New poster uploads, new Calls for Posters, and news related to posters in the design world…we’ll tweet about it all.

We’ve created a facebook fan page for Design Reaction. Wanna know who else is a fan?