[a teaser masthead for you--- only ten more days!]

Just a note to thank you for the lovely emails that have pouring in re: Mankind Mag. I wanted to give an update for those of you who have been asking the what/when/hows of it all. I think the easiest format to do this is with a mini Q/A of the top five questions you’ve all been asking:

Will Mankind Mag be replacing Inspiration, the eZine?
Yes. Although I wouldn’t call it ‘replacing’, b/c it’s more editorial in nature than the eZines were. I hate to see Inspiration go, but the format just wasn’t working for me and I found each issue less inspiring [for lack of a better word] for me to compile. I’m a firm believer that if something isn’t working for you, then make it work for you. This is my attempt to make it work for me, and hope I’m making it work for you, as well.

But I liked Inspiration!?
Then you’re in luck, because I’m in the mist of compiling a ‘Best of Inspiration’ commemorative limited edition of 250 hard-covered book with never-before-seen-photographs. You’ll love it, really. More on that later [realistically, MUCH later].

What can I expect from Mankind Mag?
A little bit of everything. A LOT of art/artist perspective, a bit of music, media, culture, design and inspiration. Pretty much everything you like about DesignForMankind.com [or so I hope], but to the ninth degree. And much, much more awesome.

When/where will it be released?
June 30th, right here, available for FREE download. I’ll upload it to Issuu as well, for those of you that love the flip feature [I do, too!].

Will there be sponsored advertisements in the publication?
Yes. In fact, good segue. Inspiration [Issue 5] hit 10,000 downloads last week. So if you’re looking for a bit of online presence for your shop, blog or business, email me for ad rates. I think it will be a great opportunity, and you can participate for as low as $75 [a special rate for the debut only]. Deadline is Friday, June 20th, so HURRY!

What will the sponsorship money go toward?
I like to be as open as possible with this issue. Right now, my goal is to get enough sponsors for the debut issue of Mankind Mag to actually print the publication. But, because I want to keep costs low and offer the magazine at a decent rate, I’m going to need to put in my own money toward the printing. If I can get enough sponsors to contribute, we can print full speed ahead. If not, maybe the next issue, or the one after that. I hope, I hope, I hope!

OK, so I think that pretty much sums up most of your questions. I am TOTALLY available if you have more, so feel free to send me an email at erin@designformankind.com. I never sleep [truly!], so email away!

Love to you all, and thank you MILLIONS for your support. You are so dear to me.

OK, I promised you guys more info in the Mankind Mag department, so I’m here to deliver. My fingers are shaking as I type this b/c I’m just so so so excited for it all, so I hope this post makes a tiny bit of sense.

On June 30th, I’ll be releasing Mankind Mag, a PDF publication. It will be a spin-off of Inspiration, but a bit more editorial-based with more art, more design, more photos, and best of all— more inspiration.

Although I’d love to continue Inspiration in the direction it was going, I felt it was missing a soul behind it. My passion was dwindling and I couldn’t figure out why. Photos are great, but they’re only half the story.

Is this making ANY sense?

The good news is that I’m currently compiling a ‘Best of Inspiration’ limited edition book. You’ll love it, really, and I’ll include never-before-seen photos from some of your favorite artists to commemorate the series. More info to come.

The even better news? I think you’re really going to love Mankind Mag. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve worked on it and it just feels like its the right thing for me right now. I’m a firm believer that if there is passion behind a magazine, it comes out in the pages. I hope you see that in the debut issue.

Now, the logistics:
ADVERTISING
I am allowing advertisers in the mag. Cheap advertising, even. If you want a rate card, email me here.

PRINTING
I’m not sure how this will pan out and am still getting quotes from printers, but I would love to be able to print Mankind in a catalog form. I’d also love to keep the prices low, so we’ll see.

PRICING
Free. Absolutely, 100% free to download.

CONCEPT
My goal for Mankind is to mix a few of my all-time favorite mags: Good, Print and Anthropologie catalogs. I hope it pans out that way, but eh, we’ll see.

DONATIONS
A LOT of you have asked if you can donate to the new mag. I won’t publicly promote donations b/c I don’t want to get all crazy evangelical pastor on you, so I’ll post my email address for paypal donations once and only once, right here.

There you have it! If you have any additional questions, email me! I’m always accepting contributors, although this issue is pretty much wrapping up. Almost press time!

Ok. So I’ve been rolling around this issue in my over-packed brain for a week now, and I’ve just got to get it out before it erupts and overpowers my frontal lobe. Because I’m not sure what the frontal lobe does, but I think it’s probably essential in my spinning class.

I’ve heard from a number of you who are encouraging me to start charging a small fee for Inspiration. And I’m not going to. And it’s not that I don’t love you all for being so sweet and encouraging me to look at my hobby as a commodity, but I can’t. It doesn’t feel organic, and to be totally honest? I’m not ready.

Part of why I resigned from my full time position was to focus more on the eZine and turn it into a REAL! LIVE! PDF magazine. A good one, with lots of content and a variety of features, which is what I love about blogging so much. Think of it as Design for Mankind After Hours or something, I don’t know. But it’s what I want, and it’s what I’m going to make.

The new eZine will come chock full of more inspiration, and may even entail a new name. I don’t know yet, but what I do know is that I just can’t charge for it. My mission for this blog was to make design more accessible and to inspire— for FREE. I can’t fathom the idea of abandoning this thought process so soon, and although the idea of getting a few bucks for the 8,000 of you that downloaded the last issue is pretty yummy-sounding, it’s not right. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But not now.

What I will do is offer a sponsorship for those of you who would like to contribute to the eZine. If you’re a small business and/or freelancer, of if you’re a big business and feel like being philanthropic for the day, email me here for a rate card. I’d like to keep the costs low and still have a few issues to hash out, but for now, we’ll start with this.

I can’t thank you enough for your well wishes, and for those of you who mentioned that I should charge— I don’t mean to publicly reprimand you. You were only looking out for me, and for that— I’d give you each a double scoop of Phish Phood ice cream.

Love to you all.

That’s right— yet another FREE and fabulous e-zine from Design for Mankind… now in its FIFTH ISSUE!

This month is all about inspiration in nature— from your neck of the woods to overseas, inspiration is everywhere. Special thanks to all of you LOVELY contributors… we’ve got some great ones this month!

Download your FREE e-zine right here, and feel free to hit up issues 1-4 here.
OR, you can view the past three e-zines right here via Issuu. Enjoy!

As always, if you’d like to be added to the eZine mailing list, send an email to designformankind@gmail.com with the subject line ‘MAILING LIST’ and I’ll add you asap!

[taking tuesday off--- exhausted! will be back in action wednesday in full swing!]

Good morning, Design for Mankind!!! I’m thrilled to present yet another dose of Inspiration– now in its FOURTH issue! In case you’ve missed Issues 1-3, find them right here, available for a free PDF download.

If you’re new to the site, Inspiration is a FREE montly e-zine dedicated to inspiration in its various forms. This month’s issue is entitled “Inspiration in the Unexpected,” and pays homage to the idea that inspiration is everywhere— you need only open your eyes.

Again, special thanks to all contributors— you guys totally blew me away. And a BIG thank you to Dasha, who created this issue’s cover image!

Lastly, thank YOU, readers. For inspiring me daily.

Click here to download Inspiration: Issue Four in a PDF format.
OR, peruse the e-zine online [NEW!] right here at Issuu [thanks for the tip, Mary!].

Love to you all.
[Taking the day off, but I'll be back with many more inspiring links tomorrow!]

10. Howard Hodgkin kicks up some dust in London.
9. “Design, in the end, is about creating better things for people.” Bruce Nussbaum finally gets it right.
8. WACK!Art gains great reviews, creating an almost-permanent space for feminine art in today’s society. [editor's note: I am not a feminist, but I very much appreciate this message].
7. A coupon a day keeps child hunger away.
6. Colombia gets inspired.
5. From plastic to print: artists unite.
4. The greenest shade of shoes yet.
3. Subtle branding is back. AMEN!
2. The eVite gets a facelift.
1. Design for Mankind’s eZine 3 to be released Monday at midnight. [Of course I'm going to make the zine number one!]

Thank you SO SO much to all of the readers who voted– I’m amazed at your quick and detailed responses and am closing the poll b/c well, I’ve got what I need!

If you missed the reader survey and want to put in your two cents, email me at designformankind@gmail.com, or click here and tell me about it. I LOVE feedback and it’s proven to be VERY helpful in the shaping of the new site!

Also, it looks as if the majority of you click over to Design for Mankind to get your daily dose of inspiration in a variety of ways— so you’ll continue to see a bit of everything: fashion, decor, art (and LOTS of it!), photography and DIY projects. I’ll be giving you more Trend Alerts, more Dailies and continuing my monthly E-Zine project as always!

Thanks for your support— love to you.