INSPIRATION WORTH SHARING, VOL. II

A LOOK AHEAD
2009 Trend Report
With the new year soon upon us, we’re all anxious to see what 2009 brings. Whether or not we follow trends, knowing what is hot can help us speak our customer’s language. The folks at Trendwatching.com have put together a free end-of-year Trend Briefing highlighting half a dozen consumer trends for 2009. View it here or download a .pdf of the brief here. Be sure to sign up to receive upcoming Trend Briefings on the website.

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IN THE BLOGOSPHERE
Discovering New Palettes & Patterns
If you work with color and sometimes find yourself out of new color combinations, then check out COLOURlovers.com. This essential blog site offers user-submitted color palettes and patterns, news and comments and color-related articles and interviews. All palettes and patterns are downloadable in a variety of file formats for print and web. And it’s totally FREE!

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SITE RECOMMENDATION
Going Green at the Office
So you finally replaced your old computer monitor with a new flat screen, but what should you do with your old one? Unless you’re a junk artist, recycling is your best option and earth911.org can help. Simply type in your item, enter your zip code and up pops a list of recycling locations near you, complete with map, address and phone number. You can find a home for just about anything including old telephones, inkjet cartridges and cell phones.

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DESIGN RETROSPECTIVE
30 Years: Lucasfilm's Holiday Cards
Since 1971, Lucasfilm has been producing blockbuster movies such as the Indiana Jones series, American Graffiti and of course Star Wars. Fans of the latter would be thrilled to have received any one of these Christmas cards cataloged on SlashFilm.com. There, Peter Sciretta documents 30 years of Lucasfilm Christmas Cards which highlight the company’s most famous sci-fi thriller. Pop-ups, imaginery scenes and beautiful illustrations showcase a wide range of Star Wars characters set in holiday scenes, all making this collection one of a kind!