"...I want to take a moment to thank all of you for the work you do every day — work that is helping us understand each other and embrace our shared humanity.

"And it’s not just about books. You also provide spaces where people can come together, share ideas, participate in community programs, and access essential civic and educational resources. Together, you help people become informed and active citizens, capable of making this country what they want it to be.

"And you do it all in a harsh political climate where, all too often, you’re attacked by people who either cannot or will not understand the vital — and uniquely American — role you play in the life of our nation...." - Barack Obama
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(*)Article: Thank You to America’s Librarians for Protecting Our Freedom to Read
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(*)Related Article: Obama takes to TikTok to support libraries’ fight against book bans

"We discover new things, people, and places we love. We meet new versions of ourselves, who often come with new needs or new goals. Without pausing to notice when one track is gone and a new one appears, we lose out. We miss opportunities to celebrate milestones or accomplishments that might not fit a social script of achievement but are significant to us. We miss sitting with ourselves when we fall apart, the urge to patch over grief or heartbreak or feeling lost with more churning forward. We miss–I was missing–this, the right now. The only moment we’re ever guaranteed." 
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(*)Article: There's No Such Thing as Getting Ahead
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(*)Video: Rainesford Stauffer’s Brief But Spectacular Take on Rethinking Ambition

"1. Audience first — always. Before you sit down to write, stand up to speak, or plug in to record, consider three things:

"- What is the goal of your communication; 
(*)-  Who is your ideal reader or listener;
(*)-  Who is a real person who fits that profile?

"Let that person guide the decisions you make. Keep only what’s new, interesting, or urgent to them. Cut anything that’s familiar."
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(*)PDF: Smart Brevity 101
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(*)Related Article: The Dubious Wisdom of “Smart Brevity”
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File this under good teaching and good karma alike. Max Kolomatsky is a filmmaker and graphic designer who lives in Brooklyn. As a creative he recognized that simple tweaks would improved the effectiveness of the hundreds of flyers that decorate his neighborhood.   
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(*)So he improves them, and he shows viewers on TikTok how he does it. He doesn't tell the poster he's doing it, nor does he remove the original flyer. He simply posts the new and improved version nearby. Then in short-form videos he demonstrates how he uses Photoshop to replace colors and fonts, to simplify and rearrange text, and to add simple graphic elements.
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(*)So far he's amassed over 3 million online views and the attention of Adobe, who has hired him to create several design process videos for their own social media platforms.
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(*)Article: The Brooklyn Artist Revitalizing New York, One Flyer At a Time

"In 1970, just months after that first Earth Day, the Container Corporation of America (CCA), then the biggest manufacturer of corrugated boxes in the U.S. with a reputation for being at the forefront of corporate graphic design, plastered college campuses with posters encouraging aspiring designers to produce a symbol for future use on products made from recycled paper. Said symbol would be a public domain design with a prize of $2,500 and a fellowship to attend the 1970 International Design Conference at Aspen.

"The 500 entries were judged by a team of design experts, including graphic arts legion Saul Bass and the influential IBM designer Eliot Noyes. The winner was a recent graduate of the USC School of Architecture by the name of Gary Anderson." - Kristin Joker
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(*)Article: The Story Behind the Symbol

One-liners
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(*)Article: Dr. Bronner’s adds a refill system to its product range
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(*)Article: The Lord’s Prayer "Our father" opening may be ‘problematic’, says archbishop
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(*)Article: These surfers want to restore temperate rainforests to Ireland
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(*)Article: Making hiking accessible without cars

No more categories

The Image of the Week is by the Paint Up Community of Beirut. 
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(*)"Surprise everyone! We're all PAINTED UP!
(*)"73 Steps, 7 hours, and a dozen designers later, and we have our beautiful staircase, V.3, complete 
(*)Like it, share it, and if you can, pass by and take a peek at it down on Mar Mikhael Street! 
(*)"A job well done to our exceptional team who put all their love into our new step forward to brightening up & bringing color to the streets of Beirut." - A Dihzahyners Project.
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(*)Project Facebook page: Paint Up June 17, 2012