The Good.Is blog just announced the winners of their poster design call. The contest was designed to promote advocacy while addressing three key issues facing us today: human trafficking, childhood obesity and childhood marriage. More details of the contest and the talented designers who contributed to the contest can be found on the Good.Is blog announcement.

Illustrator supreme, S.Britt, has just released this highly huggable version of his wonderfully mischievous miscreant, Eddy Broth. Eddy has been a continuous fixture of Britt’s work for quite a while, showing up in a variety of sketches, stickers, stories and other mediums, but this marks his official debut into a three-dimensional space.

The 16″ tall Muddle, Inc. cutie is a very well made, hand-screened plushie that’s a lot of fun to have around. And while he does sport a childish, whimsically innocent grin, there’s something a little questionable that seems to lie just beneath the surface. Something that leaves you wondering whether you should leave him in the room unattended.  As a matter of fact, he’s staring at me right now looking like he wants to start a little trouble. I think I’d better go…

The uber-talented illustrative duo, Jolby, have recently teamed up with f-stop maven, Ashley Forrette, to produce a series of works for their upcoming gallery show, Sea Legs. The show will explore the subjects of mythology and lore on the open seas and features additional works by Dolls for Friends, Shoko Saito and original music by The Graduate. Sea Legs will be held at the Together Gallery in Portland, Oregon and opens February 25.

Fantastic German design firm, Buro Reng, matches simplicity with sophistication which lands them somewhere squarely between minimalism and modernism with a slight dash of the illustrative for good measure. On top of that, they have a wonderful eye for color selection. We love their sparse use of elements type and wide open spaces. We just wish we could read the copy on their site.

Studio Dumbar is a shining example of wonderful Dutch design. Most of their work takes firm hold on the minimalist tradition employing bold type treatments and a strong color aesthetic. We immediately got into their poster work (some of which is shown here) which makes wonderful use of whitespace and composition. Their overall body of work (a portfolio that stretches back to 1977), though, is impressive and inspiring.

It’s time for the Communication Arts 51st annual photography competition. Every year this competition showcases some of the most compelling photographers from around the world. Deadline for submissions is March 26, 2010. Here are a few words from the Comm Arts site:

Enter the most prestigious competition for creativity in photography, the Communication Arts Photography Competition. Any photograph first printed or produced within the last twelve months prior to the deadline is eligible. Selected by a nationally representative jury of distinguished designers, art directors and photographers, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Photography Annual and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.

These  gorgeous structures were created exclusively for the Kielder Water & Forest Park in northern Europe. Dubbed the Janus Chairs, these human shelters are constructed from Doug Fir and stainless steel grouped into complimentary trios that change perspective depending on where they’re viewed from in the park. The masterminds behind the chairs? Ryder Architecture in London. The group has created a powerful juxtaposition between nature and man. One that I would love to see recreated in parks across the US.

Austria-based design firm Sensomatic makes good on the concept of minimalist design. Taking a card from the wonderful Swiss style, this small firm’s work employs heavy typographic and image based layouts that work along a strong grid system-creating compelling visual play. Sensomatic’s portfolio has dozens of projects to mull over-each with endearing qualities that make this small studio an instant favorite of ours.

SXSW Interactive features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer.