THE EM SPACE

Made in Michigan: House Industry visits The Mitten State’s own French Paper

These pictures of the tour through the incredible French Paper Co. bring back memories of when I toured it in 2008. It was not only educational but a LOT of fun (and they give out some great samples!). Make a point to visit it at least once!

Made in Michigan: Tyler Card’s Nikon Halloween Costume

This Halloween costume made the rounds late last week, but I delayed posting it until today for two reasons: 1) It was a perfect choice for my Made in Michigan post, 2) As Mr. Card and I both live in the same city, I thought maybe I’d see him around this weekend. Alas, I did not, but this fully functional Nikon camera Halloween costume is incredible anyway.

(Source: core77.com)

Made in Michigan: Wonderful Display Type by Alex Sheldon of Match & Kerosene

Made in Michigan: Friends of Grand Rapids Parks’ new identity

The American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) has launched Design for Good, which—in their own words—is an initiative in which designers “use the power of creativity and design to improve the human experience culturally, socially, environmentally and economically.”

The West Michigan chapter, of which I am a proud member, recently completed their own Design for Good event based on the national organization’s call to action. The West Michigan chapter hosted a 24-hour event where designers created materials and campaigns for some of the community’s organizations. That’s right: 24 straight hours!

The details of the first campaign have been released. A six-person team worked on branding, apparel, signage and even a mobile app for Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, an organization created in 2008 to protect, enhance, and expand the parks of the Mitten State’s second largest city.

See more of the project here.

Made in Michigan: Ben Fryc

Made in Michigan: DV8 Bowling website by AUXILIARY Advertising and Design

I have a pretty talented group of friends at AUXILIARY. This recently designed website for bowling giant Brunswick proves it.

Made in Michigan: art by Pat Perry

(Source: changethethought.com)

Made in Michigan: Pyramid Scheme logo and posters by Jeff VandenBerg

Downtown Grand Rapids, Mich.—home sweet home—has many well-designed bars, but the coolest one by far is a small music venue by the name of the Pyramid Scheme. A large part of its cool factor comes from the logo and matching posters, all made by the bar’s owner, Jeff VandenBerg. Way too often poster styles will clash with the venue’s pre-existing decor, but we never have to worry about that at the Pyramid Scheme.

Also: you can never go wrong with a T-Rex in your logo. Never.

Made in Michigan: No Pattern

Made in Michigan: Phraseology Project

Submit a phrase. They’ll do it up in some pretty hand drawn goodness. Grand Rapids duo Drew Melton and Ray Brown are the creators of the Phraseology Project, a site made in an attempt to connect the blog to the audience.

(Source: underconsideration.com)