BRUTE LABS wins at AIGA Cause/Affect

Last night, Justin To, Andrew Truong, Joshua To, Greg Powel and Andre Tha Giant headed to San Francisco for the biennial AIGA Cause/Affect awards. In their words, it "is a competition for do-gooders, who do good work."

The room was full of like-minded individuals and provided a fantastic opportunity to network, meet people interested in social causes and throw ideas against the wall to see what would stick.

BRUTE LABS entered projectOPEN and Well Done in the Community Development and Health & Welfare categories respectively. The competition was strong and amazing design work for social good was displayed throughout. The AIGA office had the feel of a museum and it was an honor to have some of our work featured next to Office, Nike, Clif Bar, and Academy of Sciences.

What was even more amazing was to hear the MC call out "BRUTE LABS" as the first prize winner in the Community Development category for projectOPEN. The team was ecstatic. As high fives were exchanged, Andre Tha Giant did all he could to suppress his desire to get up and dance. When we moved to the Health and Welfare category and again heard "BRUTE LABS" as a second place winner for Well Done, we couldn't believe it.

As the awards came to a close, everyone Andre met during the first hour before the awards immediately swarmed towards us. We spent much of the rest of the evening meeting new people and talking about ways to collaborate during the rest of the summer and fall months.

Special thanks to the AIGA staff for putting on such a fantastic event. We'll see you again next time!

BRUTE LABS Partners with Red Rock!

We are excited to announce our latest partnership between BRUTE LABS and Red Rock Coffee! Year round, Red Rock will be a venue and outlet for us to share our ideas, raise awareness about pressing issues of the day, and get the local community involved in our various initiatives. We are greatly excited to embark on this new partnership, as both Red Rock and BRUTE LABS stand on a shared fundamental belief - the power of the collective, the power of the community to enact meaningful change in the world.

Great Coffee, Clean Water

To kick things off, Red Rock will be promoting Well Done, our ongoing effort to bring clean water to rural communities throughout Ghana, with a goal of raising $8,000 to drill a well in Kamancheli. We will also be raising awareness on the clean water crisis through display of posters, informative pamphlets at tables, and hosting of Well Done events. Red Rock will be receiving donations on our behalf at the register, in addition to selling Well Done t-shirts (more on this soon!).

If you live in or are visiting the bay area, be sure to drop by Red Rock and show your support!

Red Rock Coffee
201 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA 94041

http://redrockcoffee.org/water

About Red Rock

Red Rock is a not-for-profit coffee shop located in Mountain View, CA that is built upon three core values: caffeine, culture, and community. From serving quality fresh coffee, to hosting arts and music events, to providing a meeting space for local interest groups, Red Rock exists to bring together and strengthen the very community that supports it.

Out of sight--but not out of mind.

The public eye may have moved on to more recent events, but those affected by the earthquake in Sichuan, China are still in the midst of the aftermath.

BRUTE LABS has teamed up with Prime Produce to design a t-shirt for the victims of the May 12, 2008 natural disaster. Contribute to the effort to provide relief services by buying a t-shirt today at www.primeproduce.org/relief

Sticker Bombing in Europe

Well Done sticker bombing in Istanbul, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Amsterdam and London! If you'd like to hit some places of your own, send us an email at welldone@brutelabs.org with your address and we'll send you some stickers - all we ask for are some pictures in return!

BRUTE LABS Cyclone Relief t-shirts Sold Out

Mountain View, CA


BRUTE LABS is proud to announce we've sold 100% of our limited edition of Cotton & Ink t-shirts. The BRUTE LABS team was able to unite 126 individuals in an effort to provide relief and support to victims of cyclone Nargis.

It cost an average of $10.90 to print and ship a t-shirt. At a price of $25 we were able to donate $14.10 for every t-shirt sold.

Everyone who has participated should feel proud to have contributed to a total of $5,524.70 to IDE's ongoing work in Myanmar. To date, IDE has reached 452 villages, provided shelter to 32,830 households and brought clean drinking water to 350,000 people in Myanmar.

Although we do not have any plans to print a second run of Cotton & Ink t-shirts, we feel strongly that the task to rebuild Myanmar in the wake of the cyclone is still far from over. We urge our supporters to continue to think creatively and take the initiative to contribute in meaningful ways.

To read more about IDE's recent work in Myanmar, check out: www.ssireview.org/opinion/entry/a_new_way_to_respond_to_natural_disasters