“Lemonade: Detroit” is a film about the disarming resilience of a city that can no longer rely on a single industry for its livelihood, and the entrepreneurial strengths of those who are reinventing themselves and their communities.

Instead of sensationalizing blight, “Lemonade, Detroit” will sensationalize hope, told through the intensely personal stories of those who are turning the city into what it will become.

Jessica Hische is a letterer, illustrator, and self-described “avid internetter”, best known for her personal project Daily Drop Cap, she will be speaking at the Denver Art Museum on October 18th as part of the AIGA Colorado Speaker Series. Having found success in a variety of side projects outside of her daily grind, Jessica will touch on the genesis and process that fueled some of her most recent successes, she will also share some recent work and expound up her love of typography while discussing the differences between lettering and fonts.

Tuesday October 18, 2011 : 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm : Denver Art Museum
Tickets Available Online Here

Skateboarding changed my life in ways that I’m just starting to realize now. It’s amazing to see the impact these little shred sticks continue to have on younger generations around the globe. Those wood planks provide an outlet and escape from the world as most people see it… challenging all who take it up to be fearless, creative and resourceful. The physical landscape you occupy and your connection to it is changed forever, a set of stairs, handrail, or ledge becomes more than just a means of passing, it becomes a challenge, a calling, a hunger. You become used to looking impossible in the face and confronting it head on. I cannot think of a better vehicle of self expression to introduce to the youth and people of a worn torn region filled with oppression. More interesting to me is what the future holds in store for all those whom come in contact with something as simple as a piece of wood, two trucks, and four wheels…. you can already see the world being changed in their eyes, they are looking at the landscape in front of them through a new lens with a perspective all their own.

More about : SKATEISAN : More info on the film via : SLAMXHYPE

Translation: New German Wave. More descriptive translation: German techno punk from the late 1970s and early 1980s. I’d heard a tape of this genre years ago, and tried (unsuccessfully) a couple times over the years to figure out what it was. Luckily, Chicago DJ/producer Chrissy Murderbot made a mix every week for a year, and one of them was neue deutsche welle! Grab that mix, and enjoy the incredible lost styles of years and movements past. I love this stuff.

‘The Future of the Book’ is a vision demo video recently released by the Design and Innovation Consulting Firm IDEO. Having been a fan of IDEO’s work, approach, and philosophies for a mega minute, it has been a treat to see them releasing these future-state pieces with increasing regularity. The video is fairly quick and concise and only touches on at a very high level the great thinking invested into bringing a few of these thoughts to life. At the core IDEO demonstrates how technology is shaping our future and changing behaviors. Our desire for context as humans seems to be an interesting challenge that we as designers are facing more frequently as we migrate from creating static printed pieces to rich digital experiences that allow for relevant/meaningful contextual information to be surfaced.

Also check out IDEO’s The Future of Self-Service Banking . A little more lengthy, but well worth the watch. Time and time again IDEO incorporates design principles (Animation, Color Theory, Etc.) into their work to enhance and reinforce communication. To me this is the personification of ‘Human-Centered Design’ and another example of form following function through and through.

Richard Florida talks briefly of the importance in the creative class and its role in reshaping infrastructure; specifically post economic crisis. This lecture from The Economist: The Ideas Economy event in NYC, points out some pretty interesting statistics and references some enlightening concepts regarding the future of our economy as well as the role of the urban center.

For more information on Richard Florida and the topic at hand, check out the Creative Class website.

Musician, producer and label manger (ELM&OAK) Alex B spends a day with XLR8R in Denver, showing off some of the best places to eat, dig for records and catch a show. For more episodes like this, check out the XLR8R City Guide page.

Jeff Staple has always been a fairly huge inspiration to me.. and seems to have taken a path in his career that really resonates with my own ideals. Although this is the first of this series of interviews I’ve seen, Good To Great seems to be a healthy resource for inspirational/motivational chats with heavy hitters in and around the creative community. Check out the first of the series on the R+I Creative vimeo page. R+I Creative site.

Spike Jonze interviews Opening Ceremony about how they got their start as well as a little peek at what it takes to keep it all rolling. Personally, I’m a sucker for behind the curtain peeks at anyone’s operation, but especially young entrepreneurial types. All of this gets me super excited for the next five years.. so much to do so many people to meet.

Make sure to swing by the VBS.tv site to catch the second half of this interview.