CSR at Cisco

Cisco is an American multinational technology company that designs, manufactures and sells networking equipment.

Cisco is renowned to have an excellent CSR. Their products connect people, processes, data, and things in meaningful ways. Moreover, Cisco technology is the foundation of the Internet of Everything (IoE), which enables countries, industries, and businesses to develop new models, deliver better customer experiences, and create new revenue streams and operating models to drive efficiency and value. 

Cisco creates opportunities for their customers — creating jobs, making cities smarter, and enhancing healthcare/education by changing the way the world works, lives, plays, and learns.

For instance, over the last 18 years, the Cisco Networking Academy program has helped more than 5.5 million students at 9500 learning institutions in 170 countries develop the skills to thrive in the digital economy. 

Another example is Cisco's four-year investment in the Jordan Healthcare Initiative, which has benefited 150,000 patients through a series of projects that use collaboration and communication technologies to transform how healthcare is delivered.

In addition, Cisco have increased energy efficiency and renewable energy through their EnergyOps Program, and have broadened the scope of their goals to include our supply chain. 

More examples demonstrating Cisco's outstanding CSR can be find in their 2015 CSR report below:

http://www.cisco.com/assets/csr/pdf/CSR_Report_2015.pdf

Moving Images

The first 'moving image' video that came to my mind was this video clip of the music Unintended by the British alternative rock band Muse. It was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and features the band sitting in a surreal environment. I don't really know why but It has always fascinated me. Maybe it is because it is so weird... 

    In the video clip, people are filmed through a strange 'photoshopped' technique, they appear to be super flexible and extremely distorted (this must be a metaphor for the fact that psychologically the persons are distorted by painful feelings).

    Below are some screenshots of the clip, but do watch the entire video to get the whole sensation :)

--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9LOFXwPwC4&ob=av3e 

Zaha Hadid

I choose the Heydar Aliyev cultural center in Baku, Azerbaijan (completed in 2012). 

Because of the building's curved lines, I first tried the typeface Colonna MT. However, after second thoughts I realised it was a bit too complex and ornamented for a building that, despite its curvy and flowing features, actually reflects purity and elegance of form. Thus I needed to find a font that would suit these two opposite qualities...

... So then I tried with Helvetica Neue Ultra Light...

...and it made it look like an AIRPORT!!!!...

... So I ended up choosing a type that I thought sat in between Colonna and Helvetica, and that type was American Typewriter Light. It combines subtle curves with thin legibility. Just like the building combines flowing forms with grace.

Legible London

 Walking is the best way to get around in London because it is free, healthy, quick and environmentally friendly. Legible London (implemented in 2009) is a wayfinding system for London, designed to bring a solution to inconsistent signage and confusion about distances between areas.If more people walked more often, we would have less traffic and noise, and better air quality.

    

With approximately 1300 maps round the city, this successful system enables people to walk more, which makes public transports more efficient and less overcrowded. Road space is freed up, alleviating congestion. Moreover, populated streets reduce crime, and people feel safer. Finally, the maps provide knowledge of unfamiliar areas, which decreases people’s reluctance to walk because of a lack of confidence.

The Legible London maps show simple 3D drawings of notable buildings in order to fix given points in people’s minds.

A clear sans-serif typeface is common throughout the maps to get an optimum of legibility, and the sign is readable by wheelchair users.Furthermore, the maps use high contrast colours for optimum legibility (dark blue background with white or yellow text + black text on yellow background).

By defining known areas in terms of five-minute walks or fifteen, journeys between areas seem more easily walkable.

Also notable to point out, the Legible London signs are solar-powered! Amazing...

Description of 2 Typefaces

1.Garamond

Garamond was named after the French type designer Claude Garamond. This Serif font emerged in the 1540s and is well-known for having marked a final transition from gothic letters to the roman alphabet. 

   Simon Garfield, author of 'Just My Type', describes Garamond in the following words: '[its] alphabet is full of contrast and movement but with a precision of line and elegant serifs...respectable yet warm'(Garfield, 2010, p98).

   Garamond fonts are very legible, and therefore often used for printing body text and books.

Below are some uses of the Garamond font:

The famous Hunger Games trilogy books

The Harry Potter books (US versions)

The Abercrombie & Fitch logo

Release of Apple Macintosh in 1984

Neutrogena products

Kinfolk, a lifestyle magazine

2. Frutiger

Frutiger was created by Swiss designer Adrian Frutiger in the early 1970s, initially for the Roissy Airport (now Paris Charles de Gaulle) in France. Frutiger - a SanSerif font - is believed by many to be the finest type ever for signs and directions. It is clear and very legible at a distance or for small text sizes. Frutiger himself declared that 'when it is good design, the reader has to feel comfortable because the letter is both banal and beautiful'(Garfield, 2010, p.145). 

   Most of Europe has adopted Frutiger, and it is seen mainly in large institutions such as universities.

Some uses of Frutiger include:

Swiss passports!! Hehe

Evian water

Swiss road signs

Heathrow Airport signs

16 Typefaces

1.SanSerif Rational

2.SanSerif Emotional

3.Serif Rational

4.Serif Emotional