Ok, we're biased, since the list references our collaboration with FICTILIS for the Colors of Commerce exhibit. But author Jude Stewart highlights some other notables in color from 2011:

#1: On This Day calendar

Reusable for every year, this handy wall calendar consists of heat-sensitive cubes, each marking a noteworthy event from that day in history. Scribble your own notes for the year on the cube’s side, then wash-and-reuse next year - or frame and mount a year in your exceedingly colorful life.

 #9: Imprint's series on synesthesia

#6: Google Image Search by Color. More useful than I would have ever thought!

Happy 2012!

The results are not always what you would expect, and are dependent on a good image set from Flickr, but The Color Of is addictive and mesmerizing. Just try it.

See more at Marcel's site. Via.

1. Material Shortages and Designing a New Material World.

A fantastic interview with Michael Braungart of the Cradle to Cradle at core77 discusses the need for designers to develop a new understanding about the materials they use and the ways in which they use them. Braungart elaborates on the role designers play in industrial transformation with respect to material selection, and the importance of making choices that are sustainable, healthy, and socially conscious.

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Back in January, Nick posted an infographic of Crayola colors. The designer, in response to viewers interpreting the initial graphic to show that "crayons are becoming too complicated", recently redesigned the infographic. For an interesting study in the subtleties of data visualization, read the full write-up on the exercise over at datapointed.net.  Below is the original graphic, an excerpt about the redesign, and final product.

Yes, the square design looks snappy, but as the colors multiply, they’re forced into ever-narrower slivers of the fixed vertical space – like sardines! Clearly, another choice of layout might have been more flattering...

...Our goal was to maintain the clean geometric aesthetic, while dialing down the “indictment of overzealous product management” and cranking up the “celebration of diversity!” We’d use the same data as before, tweaked slightly per the feedback of historians, who told us that Crayola’s early 16-color boxes tended to include English Vermilion (aka “red orange”) rather than brick red.

The top 100 web brands, by COLORLovers.

Compare to AMO/ WIRED's 2003 graphic of the top 100 brands overall. Here, again, blue dominates.

Designed by Felissimo for Social Designer this complete set of 500 colored pencils consists of 20 units, each pencil telling its own story with a unique name. You cannot buy the complete set of pencils all at once, but you can receive them over the course of 20 months. Four different display methods let you keep your pencils at hand, while being displayed either as an artwork, or kept aside as a special collection.

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.