Last night in my internet stumblings, I once again found myself on design*sponge. This hotbed of fresh home and product design always induces a kind of mildly tortured delirium in me. I waver madly between “oh, how lovely,” “oh, how clever,” and “what am i doing looking at all these $2000 chairs and fancy apartments?” Sometimes there are little affordable things, and there are always plenty of brilliant ideas to be gathered, but so much of it is expensive things for people who already have plenty of expensive things.

When it comes to design, I often experience the same struggle I face as a writer. How can socially conscious people make a living without compromising their values? It’s always, on some level, selling stuff. As long as it’s stuff that’s ethically conscionable and you’re selling it in ways that aren’t oppressive or dishonest, you’re probably not making things worse. But what about actually doing good? I have many many thoughts on this subject, but I don’t have time to write an essay right now. So, I’ll get to the point.

Last night I looked up a graphic designer I used to know in Richmond. You can read about how I met Noah here (it’s kind of a funny story), but you should definitely check out his blog, Another Limited Rebellion. I’ve always been a fan of his business philosophy and his work. Now (for the past year, apparently) he’s offering a steady stream of socially conscious design news. A couple of my new links are actually hijacked from his archives.

Also, Noah wants to be a girl.