Man Made DIY

I once heard that it takes 300 points of contact to be swayed by a piece of print advertising (that you're not already seeking out). That means a political candidate has to call, be seen on a TV ad, or send you junk mail 300 times in order for that technique to be effective.

And other than coupons or sale annoucements, I can't imagine, in this day and age, where postage is expensive, and we're touched by thousands of ads before we even check the mail, that sending stuff to a mailbox is helpful.

And yet, still it comes. So, turn that waste upside down, and make something from it. … read more

In the era of smartphones and text messages, the postcard has taken a bit of a hit. Sure, you could take time to go to a gift shop, select the best taken-at-sunset aerial photo of wherever you are, then try to find a place that'll sell you stamps, and take the time to write a note to all of your friends, find somewhere to mail it, and then beat the postcard home and tell your loved ones all about it before it arrives.

Or, you can snap a photo with your phone and text it to all your friends, email to your parents, and upload it to Facebook for the rest of the world to see.

Which is too bad, methinks, cause I think postcards are pretty cool, and need a revisiting. A tiny, little, awesome revisiting.

I just can't help it - unless it's one of the few snail-mail-only bills I still pay (God bless you, online bill pay option), I can't just push a plain white envelope through the mail. It just seems like such a wasted opportunity to not adorn that thank you note or whenSometimes, its just a little extra time spent on the lettering, others a quick doodle or a full on four-pane comic, or, if I'm feeling particularly glam-ish, I rock the inside-out security pattern option.

But these (Beta-only) Google Maps emails, printable directly from the Gmail interface, include an illustration all in their own.

"Designers Rahul Mahtani & Yofred Moik from the Industrial Design program at Syracuse University came up with this concept called Google Envelopes. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to map the course of mail and how it can tell a story? They came up with Google Envelopes, which can be sent through G-Mail itself. It’s only a concept, but totally viable and something people can immediately understand."