Five Ideas is a collection of work from GOOD’s favorite artists, illustrators, and designers. Some of the of the work you’ve probably seen, some of it has never been published. Each week, we’ll showcase five pieces of work that tell a short story about our most creative friends.

Robert A. Di Ieso, Jr. was born and raised in Orange County, New York, where he received solid experience as a farm hand, stock boy, shoe salesman, camp counselor, and car salesman. He has worked at various design studios that specialize in environmental graphic design. Most recently he spent more than four years at Open under the helm of Scott Stowell.


A Threat in Every Port

The New York Times Op-Ed Chart

Client The New York Times

High quality four-color offset printing has become the norm for most print projects today. Doing work in one color on newsprint produces a unique textural quality that‘s becoming rare. I enjoyed this piece specifically for two reasons: one the subject matter was interesting to me and provides the readers with valuable information, and two I have a strong sense of pride when doing anything for The New York Times.

Energy Stars
Information Graphic Illustrations

Client Fast Company

I always thought of my self as a designer first and an illustrator second. This piece was the first time I was hired purely for my illustration work.

Stand Clear
The Most Used Subway Systems in the United States and Around the World

Client GOOD

My favorite kind of work to do is information graphics. For me there’s something really thrilling about taking a complicated data set and transforming it into something that allows readers to easily grasp the content in a visually interesting way. This piece specifically was about subway trains which allowed me to geek out on research and photo searches so that I could create as accurate to scale illustrations as possible. You can see all of Di Ieso’s work for GOOD here.

Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin
Illustrations depicting exercise and other activities and the foods we eat afterwards (killed)

Client Time; Art Director Cynthia Hoffman

These illustrations were done for an intro to an article about the kinds of food we eat in relation to our everyday activities. One of my favorite things to draw is food. I’m not really sure why, but I just find it super satisfying to draw a perfectly rendered piece of fruit or a cheeseburger. The work was eventually killed when the editors decided to go with a photo-based intro instead.

Your Brain: A User’s Guide
Illustrations depicting the development of the adolescent brain

Client Time Inc. Home Entertainment; Art Director Sharon Okamoto

I’m in constant awe of all things science and technology related, so when I was given the opportunity to create an information graphic about the inner workings of the adolescent brain I was totally psyched! Being able to learn things about biology while designing is a damn near perfect combination for me.

Inspiration Hmm… the need to pay rent and buy alcohol! Seriously though it’s hard to pick one thing that inspires me. I guess if I was hard pressed I’d say: learning about the way the universe works as discovered through science, science fiction movies that deal with all things existential; peers that produce work that make me strive to be a better designer; the human race along with the world at large; and, not to sound too hokey, my girlfriend, Rhiannon and my dog, Cisco.

  • Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
    Dogs have impressive observational powers.Photo credit: Canva

    Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.

    “A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”

    His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.

    pregnancy signs, dogs and pregnancy, pitbull behavior, pet intuition, dog overprotection, Reddit stories, viral Reddit, dog instincts, canine emotions, dog owner tips
    Otis knew before they did. Canva

    Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.

    So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”

    The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.

    Any chance your wife is pregnant?

    ZZBC | Reddit

    The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!

    “The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”

    Redditors responded with similar experiences.

    Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.

    realityisworse | Reddit

    So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?

    Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”

    The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.

    This article originally appeared last year.

  • Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.

  • ,

    Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories

    Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.

    While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.

    When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.

    Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.


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