Mixed Drinks

Last week, the Artists for Haiti auction organized by actor Ben Stiller and gallerist David Zwirner raised an extraordinary $13.7 million, all of which will support the ongoing work of select nonprofit organizations in the earthquake ravaged nation. The charity sale featured artworks donated by the likes of Raymond Pettibon, James Rosenquist and Marlene Dumas, whose stunning portrait of her late mother sold for $2 million. And there's still a way to help the cause, even if budgetary constraints kept you out of the bidding for Jeff Koons' steel bikini bottom. New York-based handbag company M Z Wallace -- co-founded by Zwirner's wife, Monica -- has created a special Artists for Haiti tote ($125) that features Pettibon's original lettering for the initiative. Each sequin-dusted nylon bag comes with a bracelet handmade by Haitian artisans and the assurance that all proceeds will benefit children's education and health programs in Haiti.

After 16 years in Berlin, the annual TYPO design conference is returning to London for a three-day inspirationfest and creative boot camp that kicks off on October 20. Among the speakers that will tackle this year's theme of "places" are Neville Brody (Royal College of Art), Michael Bierut (Pentagram), Chip Kidd (Knopf) and Tom Uglow (Google Europe). And don't let the "typo" title fool you. Along with typography, the deliberately broad program will include aspects of visual communication, film, emerging media, design, education, technology and information. According to conference director Robin Richmond, "Our aim is for people to leave the event with strong talking points, controversies, new favorites and, most importantly, new perspectives and knowledge."

Why and how does color motivate, trouble, persuade, and feed our spirits? Find out at Print magazine’s first ever Color Conference, a three-day confab that kicks off on October 4 at the Art Directors Club in New York City. Among the creative thinkers and experts in visual culture slated to “reveal their passion for color, their processes, and their ideas on how color connects us all” are Leatrice Eiseman of the Pantone Color Institute, Pentagram partner Eddie Opara, and Bill Moggridge, director of the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Come for the color trends, stay to get touchy-feely with dyes and swatches, and leave with insights into your color perception.

Stake your claim in logo design history with LogoLounge. The Wichita, Kansas-based online logo database (145,000 logos and counting) is now soliciting entries for its seventh book of outstanding logos, to be published by Rockport Publishers. An annual membership to the site ($100) includes unlimited logo submissions, which will be evaluated by a jury of experts for potential publication in LogoLounge Book 7. Ready to make your mark? Click fast. All submissions must be received by July 1.

Design a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door; design a more energy-efficient lamp, and maybe win some cash. Such is the promise of the Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition, sponsored by Philips and the design site Inhabitat. The field of more than 400 entries has been narrowed to 40 finalists, and online voting is now open for the people's choice winner (and to assist the judges in selecting their top picks). Designed to showcase energy-saving LED bulbs, each of the creative lamps featured incorporate green and/or recycled materials, ranging from aluminum scraps and plastic bottles to egg cartons and an old blender. You have through Sunday, June 15, to shine a light on your favorite.

The San Francisco chapter of AIGA is out to celebrate the efforts of designers and organizations who aim to positively impact our society with Cause/Affect. Open to designers and design students around the world, the biennial competition seeks design work created over the past two years that promotes or supports social good and actively engages in enriching our lives. (If the work contributes directly to the profit of a commercial organization, don't bother entering it.) An all-star jury that includes IDEO's Adam Reineck and Karin Hibma of Cronan Design will select the winners, and online voting planned for this fall will decide the People's Choice Award. Entries must be received by June 24.