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What does socially responsible mean? Brad writes:

There are many ways that a product can be socially responsible. Along with more obvious criteria like eco-friendly materials and ethical manufacturing practices, there is also how well an item is made, and how long it will last. The goods featured on this site run the gamut. While some are organic and sweatshop-free, others are so high-quality that they’ll never need replacing (there are even a few to which all three traits apply).

One of those few is from my former home state:

There are two core tenets that guide the work of Michigan’s Teamwork.

Number 1: sustainability is as much about being environmentally friendly, it is about making a product that is long-lasting and functional. And 2: never forget your roots. From design, to sourcing, to manufacturing, the brand carries out the entirety of its production in Grand Rapids, MI, hometown of the company’s founders. The bags, all of which are one of a kind, are made from used sailcloth and tractor tire tubes that the company gathers from in and around the area.

By sticking to their two key principals, the team behind Teamwork are able to give back to the community that raised them, while simultaneously sharing a small piece of that community with each and every one of their customers. You gotta respect that.

Brit Liggett at Inhabitat reports some interesting findings from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Namely, that people in communities with extensive public transportation networks live longer (for reasons of both health and safety) than people in automobile-dependent communities.

Hollywood Subway 1946 (via)

“Use of public transit simply means that you walk more which increases fitness levels and leads to healthier citizens. More importantly, increasing use of public transit may be the most effective traffic safety counter measure a community can employ,” noted APTA president William Millar. Apparently communities with vast public transportation networks don’t just live longer because of the exercise — they’re also less likely to be the victim of a fatal auto accident. The traffic fatality rate in the Bronx, New York is four in 100,000 contrasted by the traffic fatality rate in auto ridden Miami, Kansas which is 40 in 100,000.

Not to get too Jesuit on you, but this is an interesting case for a kind of good design synergy: it’s a case where one good design strategy (here, for a city) yields several seemingly unrelated benefits.

Look, I think it’s funny to make fun of Comic Sans. But I have to admit that I had mixed feelings when I saw this image earlier this week.

I doubt very seriously that the Comic Sans does more to damage the company in question’s Fortune 500 status/image than does the cost of another employee making another sign. My advice: make fun of Comic Sans on your own time. GBTW.

Good news: being nice is the key to accumulating power. Bad news: once power is attained, leaders become less ethical. Jonah Lehrer’s recent weekend essay in the Wall Street Journal presents the paradox of power:

The very traits that helped leaders accumulate control in the first place all but disappear once they rise to power. Instead of being polite, honest and outgoing, they become impulsive, reckless and rude. In some cases, these new habits can help a leader be more decisive and single-minded, or more likely to make choices that will be profitable regardless of their popularity.

The article goes on to discuss the myopia caused by power, and notes that those in positions of power have an easier time “rationalizing away” lapses in ethical behavior. This certainly sounds familiar.

The most interesting part of the article to me is the claim that power influences the way people process information. Researchers found that in several situations, people in power fall victim to observational selection when evaluating facts – only paying attention to information that confirms what they already think to be true:

In a recent study led by Richard Petty, a psychologist at Ohio State, undergraduates role-played a scenario between a boss and an underling. Then the students were exposed to a fake advertisement for a mobile phone. Some of the ads featured strong arguments for buying the phone, such as its long-lasting battery, while other ads featured weak or nonsensical arguments. Interestingly, students that pretended to be the boss were far less sensitive to the quality of the argument. It’s as if it didn’t even matter what the ad said—their minds had already been made up.

A similar conclusion was drawn by Stanford Business School psychologist Deborah Gruenfeld, who analyzed US Surpreme court decisions to find that judges with more power consider fewer perspectives when making their decisions.

The article finishes by suggesting that transparency and oversight can help keep those in power honest. As we continue our pursuit of design ethics, remember that as designers, we need to be conscious of the role power plays into our everyday work. Perhaps another way to counteract the negative effects of power is simply to recognize and anticipate these effects.

Via.

Take a look at this nice attempt at redesigning the US Dollar by the Dowling-Duncan firm. I quote part of their interesting design brief below.

We wanted a concept behind the imagery so that the image directly relates to the value of each note. We also wanted the notes to be educational, not only for those living in America but visitors as well. [e.g. $1 – The first African American president; $10 – The bill of rights, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution; $100 – The first 100 days of President Franklin Roosevelt.]

We have kept the width the same as the existing dollars. However we have changed the size of the note so that the one dollar is shorter and the 100 dollar is the longest. When stacked on top of each other it is easy to see how much money you have. It also makes it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between notes.

The World Wildlife Fund is "an international NGO working in areas related to conservation, research and environmental restoration. The mission of WWF is to prevent the accelerating degradation of the natural environment of the planet and achieving harmony between man and nature."

Via.