I'd like to think that one of Apple's biggest announcements recently is one of the smallest, most overlooked ones. I'm loving that they just came out with a well-thought-out AA battery charging system. Not that I need a new one. But Apple has a way of making rabid fanboys out of even the simplest things. If they can successfully make rechargeable batteries seem cool to the tech set - like they do with almost everything they touch - it could be one of the best things they have ever done for the environment.

Since designing "green" is all the rage, we just launched our greenest web site yet for Legolas Media. It includes kelly, hunter, lime and mint. Not to mention our favorite: chartreuse.

We've been doing a lot of work lately gearing up for the New Aging Conference at UPenn in October (including the web site and this brochure). But I really love what the UPenn students did with these makeover videos: Aging 60 years in 60 seconds.

I was Googling myself recently. While I failed to find a copywriter looking for work, what I did uncover is even better. Apparently an Annual Report we did was included in the 2005 Graphis Annual Reports book (anyone have a copy?). It's always nice to find prestigious international awards that you didn't even know you had won! Also, related, the swatchbook set we did for MyBlinds and DMD Insight recently won an American Package Design Award.

I just received the invitation to my sister's wedding, which we of course lovingly designed - complete with bright colors, clear foil stamping, and diecut logo. Sure, most weddings don't need a logo, but when the couple's first initials can be combined to evoke an infinity symbol, it makes the perfect graphic to represent the rest of their lives together.

Looking to clarify the impact of health reform on insurance numbers, we created this quick graphic.

We just launched the initial materials for the New Aging Conference organized by the University of Pennsylvania and our good friend Matthias Hollwich of HWKN and Architizer fame. Assembling a world-class roster of provocative speakers from various industries, and culminating in a manifesto to reinvigorate the industry, it aspires to spark a new era of elder care. With that in mind, we developed a logo that imagines a "New & Improved!" aging experience and asked participants to imagine "How do you want to live when you are old?" through the brochure and web site. All with the goal of getting society to think beyond the current options; to imagine - and create - our own better future.

We just received a shipment from the printer with our 2010 Portfolio of projects for Health industry clients. With 44 pages packed with photos of some of our greatest work for clients in the healthcare, pharmaceutical and related industries, it's a great feeling to look back and see the breadth of projects we have produced over the last few years. With clients ranging from BlueCross BlueShield to an innovative nursing home in Los Angeles, we have learned a lot of interesting insights, love working on health projects, and are really looking forward to what 2010 has in store. If you are in a health industry and would like a copy of the book, drop us a line.

We've been busy at work on a number of projects for the elder care industry. One of the most interesting is the upcoming New Aging Conference in April, put together by our friends at UPenn. Examining Architecture and Aging, it will present exciting advances in the industry and hopes to develop a manifesto for the future of elder care. We just put up a holding page for the web site, and have some exciting materials in the works.

Here at UltraVirgo, in addition to branding and marketing, we really like developing materials that provide real educational content, especially related to health. With this in mind, we have developed a great resource for anyone with aging loved ones. This Family Education booklet for Virgil Skilled Nursing Center in Los Angeles provides a wealth of resources, including answers to common questions about aging, in-depth info about common conditions and how to help, and a lengthy glossary of medical terms. If you have an aging loved one and would like a copy, drop us a line, and we'll get one to you.

Our officemates at HWKN just launched a cool new web site: Architizer - social media for architects and architecture enthusiasts. Go poke around and learn about some great architecture from around the globe - like Rem Koolhaas' amazing CCTV headquarters in Beijing, or the undulating Aqua Tower which I watched go up in Chicago last year. And of course, I'm partial to this one.

Some intriguing ideas coming out of the TEDMED conference. Like Intel's Eric Dishman's call for healthcare to make the shift from the mainframe (hospital) to personal (home). Follow the stream of tweets. 

Our friends and clients at MXTelecom are out in San Diego at CTIA. If you're there, feel free to use our simple wayfinding ad in lieu of those complicated showfloor maps.

UltraVirgo is proud to welcome Steven to our creative team, fresh from Glasgow. Next time you call in, if you get a Scottish accent on the line, be sure to welcome him.

Just got back from vacation to some good news: three recent projects have won American Graphic Design Awards! The winners are: Our brochure for CoreNet Global Orlando Conference, our logo for KFT Capital, and our poster for Bruce Levingston's Sacred + Surreal concert.

Heading up to Nova Scotia, Canada tomorrow for the first White Rabbit Installation Arts Festival. A week long artist residency on a 70 acre property by the Bay of Fundy. I'll be working on a multimedia outdoor installation and collaborating with 13 other artists-in-residence, culminating in a 24-hour public exhibit with live music and performances!

We are hiring a graphic designer. Apply here.

We just got print samples of the stationery system we designed for real estate investors KFT Capital. We tested both black and clear foil stamps, went with the clear, and are in love with subtle pattern it created on the back of the card.

FYI. I'm on Twitter. Again. @pdurginbruce

We just launched the full web site for Virgil Skilled Nursing Center in Los Angeles. They are committed to rethinking elder care, and the site is just the beginning of translating that to the web. Ever seen a nursing home with a blog? Me either, but it will allow potential residents, family members, area doctors, discharge planners, and the healthcare industry to get a closer look at some of the cool, innovative things they are implementing. Starting with a user-centric, eco-friendly renovation. More to come as we continue break new ground in the world of nursing home web sites.

We just heard that Clean Combustion Technologies, an 800-page engineering textbook we produced for Alstom Power won a Bellringer award from the Publicity Club of New England. In case you missed it the first time, here are a few pics of the cover, hardcover, title page, chapter opener, a spread, and a diagram or two out of the hundreds that were created from scratch.

We are strong believers in the power of design to shape the ability to comprehend information. We have been known to get as excited about designing an infographic or clinical form as we have about a logo or brochure. Which is why I love the Op-Ed piece from Design for Democracy that appeared in the NY Times this weekend. It parallels the need for clear information on Credit Card disclosures with the design of Nutrition Facts on food packaging. These days, financial health is just as important as physical health, but the choices have gotten infinitely more complicated.

The UltraVirgo team will be heading to Bruce Levingston's The Sacred + The Surreal performance at St. Bart's this Thursday. The program features eight piano pieces with three world premieres, as well as screenings of three surreal short films including a Salvador Dali home movie. Come join us! Drop me a line if you're interested.

Just for fun: the birthday announcement for my daughter's 5th birthday party. Got to combine my loves for photography, design, and Evie.

Happy Earth day from Ultra Virgo! While we're firm believers in practicing sustainability year round, it's always nice to celebrate our mother. Check out some of the green events around town here, here and here  or take the opportunity to join Repower America

UVC client and piano virtuoso Bruce Levingston has a performance coming up entitled The Sacred + The Surreal. (Our poster here.) Just hearing him perform innovative new compositions would be enough. But screening a Salvador Dali home movie in St. Bart's church? Now, that's surreal.

I just returned from the Patois, the 2009 New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival. It was an incredible line up of Films - a few highlights were Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), Disturbing the Universe, and keep an eye out for the release of the House that Herman Built.
Watch the trailer I created for the fest here.

I bought Happy Baby green puffs. Noticed on the bottom of the container that it says Method, the cleaning company. So, I googled to discover that Method had thousands of containers it was never going to use after a packaging redesign. So Happy Baby bought them, to package their puffs in non-toxic, recyclable, non-Bisphenol A containers. Interesting packaging choice. I'm still not sure if it's brilliant or anxiety inducing. 

We've been working overtime on a complete branding package for the Virgil nursing home in Los Angeles. And the first web page is now public. It's just a holding page for the moment, but we're working furiously on the full public site. Keep on eye on this facility. They're just getting started with a visionary new management and an innovative team of affiliates, and are reshaping the elder care industry. If you're interested in getting notified when the full web site is live, just sign up on the holding page, or contact us and we'll keep you in the loop on progress throughout.