justin kemerling, designer

100 Days of Active Resistance

100 Days of Active Resistance is a beautiful compilation of images that “go deep in order to understand who we are, what the world is and how things could be better.” On Day 87 you’ll find the MAKE [THIS] BETTER poster.

Buy the book.

• In 2010 Vivienne Westwood and Lee Jeans launched an online manifesto-installation titled 100 Days of Active Resistance. The website invited people to submit an artwork, slogan or photograph responding to Westwood’s conception of Active Resistance to Propaganda, in which she argues for culture’s capacity to elevate humanity above self-destruction. It is not enough to follow world politics, see films and read the prizewinning bestsellers, she insists; this is superficial, you need to go deep in order to understand who you are, what the world is and how things could be better. This involves culture which can only be acquired by self-education: human beings should mirror the world. Starting on September 8, 2010, for100 days, one artwork was showcased online daily, ending with an exhibition displaying a selection ofthe best contributions. This volume gathers these works and commemorates the project.

Bold Nebraska is leading the charge to protect the Ogallala Aquifer from a pipeline full of dirty tar sands. Protect Our Aquifer, No Oil In Our Soil.

DOWN-UP | Power to the Poster {dot} ORG

OCCUPY TOGETHER The posters provided on this page were graciously donated by graphic designers and are free for you to download, print, and hang up within your community, not only to promote local efforts, but the solidarity of all occupiers around the country.

Stronger Together

Poster Show Friday the 28th at the New BLK. See you there!

From the Nebraska Appleseed blog: Build A Stronger Nebraska Together

A collaboration with TakePart.

LINCOLN: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7TH

October 7 · 6:00pm – 10:00pm

The Ink Spot at Parrish Studios
1410 O Street
Lincoln, NE

OMAHA: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28TH

October 28 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm

The New BLK
1213 Jones Street
Omaha, NE

A poster show benefiting Nebraska Appleseed featuring art from:

Paul Berkbigler
Doe Eyed
Ella Durham + Sam Rapien
Justin Kemerling
Peter Morris
Oxide Design Co.
Cathy Solarana
Jake Welchert

Historically, the poster has been a powerful means of communicating ideals and advocating for change.

Nebraska Appleseed called upon leaders in the graphic design community to envision how we can build a stronger Nebraska through greater equality, opportunity and justice for all.

We partnered with Justin Kemerling of The Match Factory and Lincoln screen printer Jason Davis of Screen Ink to produce an art exhibition with a collection of posters to inspire all people of our great state to work together to create a more inclusive, more vibrant community.

These powerful posters – eleven designs, hand-signed and numbered, twenty-five prints each on 18″x24″ silkscreen prints – give voice to Appleseed’s core values of Community, Democracy, Equality, Justice and Opportunity.

About TakePart

TakePart is the digital division of Participant Media. You can see exactly what they do above. They’re amazing people doing amazing work and are really a joy to work with.

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A project with MoveOn.org

Bold Nebraska is leading the charge with the Stand with Randy campaign to Stop the TransCanada Pipeline. Learn more about the issue from Jane Fleming Kleeb as activists meet in DC to put a Stop to the Tar Sands.

Get your T-Shirt and Stand with Randy.

This was a project with MoveOn.org. It ultimately was not used. But it sure was fun to make.

Stand with Randy, Stop the Pipeline

Is the future of American energy a pipeline full of thick tar trudging its way from Canada to the Gulf cutting across the great plains in a tube constructed with corporate talking points and wishful thinking? Perhaps. But a group of stubborn Nebraska citizens think otherwise. They’re standing up to this dangerous oil pipeline that’s slotted to run over the largest underground aquifer in the world. And they’re not backing down.

You too can join the effort to the stop the pipeline. You too can Stand with Randy.

GREEN PATRIOT POSTERS (Project Green/NOMAD Films) is being made into a documentary short film. And you can help Kickstart it!

Justin Kemerling, Designer, for one year, officially in the books. Friday, July 1st, 2011 was the day. It came, was noted, and went, as year #2 is already off and running. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen (you know who you are) and for all the support along the way from new friends, old friends and family. The work continues, and the beat goes on. Here’s to another 1, 2, or 3. Onward!

– Justin Kemerling, Designer. justinkemerling.com

Of course 1 leak is too many when we’re talking Oil+Water, but this corporation’s own estimates of 11 leaks is simply laughable. Worst Case Spills for TransCanada Pipeline put that number far higher.

Why We're Here: The Powerful Impact of Public Broadcasters When They Turn Outward

Earlier this year I completed a project with the Harwood Institute. It’s a book about public broadcasters and the crucial role they play in any community. When public broadcasters actively engage in the places they live, when they step outside of their traditional programming and seek to use the airwaves while working with the people, positive change does happen. It’s a hopeful look at working together after changing fundamentally the way an organization thinks of itself; not apart from, but with. And that, after the turbulence, conflict and friction that comes from collaborative efforts, leads to good things.

Just East of West is a book of poetry and haiku by Bil Johnson, both a marvelous poet and a close friend of the Match Factory. From a collection of random scribblings, notebooks here and there, some napkins and stapled together associations, we pulled together a strong body of words from this Midwestern poet in the most honest way we could think of; a self-published book with additional hand-done, screenprinted flare.

At its conclusion, it appeared to us to be about the Earth and its future. As much a concerning stare at manmade “progress” as hopeful nod to the beauty of what’s already out there, and what is next for all of us; love, discovery, rebirth, etc. When all was said and done, what fit in our hands was a catalog of life. We grew up on these great midwestern plains, now they lay open proudly awaiting the next troupe of angelic youth, troubadours in their own right, setting out for burning sky and bright new tomorrows.

If there’s a revelation to be made from reading the work, it’s that there is good and bad, decay and beauty in all of it. We suffer and celebrate in the gray. The idea of black and white, even right and wrong, is given far too much credence these days. The fact is both are constantly surrounding us, the gray area is where everything worthwhile lives, and you must hold the ups and the downs in your line of site as you move, steady as she goes, along your meandering path toward whatever greater truth you seek.

• This book project was conceived in the winter of 2008 on a painfully cold day on the great plains over coffee and cabinet picks. It was meant to take some of the most honest poetry I had ever read and put it together in a form that was equally as honest. Honestly concerned about our future on Earth while celebrating the love and life that people around us are a part of every day. Wherever we are on this planet, here we are indeed. Under the energy of the sun, looking up at that black canvas sky, we the little peapods are just living, trying to do the best we can. What this is, what we are, is just a song, just a touch, just a kiss of our humanity in the immense vastness. With that, we wish you happy travels.

screenprint postcards

book package

poems

jack the anarchist

just east of west
design notes: july 2009

what i see as the simplicity and the clarity of this poetry book reinforces the aspects of living within a system that isn’t all that complicated. from cover to pages to back cover, the turbulent spinning of life is there in image and tone. the constrained aspects of life in a bowl, on a tiny blue dot turning black before our eyes, offer hope for continued living. tales of the earth, love, life, planet, religion, friendship, nature, animals, all intertwine themselves, mingle, mix, dance, as the words suggest. we’re offered directions on “how to live” but upon contradiction, are left with baffled stares. the future, our sons and daughters, our culture and ideas, carry us into great unknowns, what pioneers saw as the frontier. in this case the son, and all his promise. the tiny tree in what used to be a forest, HERE. it is waiting for the son. interwoven with the part of life that interconnects, the sweet sound of poetry, the haiku, set to rhythmic syllables. what are we afraid of? not sure. nothing i guess, with such a gift of language to light our way, tell our story, advise our kids, direct ourselves, for life on this planet. is it all turning black? the sky soon to be left crisp once the fossils are emitted up into the sky blocking the heavens, blotting out the sun? the stars, trees, mountains, and waves, is all that is left, the markings of a child? sent to the future by the tomorrow? so many questions. so many thoughts. are we directionless? is there light guiding us? are we the shark in the fish bowl? too big, a relic of a bygone era, with no place else to go, hovering in the dark? or there may be a single tree, just east of west.

"i want to walk into the woods and inhale"

Just East of West

– Justin Kemerling, Designer. justinkemerling.com

Move America Forward

Energy Pioneer Solutions is a startup from Hastings, Nebraska that’s focused on local solutions to national problems. They’re an energy company, only they don’t drill, or frack, or remove mountaintops. Instead, they’re seeking to reverse more than three decades of rising energy costs in the residential and commercial property sectors with a very practical idea; to make our homes and buildings energy efficient.

To tighten them up. To put the power back in the hands of the homeowner, allowing them to save money, have a more comfortable home and to do the patriotic thing. After all, the greenest energy we have is the energy we don’t use.

It’s not as visually stimulating as a field full of wind turbines, but its effectiveness and just how easy it is to do makes it absolutely essential for how America moves forward. We’ve got a lot of old homes in this country. Homes that are drafty, inefficient and not doing anything to help make us a more secure nation. This company is doing something to change that.

At times it sounds too good to be true. It seems too easy. But that’s just because the program is that good.

I’ve worked with Energy Pioneer Solutions for over a year. It’s been great to be able to help tell their story and inspire people to sign up to be an Energy Pioneer. Now, with the New BLK involved, we’re looking to make Hastings the most energy efficient town in America. Stay tuned.

TED2011

In February of this year, Eli Pariser approached me about designing the slides for his upcoming TED Talk for TED2011. Slotted for nine minutes, the topic was the subject of his new book being released on May 12th.

What was supposed to be the great democratizing force of the ages, the Internet, no longer is living up to its promise. Rather, what’s being created around us by web companies and their algorithms is a hyper-personalized space of information specifically tailored to us based on what we like. We are all ending up in our very own bubbles, with challenging subjects or people who disagree with us being filtered out. And we’re not even aware of it.

As of today, the talk is now online at TED. We also have just launched the site for the book, the Filter Bubble. Big props to Eli on this exciting day. And thanks to Matt Linder and the New BLK team for another great site development.

Your very own filter bubble

Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles”

Tugboat Gallery exhibition posters CA Exhibit

Communication Arts added four of the Tugboat Gallery posters to their very impressive collection of Exhibit work. It’s great to get these posted by a creative organization I’ve always highly respected for their vision and inspiration.