Five Ideas is a collection of work from GOOD’s favorite artists, illustrators, and designers. Some 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.

Paul Sahre is a graphic designer working out of his own office in New York City.


O.O.P.S. (Office of Paul Sahre)

Book Cover for Vladimir Nabokov / Co-design: Karolina Pyrcik

This cover is part of a book series of the work of Vladimir Nabokov. John Gall at Vintage commissioned a number of designers (including myself) to create covers. He gave each of us a book and a specimen box.

I hope the design functions the same way the title functions. The title refers to a defensive chess strategy which also happens to serve as a metaphor for the main character’s life. If you haven’t read it, I will avoid spoiling but lets just say that things don’t turn out too well on either count.

Northeastern united states, circa 2412.2 / Co-design: Peter Ahlberg

This poster is a map of the northeastern united states, circa 2412.2. Here are a few highlights:
The northeastern United States is a series of islands due to the increasing influence of china, much of the map is in Chinese, the U.S.A. is called Yo! S.A., Ohio (now an island) has been cloned, and Canada is called Gretzky. View large version.

The New York Times Book Review Illustration

An illustration for The New York Times Book Review that accompanied a negative review of Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Eating Animals. Despite the fact that I am a vegetarian, I could not resist employing a dead animal to help pan the book. I hope at the same time the image discourages meat eating (who could be hungry after looking at this?).

Spreadin’ the Luv

This symbol is part of a good will campaign I call Spreadin’ the Luv. It is a collaboration with my deaf brother Greg and is based on the hand sign for “I Love You.” It is meant as a positive and unconditional expression of luv to be shared, copied, worn, customized, distributed, printed, and otherwise applied, wherever luv is needed. Go here, create a customized symbol, and spread electronically or send me an e-mail with your address and I’ll send you some stickers.

Tape Mural!

For the past 2 summers I have conducted a Graphic design Workshop in NYC with fellow designers James Victore and Jan Wilker. This was a mural that Nicholas Blechman and frequent GOOD contributor Brian Rea created during the workshop last year.

Made entirely of tape, this insanity was installed in a few hours (with the help of workshop participants). But the coolest part was that on the closing night, everyone spontaneously deconstructed the mural—piece by piece—and took it home on large sheets of drawing paper. I have two clouds (see below).

Mural by Nicholas Blechman and Brian Rea

Inspiration

Here is a really short list:

Things that have happened to me, outer space, Montauk, New York City, my office, my books, Dunkin’ Donuts, Emily

  • 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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