The 10,000 Year Design Challenge

This is an incredibly fascinating topic to me, first uncovered during a liberal arts course at RISD some years ago: how do you tell civilizations 10,000 years from now to avoid nuclear waste? Juliet Lapidos elaborates more on the topic for the Slate. According to the article, the oldest languages we have are from the Chinese, dating back some 5,000 years. She doesn't mention the prehistoric caves of Lascaux in France, which at 16,000 years old, contain symbols we can recognize. The bulls, bison, and cattle still make sense - they are from our environment - but there are other marks which have not yet been deciphered. They mean something, but the signs are unrecognizable. What signs can be created today that will outlive languages and generations? It's a big question, and the answer is probably in the one continuous vehicle that outlives us; nature. 

Fail Harder

Via Swissmiss: While visiting W+K Portland yesterday, I noticed this magnificent Fail Harder Mural, done by Wieden + Kennedy 12.

Over 100,000 thumbtacks were used over 351 hours to create this typographic mural that spells out Fail Harder, a message that underlines the importance of failure during the creative process. Absolutely fantastic. I would love to do something similar in my studio! Hat tip! (Make sure to watch the video below!