CREATIVE TOOLBOX • VISUAL DIARY

Shared reflections — inspirations • insights • fun facts • tips — gleaned from our spirited journey
through the worlds of communication and design

Global Field Study

My CXD Global Field Study (looking for Signals of Better related to Cities as Living Systems that are healthy, resilient, and regenerative — a mouthful I know...) STARTS TODAY! I am headed to Venice and then Barcelona, with side trips...

Urban Forest Plan

The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice announced the first-ever Urban Forest Plan last spring. The plan is a long-term strategy for protecting, expanding & improving the city’s urban forest across all five boroughs...

EV Charging

New York City is expanding access to electric vehicle charging for drivers without private garages or driveways. FLO curbside chargers — branded “plugNYC” — turn ordinary streets (like my home-block West 76th Street between Columbus...

Grassroots Design

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralized, international movement using nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience to demand action against climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological collapse. Founded in the UK in 2018...

Parks Signage

As a New Yorker, parks are near and dear to my heart — from the expansive Central and Riverside, to our local dog run and PS87 playground, where we practically lived when my kids were young. NYC Department of Parks...

Balcony Solar

The Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act was recently passed in New York State. The legislation exempts small-scale balcony or plug-in solar from interconnection and net metering requirements. It prohibits utilities from requiring...

Pictograms

A pictogram (or icon) is a graphic symbol that conveys meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. It is pretty clear — no matter what language you speak — which side was which on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Lyft Co-Brand

Lyft operates Citi Bike through its mobility division, Lyft Urban Solutions. The division powers bikeshare and micromobility systems in 57 cities across 16 countries, with more than 185,000 bikes and vehicles deployed worldwide.

Bikeshare Identity

Citigroup became the founding sponsor of Citi Bike in 2013, securing the naming rights that gave the system its now-iconic identity. The partnership helped launch what has grown into North America’s largest bikeshare network — now with more than 35,000 bikes...

Earth Day 2026

Kudos to artist and musician Miles Wintner regarding this bold, bright poster design for Earth Day. The composition, titled “Earthflower,” depicts our planet as a bloom held and admired in human hands, a figure of collective care drawn at a scale that renders the gesture...

Design History

On the eve of Earth Day, it is interesting to look back to the first Earth Day — April 22, 1970 — as illustrated by this poster, now housed in the NYC Public Library’s “Manuscripts and Archives Division.”

Act-ivist Branding

I don’t usually broadcast my age (range — wink-wink) but this group of over-60-y-o’s caught my eye. Because they are climate change AND democracy focused (two of my priority “causes”). And also because the organization’s branding...

Movement Identity

Observed annually on April 22, Earth Day focuses on global environmental protection through campaigns including End Plastics, The Canopy Project, Climate and Environmental Literacy, Food and the Environment, and Fashion for the Earth.

Fractured Portrait

At the entrance to the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore. Can you find my eye? Hint: right in the middle. Holding to our center in a divided, chaotic world is certainly the task at hand.

La Marca

La Marca. Definitely a nicer way to say “the brand.”

Blue Sky

I am going with Blue Sky. The expression “blue sky” refers to imaginative, expansive thinking without constraint. Like with brainstorming, we are not held back...

Just Say No

Sometimes Communication By Design speaks for itself.

Subtle Beauty

A demonstration of glorious restraint spotted in Spain. Minimalist typography designed with the double “s” in mind. Letterspaced to perfection. PICASSO capitalized and bolded for emphasis.

New York City

It doesn’t get any bolder than this. Cities benefit from visual identities, and this is New York’s — in its simplest form, on which a multitude of variations are based.

Pronouns

Spotted around the corner at our local “thrifting” retailer. Supporting DEI — with a twist.

Be the Good

Inspiration for my fellow “On the Sunny Side of the Street” walkers. T-shirts are THE best for spreading your brand and/or message — walking billboard mode! This one with a clever color-emphasis typography design.

Team Attire

A brand (haha) new CXD-color collar for our Chief Experience Office (CXO) and Receptionist just arrived. The idiom “God is in the details” is often attributed to minimalist architect Mies van der Rohe, who probably co-opted the phrase from the ...

Loyalty

When I ordered a tent for my recent camping trip, I tried to re-join the REI co-op thinking surely my membership had lapsed. The customer service associate chatted back “thank you for being a member since 1980” as she confirmed my ID#...

Certification

Third-party certification is one way to build credibility and trust in a brand. B Corporation a private certification of for-profit companies regarding social and environmental performance, conferred by B Lab, a global nonprofit...

Transparency

An inspiring — and authentic — illustrated tagline from Just Coffee Co-Op • Fair Trade and Organic Coffee. “Justice” is demonstrated through transparent reporting of actual “fair trade” practices.

Be an Outsider

Love this inspiration that references the brand L.L.Bean but separates “be” and “an” into a directive along the lines of “Just Do It.” With the added double meaning of “outsider” as in outdoor adventurer OR “think outside the box”...

ID Evolution

This brand refresh for Tribeca Festival is a joy to behold. I take note (two years after the fact) as this year I made a point to attend at least one screening, which happened earlier this month. Duly impressed with the entire experience, I plan to...

Give Back

One way to observe Earth Day (April 22) is to join an organization like 1% for the Planet. Members donate the equivalent of 1% of gross sales (through a combination of monetary, in-kind, and approved promotional support) directly to...

Simplicity

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

Photography

CXD recently finished a project featuring this image by Tony Shi (Getty Images). The second time we have used one of his amazing photographs of NYC for this client, a commercial real estate attorney. Check out his work and be inspired!

Light

The Kings lost to the Warriors yesterday in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, but Sacramento’s “Light The Beam” rallying cry inspired city, team, and fans throughout a winning season. A valiant purple beam shines upward...

Transit Campaign

I honestly think this colorful station installation campaign promoting Ally bank’s savings account product is brilliant. As is the banking online platform/app itself, where we can create up to 10 “buckets” or things we want to save for...

Brand Color

Just as Lyft, T-Mobile, and the Panther are known for pink, Flix is known for green. All FlixBus has to do is paint an urban wall the same color (note the exact match) to mark their space. This one is directly across the street from Moynihan Train...

Brand Stories

I was so pleased with our RuffWear treat pouch (see yesterday’s post), I ordered a matching harness and leash for this just-returned-to-the-city dog (Wren). Founded and based in Bend, OR, RuffWear is a brand story in and of itself.

Product Branding

I found RuffWear on a search for “best dog training treat pouch” and ordered this one (which is amazing by the way — highly recommended). Great product with impressively sturdy and well-designed packaging and brand identity labeling.

Cast Metal

According to Ephemeral New York, “All over NYC we can find late 19th and early 20th century maintenance hole covers embossed with unusual shapes and designs.” The covers function as branding and on-street identification for the...

Street Art

Using public fixtures as printing plates, the artist collective behind Berlin-based Raubdruckerin creates shirts and bags with artwork reproduced from manhole covers, vents & utility grates. Ink is applied directly via roller, and prints are made individually on location.

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