reco’s for romeos
Every year, we donate a hefty amount of graphic design work to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (Marie spearheads and always makes it shine). In return, we get very generous access to top-shelf entertainment, and space in their printed program to do with as we please. This year, we chose to “help” the non-Shakespearean types out there score points and cut to the swoon with our Romeo-approved, pocket-size Shakespearean chaperon. Should make for a happy ending or two this season.
grundge day
As you may already know we have new digs. And, we started in on the garden a little while back.
What you may not know is that we also have a bunch of green thumbs and people who love to cook (and eat!). So, what better way to bring it all together than by getting everyone out of their chairs and into the garden to plant and spruce up our back yard, followed by an amazing pot luck spread for lunch.
alive after five
Laura and Jim in action
If you are in Boise on a Wednesday evening, you have the opportunity to enjoy Alive After Five, Boise’s free summer concert series. Aside from food, drinks, dancing to live music and the best people watching in the city, there are booths set up for local vendors. Last night, with our friends from Think Boise First, we set up a booth to meet and greet and show our community support. Being there also gave us the opportunity to give away Living Green books, which were written by one of our long-time clients, Greg Horn. Living Green is a book that offers simple, practical tips and advice for making world-changing adjustments to everyday living.
We had a blast listening to music, meeting new people and sharing a mission that we support with our community. We hope to make another showing sometime soon!
orchid tofu
Wo Chong Company, one of the leading suppliers of tofu for California restaurants, is launching their product line into the retail marketplace and needed help with naming, branding and packaging. That’s where we come in! Here are three of the new packages due to hit the shelves this summer.
deep dance experience
Loud music. Natural light. Hardwood floors. Mirrors. Dance. Exercise. Fun. Sweat. Friends. Smiles. Tears. Bring it in, and let it go.
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am at the Downtown YMCA, Kris Taylor-Duynslager leads a devoted group of regulars and first-timers through an hour-long movement class that is as powerful as it is simple. All you have to do is show up, move and breathe.
We have been working with DDX and the YMCA for over a year, donating our services to promote this unique resource. For more information visit DeepDanceExperience.com, check out the Facebook page, or better yet - show up for a class!
summer at organic.org
Today is summer solstice which means our educational outreach website, Organic.org has new content to celebrate the season. Check out our guide to shopping for seasonal fruits and veggies, take a peak at our interactive organic learning games, and finally–more relevant than ever–check out our tips for buying organic on a budget.
foerstel in motion
Last month Foerstel Design participated in the ACHD sponsored May in Motion (MIM) promotion, a program that aims to create awareness for alternative forms of transportation.
We are very lucky to live in a cycling community (road bikes, mountain bikes, cruiser bikes) and it isn’t unusual to see morning commuters peddling to work from the North End or down the Greenbelt. To inspire both our cyclists and those who don’t live close enough for the bicycle commute, the Foerstel Transportation Team (part of our Green Team initiative) created office challenges and incentives with prize drawings for employees who used other forms of transportation including carpooling, taking the bus, and walking throughout the month of May.
It was fun to see the rare bike-commuters on bicycles and watch people get into the challenge of using alternative modes of transport. On top of that, we ended up winning a silver award from ACHD based on the number of alternative transportation incentives and subsidies we provided, our percentage of employee participation, and our internal promotions. Ride (walk, carpool or take the bus) on!
introducing… ms. linda whittig
The second interview in our series belongs to Linda Whittig. Linda has worked with Foerstel for seventeen years, making her another member of the Foerstel “old school”! Linda specializes in packaging, primarily for food, and is easily distracted by shiny objects. Which explains why she likes glitter so much.
This interview is brought to you by the letter “L” and the color purple (Linda’s favorite).
What is your educational background?
One year at the University of Portland as a marketing major. I could hear the collective slap of my parent’s palms to foreheads when I dropped out of business school to go to the Pacific Northwest College of Art where I received my BFA. My dad was sure that I was making up careers when I told him I wanted to be a graphic artist and that they would be supporting me the rest of my life. Seems like he might owe Tom a thank you note…
from the garden
Here are our humble beginnings of the Foerstel Community Garden. As you may remember, not too long ago, we moved into a building here in the Linen District. The main rehabilitation work has been focused indoors, and now that it is spring, we are excited to turn our efforts outside.
Above is a shot of our raised beds with their drip systems in place. The beds still need leveling, weed block, and mulch around them. We are hoping to get them planted in the next week with veggies, herbs and flowers and are excited to show the “after” photo here on the blog. As well as enjoy the veggies with our office and surrounding neighbors.
