About a month ago, I heard a marine research pilot on the radio struggling to find words to describe what he saw somewhere between the coast of Los Angeles and Hawaii: an area of floating garbage twice the size of Texas; birds and fish, their insides stuffed with synthetics, dying. Over the course of time plastic, which makes about 80% of the garbage patch breaks down, thus entering the food chain. And this was over 10 years ago.

As I listened, I wondered where the plastic water bottles I drank from must have gone. I realized I hadn't thought about it — ever.

Now that I have, I'm developing a new understanding of the importance of our environment and how fragile it is. And while I’m proud that our office is taking steps to be more Earth-conscious, I know that we — like everyone — still have a long way to go. And since it’s the season, I thought I’d share my holiday wishlist:

I wish we saw the polluted ocean in our own backyards, so we could see what must be done.

I wish the use of biodegradable materials was part of our daily lives.

I wish there were recycle bins for everything, on every street — even to separate glass by color. (Like they've had in Germany for years.)

I wish human beings respected each other more, fought less and spent trillions of dollars on renewable energy sources, energy conservation and forest preservation instead of weapons.

I wish Black Friday wasn't Black, but Green — and that people didn't feel an uncontrollable urge to fill their lives with stuff they don't really need.

I wish Green wasn't just the new flavor of the month.

I wish people didn't act as if “it“ won't happen in their lifetimes.

I wish Earth Day was every day. — Albena, Senior Designer

— and I mean literally. In my 20 years as a designer, there has rarely been a brainstorming session that wasn’t vastly improved by the presence of candy. And I don’t mean fancy, schmancy candy like Godiva or Vosges. I mean good ol’ dime-store candy — the kind of candy that takes you back to a super-sweet childhood memory; the kind that can unite a group of people as they reminisce about the first time they tried it; the kind of candy that kids today just don’t appreciate. Let me just say, “Gobstopper.”

I’m not fussy, but I have always preferred the sour, fruity flavors over chocolate. You’ve got your basics — Wacky Wafers, Jolly Rancher Stix, Lemonheads, Lik-M-aids, Pixy Stix and SweetTarts (the big ones, two to a pack). Then there are the chewy, last-a-long-time options like Charleston Chews, Jujubes, Laffy Taffy, Twizzlers and Sugar Daddys (the kind on the stick; it’ll last two days if you don’t chew it). Let’s not forget the double-your-pleasure, turn-into-something-else candies. Here again, it is appropriate to mention the infamous Gobstopper — a never-ending show of delectable candy colors. I love it. A few other faves are Razzle Dazzles, Blow Pops (cherry or apple, please) and the always yummy Tootsie Pop.

Speaking of pops — I will NEVER forget the first time I had Pop Rocks. My parents brought them back for me from a trip to the West Coast. I was the first one in my school to have them. Needless to say, my popularity (for that day) skyrocketed. Now, I know this next statement isn’t readily accepted by the medical community — but, for the extra kick, I highly recommend eating your next packet of Pop Rocks with a can of Coke. Enjoy!

So, how do you feed your creativity? I would love to hear from you! — Kim, Associate Creative Director

I recently planned a trip to visit a good friend who lives in New Orleans. While I was excited to see my friend, I was hesitant because I wasn't sure what the city would be like two years after Katrina. This would be my fourth trip to New Orleans, so I was pretty familiar with the city. But would I recognize it?

As it turns out, New Orleans today is not that much different from the New Orleans that I had visited in years past. To be sure, evidence of Katrina is all around, but you have to look closely to spot it. The touristy areas of the city, the French Quarter in particular, look a lot like they did before. Of course, there are many areas of the city that are still in bad shape, but these aren't places that most tourists would ever visit.

So, why aren't more tourists going to New Orleans? I think, like me, people aren't sure what to expect. But don't let that stop you from going. The city relies heavily on tourism and really need people like us to keep coming. If you've been thinking about visiting New Orleans, especially if you've never been, I highly recommend it. It's really an amazing, unique place and definitely worth the trip! — Jill, Senior Designer

Recently while on a trip to Nashville, I had the privilege of going to Hatch Show Print, which, if you're not familiar with it, is one of the nation's oldest letterpress print shops known especially for their country music show posters. To a corn-fed graphic designer like me, going to Hatch Show Print was like making a pilgrimage.

The staff at Hatch is very friendly, and I was given a deluxe tour. They showed me drawers of antique type, shelves filled with custom woodblocks, old presses, countless rare posters and two fat orange cats. I felt like a kid in a candy store, dazzled by the smell of ink, the ka-chunk of machinery and the nearly impossible decision as to which poster would serve as my souvenir.

Hatch Show Print's unique style comes in part from their practiced methodology. They still do things like they did in the late 1800s, with manually operated presses and wood-cut type slugs. Graphic design has become a highly computerized field of strict brand codes and PMS color assignments. That's why this aesthetic of purely decorative lettering, no-two-alike color washes, handmade impressions and accompanying sloppy ink splotches serves to be such an inspiration in the craft behind visual communication. — Aggie, Senior Designer

About a month ago I had the great opportunity to travel to Italy, my parents’ home country. I had the chance to visit Italy many times throughout my life, but this time was even more special: I got to visit my Mother’s place of birth, Naples, where she grew up, went to school and played with her friends. What an incredible place!

My parents both left Italy at different times of their lives: my mother in her teenage years; and my father in his 30s. They both met in Venezuela and have been happily married for many years now. She never talked much about it because of her memories of World War II, I imagine, but when we where in Naples she opened up to me and told me oh so many great stories—some happy and some sad, but all very interesting and unforgettable. I understand and love my mother more than ever after this wonderful trip.

You can see some of my pictures from my trip to Italy at my flickr page. — Claudia, Senior Designer