News. What We're Doing

I recently had the pleasure to sit down with the editors of Cool Hunting to discuss our plans for Mymo, our 3D-printed jewelry line.

Read the article:
Mymo's Reinvented Monograms

It's that time of year again - when the long, lazy days of summer become long, productive days in school or at the office. While it can be a hard transition, it is also one of looking forward to the great achievements to come. In that spirit, we just launched a new video for our friends at Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost, celebrating California schools.

Last night, we had the pleasure of witnessing our good friend and client Bruce Levingston perform at Carnegie Hall. While we have seen Bruce perform in many venues over the years, Carnegie Hall always brings out the best in his programming. 

Last week we attended the Spirit of ABNY Awards presented by the ABNY Foundation, honoring those who have provided a distinguished level of service to New York City. We were honored to provide designs for the invitation and event graphics. While last year honored the tech community of NYC, this year the recipients were chosen for their commitment and generosity to the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Honorees included the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, the Empire State Relief Fund, and US Senator Chuck Schumer.

To honor Earth Day this year, our friends and longtime clients Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost decided to do a little more for the environment by planting trees in urban areas across California. To help them commemorate the occasion, we made a short video in honor of California, home to some of the most iconic trees in the country.

As we approach Parkinson's awareness month in April, we are proud to share our latest work for the National Parkinson Foundation. What started as a project to design branded merchandise has become a national campaign involving NPF chapters around the country. The campaign, called Whatever It Takes, is designed to empower individuals and raise awareness of the many things that can be done to combat Parkinson's Disease. While other organizations are working on a cure, the National Parkinson Foundation has a unique mission: to improve the quality of life for the estimated 1 million people with Parkinson's in the US.

Did you know that 43% of the world is under age 25? Almost half! And that number is over 50% in developing countries. This number represents a half of the world that has long clamored to have its voice heard - and has found technology and social media to be the platforms that finally give them the influence they have long demanded. Just look to Egypt and the Arab Spring for potent examples of the power that youth wield today.

Today is Election Day in the States. Go Vote. It should go without saying, but the truth is voter turnout is never what it could be. It's an easy decision - regardless of who you support, just do it. :)

After a week of a powerless office, and much scrambling for continuity on many fronts - with Patrick running things from Brooklyn last week - we are officially back and up and running. And we are quite appreciative for the patience of our clients while we get back up to speed. 

We feel quite fortunate to have weathered the storm without damage, and our hearts go out to all the small businesses and individuals less fortunate. We do have a couple free desks with high-speed internet and power. If any freelance designers or small businesses are without workspace due to the hurricane, drop us a note at creative@ultravirgo.com.

At Ultravirgo, we have long been passionate about using our creative skills to improve health, and many of our favorite projects have been for clients in health-related industries. With this in mind, I headed up to the Healthcare Experience Design Conference in Boston a couple weeks ago to get more perspective on the issues at the intersection of design and healthcare. While most of our work is on the communication side - branding and design, rather than developing the experience itself* - our ever-growing interest in health has us constantly looking for new ways to use design to improve health.