Two Twelve's Green Team Wins The 4th Bin Logo

							30 September 2009

Two Twelve’s Green Team Wins The 4th Bin Logo Design Contest
Two Twelve is pleased to announce that our in-house Green Team has won first place in
The 4th Bin logo design competition, a contest sponsored by Valiant Technology in which
participants were asked to create a logo for use on the e-cycling bins that will be
implemented throughout New York City by 2011.

Competition judge Susan Szenasy of Metropolis
(http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/) explained the rationale behind the
selection of Two Twelve's design:

"I like the logo's simplicity and humor. I also appreciate it for its somewhat anthropomorphic
form, which gives an emotional appeal to a design that, in less sensitive hands, could have
become an over-simplified abstraction, which so many modern logos have become (and ah
so boring!). e-recycling [sic] needs the public's undivided attention and emotional
involvement. I think this design will have a wide appeal."

E-cycling (electronic + recycling) refer's to a fledgling program designed to deal with the
vast amount of e-waste (electronic waste, which includes everything from batteries and
mobile phones to televisions and computers) we produce. In 2005 the U.S. generated over
two million tons of e-waste, 250,000 tons of which came from New York City alone.

In 2010, the city plans to pass new laws dictating the proper disposal of e-waste; The 4th
Bin competition is a response to these impending regulations, which will require that every
residential and commercial building in New York City use an e-cycling bin as well as the
currently standard paper and plastic recycling containers.

About Two Twelve
http://www.twotwelve.com
Two Twelve is a graphic design firm that seeks sustainable solutions to problems of
wayfinding, information, and visioning. David Gibson founded Two Twelve in 1980, and he
and his partner Ann Harakawa presently run the firm's New York-based operation. Important
commissions have included wayfinding, graphics and signage design for the New York Mets'
new ballpark Citi Field, the Yale University campus, Massachusetts General Hospital, Radio
City Music Hall, and Grand Central Terminal. Mr. Gibson is the author of The Wayfinding
Handbook: Information Design for Public Places (Princeton Architectural Press, 2009), an
introduction to the interdisciplinary design practice.

Two Twelve's Green Team, dedicated to researching and promoting sustainable design
practices in the firm's office operations, work process, and employees' daily lives, has been
active since 2005 and is profiled in SustainAble, A Handbook of Materials and Applications
for Graphic Designers and Their Clients by Aaris Sherin (Rockport Publishers, 2008).

Two Twelve Contact:
Sarah Haun
212-254-6670 x236
shaun@twotwelve.com
About Valiant Technology
www.valiant-ny.com
Valiant Technology was founded in 2002 by four friends with a dream of providing proactive
tech support and managed services for New York’s creative community. Rather than focusing
on one technology platform or vendor, we reversed the typical equation and decided to put
our customers first and then find the best solution to their tech problems, rather than force-
feeding our customers our preferred widgets. Unlike your typical tech guys, we actually listen
to what you want to do, figure out what you need to do it, and make sure you get it done for
a price within your budget.

About Design The 4th Bin
www.4thbin.org
Valiant Technology is calling for entries in an international competition to design a logo and
a collection bin for e-waste recycling. The logo is intended as a public-domain design,
similar to the familiar möbius strip on current paper/plastic/metal recycling bins. The 4th
Bin is to be the means by which e-waste is responsibly collected. Our intent is to see a
clearly labeled 4th bin placed centrally in every building in New York City, and eventually all
across the country.

Valiant Press Contact:
John Kirsch
646-775-2771
john@valiant-ny.com

Valiant Business and Marketing Contact:
Douglas Heyman
646-775-2771
doug@valiant-ny.com