IDEAS THAT MATTER INSPIRATION

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o “Using your talent to effect change is what we want as designers, so finding out that the preemie baby
book can be such a benefit — that it can change people’s lives — that makes every ounce of sweat worth it.”

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 Doug Hebert
 www.savagebrands.com
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 2003 & 2006 Grant Recipient
 2005 Judge
 Follow your inspiration
Doug was a judge for Ideas that Matter in 2006 and an award recipient in 2005 for his ground-
breaking book, High Risk: A Handbook for the Aftercare of Premature Infants — a handbook
inspired by the premature birth of his son in 1998.

The Ideas that Matter grant got this project started but it led to so much more. Getting the first piece printed and off the ground led to
a healthcare organization reprinting and distributing the book to a much wider circle. So Doug’s idea, the team he worked with, and
the funding from Sappi’s Ideas that Matter program changed the world for parents of premature children.

“I recognized a need in the community and knew that I could supply the ideas, the leg work and the connections to make it happen.
Although I had the idea, I had to find an organization that could best benefit from the piece and who had the resources and
connections to distribute it. I needed to listen to them too even if it was my idea. Together we formulated a tightly knit idea and the
reasons for producing the book. We both knew what we wanted to accomplish — we set a metric. Then we assembled a competent
team to pull the project off and made sure everyone understood what we had to work with financially.”
 “It’s gratifying to hear when someone uses this book to benefit their family. It gives me a thrill! Using your talent to effect change is
what we want as designers, so finding out that the preemie baby book can be such a benefit — that it can change people’s lives —
that makes every ounce of sweat worth it.”

“My project for premature babies was so important to me that I submitted a second project and won funding for that, too. I know I
can make a difference in the world — and I have with the support of an Ideas that Matter grant.”

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o “Think about design as a way of solving problems,
not making things pretty.”

 Think about the project in the real world

Steven is the author of more than 120 books on design and popular culture. He writes the Daily
Heller blog for PRINT magazine. And he is a recipient of the AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement.
Steven was a 2007 judge for Ideas that Matter.

“I’m co-chair, with Lita Talarico, of the MFA Designer as Author Program at SVA. Our program requires students to create
something — and it can be a tangible product — that comes out of their own interests and ideas but can be produced. It has to be
real and many students take their projects through a complete product life cycle. We teach students to think about design as a way
of solving problems not making things pretty.

Lita and I encourage our students to apply for two programs in the design community — the Adobe Student Awards and the Sappi
Ideas that Matter grant (if their thesis fits the criteria). Each year at least one student wins a grant. The process of applying for the
grant and taking their ideas from concept to production to implementation out in the real world is tangible proof of the effect of their
education and frankly makes me quite proud.

When I was a judge I was excited to see that the SVA student applicants — building on their thesis ideas — really understood the
importance of a comprehensive plan, but I was also really impressed with other applications that took an idea from start to finish.
Being a judge gave me an appreciation for the kind of work that clears all the hurdles. And as someone who looks at a lot of design
work in the process of running a design program, writing about design, and judging design competitions I was stunned by the clearly
thought through simplicity that winning entries used to communicate messages and to change the world.”

 Steven Heller
 www.hellerbooks.com
 MFA Designer as Author

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o “Our Ideas that Matter grant awarded to us in 2008 has helped us expand our mission to serve more
youths and wider communities.”
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 Denise Korn
 www.korndesign.com
 www.youthdesign.org
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 2008 Grant Recipient
 Don’t be afraid to go one step further
“Seven years ago I started a nonprofit called Youth Design as a way to introduce high school
students to career opportunities in design by providing internships with leading creative mentors
during the summer months. The program was inspired by my work on the Creative Economy
Initiative for New England and with AIGA. I had a big yet simple idea that pairing talented,
underserved high school youth with professional design mentors would feed the creative workforce
and help guide students to tap into their creative passions as they looked towards college and
beyond. We partnered with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s summer jobs program and the PIC,
Private Industry Council, taking the program one step further to focus on a specific career path in
design.

Through this experience, students learn that it is both possible and viable to focus on design as a profession and are encouraged to
pursue a college education with a design focus. Students at the high school level are ripe for hands-on learning and eager to figure
out how they can productively work in our complex world. I see Youth Design as both a pathway and mentoring support system for
talented students at this critical crossroads.

The process of starting a nonprofit was certainly a challenge, but it has paid off. As we nurture Youth Design's growth, we see how
the program continues to influence and inspire our students well beyond their summer spent with us. My first Youth Design student,
Lydia Kardos, recently graduated from The School of Visual Arts in New York and is pursuing a career as a professional
photographer. Our Ideas that Matter grant awarded to us in 2008 has helped us expand our mission to serve more youths and wider
communities. Last summer we expanded Youth Design to Denver Colorado and Rhode Island. I now have my heart set on reaching
the west coast by 2010!”

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 o “When I was a judge, I was looking for more than merely ‘pretty.’ I was looking for entries that would
have a direct impact on recipients’ lives.”

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 Steffanie Lorig
 www.artwithheart.org
 www.lorigland.com
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 2004 & 2008 Grant Recipient
 2006 Judge
 Consider the project’s impact
In 2003, Steffanie became the first full-time founding director of Art with Heart, which had just won
its first Ideas that Matter grant. Steffanie was an Ideas that Matter judge in 2006 and Art with Heart
was also a 2008 recipient of an Ideas that Matter grant for a new book to help teens and tweens
who are affected by illness.

“In general, Ideas that Matter judges look for cause worthiness. They consider a variety of elements before awarding a grant,
including the ability of a project to make a difference, the quality of design, how the project supports the mission of organization, how
many people the project touches, and how the project communicates a call to action, which is a very important consideration.”

When I was a judge, I was looking for more than merely ‘pretty.’ I was looking for entries that would have a direct impact on
recipients&rs lives. I wanted to see good design thinking — taking a great concept, and applying it in a way that is of direct service.

Others that impressed me were projects where designers had a history with the organizations they wanted to help. They knew
enough about them to know what the organizations really needed; what would enable them to make big leaps forward. They had a
perspective that only history can lend.”

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o “I wanted to use my skills as a designer to be an agent for change. I didn’t want to talk about it I wanted
to go out and do something about it.”
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 Bobby Martin, Jr.
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 2003 Grant Recipient
 2005 Judge
 Draw from your personal experience
Martin used graphic design as an agent of change for the Abyssinian Church in Harlem, for which
he received a $32,000 grant from Ideas that Matter in 2003.

Bobby’s $32,000 Ideas that Matter grant funded a billboard campaign—a campaign of positive imagery and expression that
expresses the power of design and is based on first-hand experience with the project and the client.

“I chose to live in Harlem when I moved to New York City from the south because I’d read so much about this neighborhood growing
up. I joined the Abyssinian Church for some of the same reasons — its 200-year history as an agent for change in this historic
neighborhood. I stayed because I liked and believed in the teachings of the church. However, my experience at church certainly
wasn’t reflected in its materials. So, for my Masters Thesis at SVA I redesigned their image to reflect the history and
accomplishments of this 200-year old institution. I based the mark on an ancient Ethiopian Coptic cross. And used the history of
race in America — its propaganda and communication style — to help people in Harlem notice and recognize the work the Church
performed in the community.”

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o “There is nothing more gratifying than designing projects for dedicated, hard working non-profit
organizations doing the most important work in the world, with the most incredible people I’ve ever met.”
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 Michael Osborne
 www.modsf.com
 www.joeyscorner.org
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 2005, 2006 & 2008
Grant Recipient
 2005 Judge
 Offer a real client relationship
Since 1981 Michael Osborne Design has undertaken hundreds of pro-bono design projects for non-
profit groups. After many years of working on these projects, in between the firm’s regular client
work, Michael recognized that there was a real need for sustained support for his non-profit clients.
As a result, he developed a plan to create a separate non-profit design firm that would provide
services for other charity-based non-profit groups. And so, this ‘new model’ design firm, Joey's
Corner, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, was founded with an Ideas that Matter grant in 2006.
Joey’s Corner honors the life of Michael’s deceased son, Joseph Michael Osborne, 1980-2004, and
is funded by donations, fund-raising events, and whenever possible, underwritten by a sponsor or
by the non-profit client.

Typically, non-profit organizations cannot afford a professional graphic designer. However, they often realize that strategic design
solutions can help them communicate in a professional, consistent manner—supporting their mission and enabling goals, such as
enhancing public awareness and attracting new donors.

“Graphic design is a powerful communication tool when used effectively and can be a huge benefit for nonprofits; especially when
the partnership is managed professionally, consistently and with the same attention and focus as other, for profit client projects.
Joey's Corner is a prime example of how graphic design can be used to help an organization communicate their valuable message
in an effective, consistent, and powerful way.”

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o “The idea that a designer can apply for a grant to send a message — whether it’s a poster or another
form of communication — is exciting and encourages applicants to focus on what they do well in order to make a
difference for their non-profit client.”
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 Robynne Raye
 www.moderndog.com
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 2003 Grant Recipient
 2004 Judge
 Use your Strengths as a Designer
“Like all designers, at Modern Dog, we strive to understand what makes us unique and
communicate that to our clients so that we can work together to meet their marketing and
communications needs. Part of what we think defines us is our desire to to mix humor and our punk
rock aesthetic to put our best work forward for our clients. Some of the work we’ve created is
courageous, some of it is whimsical and funny, and some just rebellious.

We recently published a 20-year retrospective of our posters. While organizing the posters we realized we had a whole section on
social causes. From my experience, I know that posters have the ability to send a fast message to an audience, especially when the
work pushes the status quo and makes the recipient question his or her beliefs and feelings. And, it’s a great medium for how we
like to design.

Not only did I look for that kind of immediacy and strength when I judged projects for Ideas that Matter in 2004, but I also drew on an
understanding of what we do well when we planned our project that was awarded an Ideas that Matter grant in 2003.

The idea that a designer can apply for a grant to send a message — whether it’s a poster or another form of communication — is
exciting and encourages applicants to focus on what they do well in order to make a difference for their non-profit client.”

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o “We do work for non-profits in order to give back to the community. It’s a chance to create work for a
client that is really appreciative, and for whom we can provide a real service.”
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 Scott Santoro
 www.worksight.com
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 2009 Judge
 2007 Grant Recipient
 Take a role in educating the non-profit about the design process
Scott’s project for the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault won an Ideas that Matter grant
in 2007 which helped to bring visual integrity to the Alliance’s communication materials. With the
knowledge of what design, printed properly, can do for them, the Alliance has remained strong and
committed to their communications outreach.

“Having graphic design built into a non-profit organization helps legitimize the organization in its community. Yet many non-profit
directors don’t understand the effect. They might only see design as producing something slick. But designers know that a
consistent voice and message is loaded with meaning for the viewer. First off, it means the organization cares about their
communications with each person. Second, a design that efficiently conveys information means that the organization knows how to
tap the resources that exist in the business community. My satisfaction with my non-profit project comes from having taught them
how to really use this community so that everyone wins.”

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o “Of course, these things are always subjective. But the proposals that worked for the judges (and
especially for me) were the projects that clearly had the ability to do something real, no matter what particular topic or
issue they addressed.”
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 Scott Stowell
 www.notclosed.com
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 2009 Grant Recipient
 2008 Judge
 Working for the people your clients work for
“We’ve been designing a magazine called Good for a while now. They call it ‘the magazine for
people who give a damn.’ I call it a lifestyle magazine for people who are interested in changing the
world. It's a great project that demonstrates my belief that it’s possible to use design to change the
world just by making things a little bit better every day.

For me, a piece of design (or anything) is successful when it’s made with care, effort and a point of view. If it’s apparent that the
person making it was thoughtful about the world and took pride in his or her work, then it feels good to me, whether I agree with all
of their decisions or not. As an Ideas that Matter judge, this is the kind of work that I was looking for. Of course, these things are
always subjective. But the proposals that worked for the judges (and especially for me) were the projects that clearly had the ability
to do something real, no matter what particular topic or issue they addressed. I think the name of the program — Ideas that Matter
— is meant to be taken literally. These are projects that can actually change things.

A lot of designers don’t think about the people who will buy or read or use their work. They’re more concerned with what their clients
or bosses think, and they’re not always looking out for the end user. So as an Ideas that Matter judge, I was looking for projects that
would not only help non-profit clients, but also the people that those clients serve.”

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o “It’s not about being seen as a nice guy or about proving anything. I've wondered that. The fact of the
matter is that nobody even really knows you do it. And truthfully, I usually do it because I either think the idea is great or I
find that the people who are doing the real work really care.”
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 Terry Marks
 www.tmarksdesign.com
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 2008 Grant Recipient
 Take a look at what motivates you
“WHY? That’s a damn good question. No, I’m not working out my penance nor am I putting too
much weight on karma. Why do I do it? I think I have to blame my father. He worked for the Red
Cross for 38 years. Growing up, we were constantly volunteering for something. It’s part of who I
am, I guess.”

Terry’s goals are to build organizations with heart, substance and soul — and to inspire the non-profit community towards
entrepreneurial ventures, to expand and educate the public about the sector. He co-chaired the Oodles of Doodles For Your Noodle
project: an activity book co-written by Stefanie Lorig for the nonprofit Art with Heart. He and his firm have participated in work for
additional non-profits including the Experimental Education Unit and ASTAR for Autism—for which he was awarded an Ideas that
Matter grant in 2008. Other organizations that tmarks supports include Friends of Arthur, The Northwest Network Foundation and
Powerful Voices, which works with girls in juvenile detention.

“It’s not about being seen as a nice guy or about proving anything. I’ve wondered that. The fact of the matter is that nobody even
really knows you do it. And truthfully, I usually do it because I either think the idea is great or I find that the people who are doing the
real work really care. It’s compelling. And I want to help.”