Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 11:08PM | 3 Comments Do Shit That Matters: A COMMON Typographic Design Challenge
We have a saying at COMMON, and a really good one. It’s good because it’s simple, it’s straight and it has a cuss word, which we like.
This saying isn’t just important because it captures the reason COMMON exists (to creatively accelerate social change, if you’re curious) – it also keeps us focused, motivated and calm in the midst of our most massive creative suck holes.
It’s ‘Do Shit That Matters.’
But doing shit that matters is hardly just something that we care about. As we’ve so thoroughly discovered in our community’s first year, doing shit that matters is important to almost everyone. Those four words are the reason we like getting up in the morning. They’re the reason we make the decisions we make. They’re the reason working doesn’t really feel like work. Most of the time.
Our challenge to you is to design your own interpretation of this phrase using typography – think hand written, hand set, digital, spelled out in your new collection of Twinkie nostalgia – anything goes.
On January 31st, we’ll select one designer’s work for production as a Threadless tee. Our winner will also land the other great contents of our goody bag:
- $500
- A $250 Threadless gift card
- Two all-access passes to COMMON Pitch NYC parties, mentor sessions at the School of Visual Arts and event for the designer and a friend (airfare not included)
- Attributed design produced as limited edition, sustainably produced poster to be featured at COMMON Pitch NYC during Social Media Week
- Attributed design used as featured artwork of COMMON Pitch NYC
- Attributed design produced as desktop and iPhone wallpaper
All submissions are due by midnight on January 30, 2012, sent as a digital file in this direction. No design will be shared publicly or used for profit without the explicit consent of the designer.
Good luck!
Reader Comments (3)
Hey there - Hoping to participate in this one, as it's just too hard to pass up playing with custom type, that communicates a great message. Question: Is it cool if I change the statement, but possibly have the "Do Shit That Matters", as a type of a.k.a. footnote? In effect, using another statement, as the "hero" element of the design—one that captures a very similar sentiment as the DSTM statement ...
Hi Brian, we are only looking for the "DSTM" statement. Thank you.
Ah — Too bad for me then ... had something that's been in my head for awhile that I wanted to connect to this ... I'll participate on other/future stuff. Thanks.