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Mhairi Flett

  2. Mhairi Flett

Kiel Johnson – Cardboard Sculptor & Paper Engineer

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Kiel Johnson is an internationally renowned paper engineer & cardboard sculptor based in Los Angeles. His work has been used by some of the biggest brands in the world—Disney, Adobe, Toshiba… GSM managed to track him down for a flat white and a chinwag between his commitments for TEDxChristchurch and his BJ Ball-sponsored community-collaborative workshop at The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu. GSM: Your life is a very creative one! Has it always been this way? KJ: I come from a creative family where my mother was constantly crafting and my Dad worked in newspaper. That's the old...

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Home Compostable Film – eliminating plastic naturally

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home compostable

The next time you receive a magazine or direct mail piece in your letterbox, check out how it is wrapped. It may not be what it seems! For a long time the plastic wrap has been one of the few ways to ensure your product arrived in pristine condition. Until recently, sourcing an alternative, which is both waterproof and tamper resistant, has been problematic. However, the traditional plastic wrap is finally being replaced with a more eco-friendly and sustainable option – the home compostable wrap. In this article, GSM investigates why investing in a home compostable wrap is good for...

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Uashmama – Sustainability & Washable Paper

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Uashmama Washable Paper Bags

In GSM10 we looked at a very different use for paper - washable paper! It is a story of family, a cottage industry and sustainability. How a unique washable paper, that feels like leather but washes like fabric, rejuvenated a village. "On a small Tuscan terrace eating under an umbrella of grapevines I discovered the 'Le Sorelle' bread bag. Today we know it as UASHMAMA", explains Casey Languillon, co-founder of UASHMAMA Australia. Le Sorelle (italian for the sisters) is a small family run company based in Montecatini, Italy. It all came about when four sisters embarked on a journey to...

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Creating a Customer Experience with Impact.

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FloorShark Customer Experience

With online shopping providing increased convenience and choice, the successful retailers are those who understand and deliver on customer experience. In fact, we can go as far as saying that it is critical to the success of the traditional brick and mortar store. So, how do they do it? According to a report by The Guardian newspaper – “Shopping online is a cheap and easy option. To be successful in driving in-store footfall, retailers must give customers a reason to visit their stores. They can do this by creating a multi-sensory experience that people actually want to have and –...

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An Eco-friendly Alternative to Bubble wrap

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Geami Greenwrap Eco-friendly Alternative

When it comes to caring for the environment making just one small change can have a positive effect on our world! David Goodrich and Michael Hurwitz’s are great believers in this. What they didn't realise was that their one small change would actually become a business venture for them. They were looking for an eco-friendly alternative to bubble wrap. Their business was to safely transport glass containers of blood. But, they didn't want to use plastic. There had to be an eco-friendly alternative. Alternative to Bubble Wrap Together, they came up with the idea of using cells to dissipate shock....

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Susan Kare – Digital Design Pioneer

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The digital design work of American Susan Kare marks a significant milestone in the history of modern design. GSM takes a look at her career... If you were about in the 1980s, you probably remember the first Apple Macintosh. It was a truly ground-breaking product that went on to become a global phenomenon. The success of the first Apple Mac was thanks to the adoption of the Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI hid the lines of system code to 'de-geek' the technology for the average home user. Today, we take GUI for granted, but in the 1980s—Mac OS System...

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David Carson – combining his love of Design and Surf

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In GSM10 we take a look at the work of American design legend David Carson. Did you know he was once named the most famous Graphic Designer on the planet by Creative Review? He was also one of only two graphic artists named by Apple in their awards ADA. They described him as one of '30 most influential Macintosh users over the 30 year history of the computer'. How it all started - Graphic Design David started in Graphic Design almost by accident. In fact he started out with a BA in Sociology and had never heard of the term 'graphic designer'....

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MATE ACT NOW – Driving Climate Change

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MATE ACT NOW is a co-ordinated response of over 150 designers from some of the world’s top creative studios. It's initial aim was to drive climate change in response to the 2019/20 Australian bushfires. However,  the global outbreak of Covid-19 recontextualised it to something bigger! GSM talks with Chris Flack, from Strategy Design, Christchurch, about the reasons why he initiated “Mate ACT NOW”, how it all came together and what the response has been… Chris, you’re obviously passionate about saving the environment but why did you decide a poster campaign could help? [caption id="attachment_4679" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chris Flack[/caption] We had...

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Environmentally Friendly Packaging – Eco 6 Pack Ring

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Plastic waste is a severe problem around the world. As we strive to move to a Circular Economy innovative companies search to replace plastic with environmentally friendly packaging. Here's an example... One of the major offenders is the plastic six pack ring. We've all seen images of turtles or birds ensnared in them. But it's not just the visible suffering of the animals which is of concern. The hidden danger is what happens to the plastic as it breaks down.  More than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year. As it breaks down, research suggests...

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Ed Fella – Graphic Design & Typography

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American graphic designer, Ed Fella has been referred to as the ‘Graphic Godfather’ and ‘the contemporary master of hand-drawn typography’. A number of world-leading institutions hold his work, including the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (NYC) and the Museum of Modern Art (NYC). Ed Fella is also a recipient of the Chrysler Award (1997) and the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Medal (2007). GSM14 takes a look at the work of Ed Fella… The Early Years Ed graduated from technical school in Detroit in 1957. He studied typography, pasteup and illustration. For the next 30 years he worked in...

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