By Landesberg Design | January 30, 2026

Good design is often the result of good reading. Here's January's offering of insight, info, and intrigue. Indulge.

Into the Woods

by Michael Artman, President

Illustration Credit: Michael Artman

When I was about twelve, I traveled with my school chess team to a statewide tournament. On the trip, we stayed overnight at the cabin of one of my teammate’s parents near Allegheny National Forest. I loved chess. But I had a distractingly equal love of being outdoors–some of my earliest memories are crammed in the back of my parent’s truck camper in the Pennsylvania Wilds. On the morning of the competition, I led a group of friends into the woods for what I imagined would be a short walk, armed with unearned authority and the false confidence that comes from a childhood spent outdoors.

We headed into a gorge thick with mountain laurel. Going downhill along with the pull of gravity felt effortless, but I hadn’t considered the return. When it was time to head back, the slope revealed itself, as did the limitations of our young and inexperienced group. What had been an effortless descent became a difficult climb. The undergrowth was dense and the leafy footing was unstable. I suggested abandoning the attempt, and rerouting along the creek that cut through the valley. I felt certain this longer, easier route would intersect the road back to the cabin—fortunately, it did.

But by the time we arrived back, parents were frantic. We had been “missing children.” No one was hurt, but it was clear that taking an unsanctioned, and ultimately lengthy, hike through unfamiliar terrain hadn’t been a wise way to spend the morning. I don’t remember how stern a lecture was given. But I do remember the journey with teammates and friends. And coming home with a 2nd place chess trophy.

At twenty-four, I found myself on another trail, this time in coastal Maine, hiking with my wife and our 11-pound dog—not built for hiking… but spirited. We scrambled up a mountain ridge early in the morning. As we reached the ranger station near the summit, we could see a storm moving in from the ocean. We were now miles from the car, and I knew the trail we had just ascended—smooth granite—would become slippery in the rain. I made the call to try to beat the storm.

The rain came faster than expected. We were still exposed, above the tree line, as stone turned slick beneath our feet. My wife slipped and struck her head just as the trail was getting perilously close to cliff edge. Suddenly, speed was no longer the priority. Survival was. We stopped and huddled against the rock face, waiting for the downpour to pass. For the first time in my life, I hoped for cell signal to figure out how to call for rescue. Eventually though, after a long, cold huddle, the storm eased and grip returned. We made it back to the car soaked and shaken, but safe. We were rewarded with a change into dry clothes and a shared sigh of relief. The dog was rewarded with one of our ham sandwiches.

Both memories share a through line: forward motion felt like leadership—and in both cases, consequences rightly fell on my shoulders. I made reasonable decisions based on partial information, until changing conditions forced a reassessment. The real test wasn’t whether I could push through challenges, but whether I could abandon momentum when it stopped being wise.

That distinction matters deeply to me now. When leading, you set direction with the best information you have, knowing it will never be complete. The path chosen may be right or wrong. Conditions change. People move at different speeds. Sometimes the most responsible thing is pausing and saying out loud: the route we’re on deserves another look.

As I step into the role of leading Landesberg Design, I feel a familiar pull toward forward motion. I feel confident in my instincts and energized by possibility. There is a certain naivety in that impulse—a not-yet-knowing the challenges ahead—that makes stepping forward possible in the first place. I’m reminded that some of the best experiences in my life happened because I was willing to explore without knowing exactly where the trail would lead. And when things go wrong? Well, I’ve navigated slippery slopes before.

I believe in forward movement—determined, curious, attentive, and shared. The kind of movement where we bring the map if we have it but refuse to follow it blindly. The kind of movement that allows room to explore and learn.

So, grab your boots and that backpack filled with fonts. Let’s start walking.

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Overview. Sustainable Pittsburgh is a regional nonprofit dedicated to advancing sustainability across Southwestern Pennsylvania by helping communities, organizations, and decision-makers integrate environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic vitality into everyday practice. Founded in 1998, the organization serves as a convener, connector, and resource—providing data frameworks, designation and recognition programs, professional networks, and strategic guidance that turn sustainability from an abstract ideal into measurable action. Through partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, governments, and residents, Sustainable Pittsburgh works to build a more resilient, healthy, and equitable region where people and places can thrive together.

Context. Sustainable PGH’s brand identity—largely unchanged since 1998—no longer reflected the evolving understanding of sustainability or the organization’s growing regional impact. Sustainability had expanded beyond environmental stewardship to include economic vitality and social equity as equally essential forces. The existing brand relied on insider language and visual cues that underscored outdated perceptions, limiting its ability to clearly communicate sustainability’s role as a complex economic and social driver for the region.

Implementation. Landesberg Design convened key internal stakeholders alongside select external partners to examine how sustainability has evolved—and how Sustainable Pittsburgh could better articulate its role within that shift. The resulting brand identity emphasizes the three pillars of sustainability moving forward in harmony, expressed through intersecting paths that permeate the visual system and reflect the interconnected forces shaping a thriving region. A refreshed messaging platform replaced technical jargon with a more accessible, motivating voice—challenging audiences not just to understand sustainability, but to actively advocate for equitable health, prosperity, and long-term regional resilience.

1. Uncommonly Good

Photo Credits: Commonwealth Press

We’ve long been fans of Dan and Shannon Rugh and their company, Commonwealth Press. CWP is a Pittsburgh-based screen printing and design studio known for its independent spirit, deep connection to the local creative community, and freaking incredible work. The company specializes in screen-printed garments, stickers, banners, posters, vinyl, and pretty much every other kind of custom print products for individuals, bands, businesses, and events.

Visit their site, buy some great merch, or better yet—send them a project to sink their presses into. 

2. A Teenie Giant

With the recent mid-January closing of the Black Photojournalism exhibition at the Heinz Galleries, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of Carnegie Museum of Art's permanent installation celebrating the work of Pittsburgh photojournalism legend Charles “Teenie” Harris.

Photo Credit: Carnegie Museum of Art

At Home with Teenie spans Harris’s prolific career of more than four decades, offering an intimate visual record of life in the Hill District and beyond. Presented in the Scaife Galleries, the installation features 36 black-and-white photographs drawn from Harris’s vast archive—many on public view for the first time—and showcases the breadth of his work, from photojournalism and studio portraiture to everyday moments of community life. A searchable digital catalog of thousands of images accompanies the installation, inviting visitors to explore one of the most comprehensive photographic records of Black urban experience in the United States. Together, these images reveal Harris’s rare ability to capture both the complexity and humanity of the communities he documented.

3. Start The Presses

Image Credit: Pittsburgh Business Times

With the recent announcement of the closure of the venerated Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a recent New York Times opinion essay reflects not only on the accelerating decline of local newspapers across the United States, but also on the broader shifts in how communities access news and information. While thousands of local papers have closed over the past two decades—driven largely by collapsing advertising revenue and outdated business models—the piece argues that local journalism itself has not disappeared. Instead, it is evolving, taking new forms shaped by nonprofit structures, philanthropy, and public engagement.

In Pittsburgh, there are particular reasons for optimism. Our city benefits from a strong philanthropic community with a long history of investing in institutions that anchor civic life—world-class museums, universities, libraries, and hospitals. While the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will cease, nonprofit outlets such as Spotlight PA and PublicSource, along with public radio station WESA, have expanded their role in covering local and regional issues. The city’s other daily newspaper, the Tribune-Review, continues to provide reporting capacity, while the recent establishment of a local chapter of Press Forward offers a measure of hope in an otherwise disheartening moment for the fourth estate.

Korey Edmonson

Pittsburgh, PA

Korey Edmonson. Photo Credit: August Wilson African American Cultural Center

Korey Edmonson is a contemporary visual artist and muralist born and raised right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, whose work centers on storytelling, realism, and community connection. He works across oil, acrylic, and spray paints to create work which explores the human experience and makes people feel seen and inspired. Edmonson blends elements of street art with traditional techniques, bringing a sense of narrative, play, and emotion to his pieces. 

Photo Credit: Korey Edmonson

His art has been featured in public projects around the city, including utility box designs in the Bakery Square district, and he has participated in the Pittsburgh Creative Corps, creating public artworks that spark uplifting conversation and connection. Edmonson has also earned recognition at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, receiving awards such as Best in Show, and his work has been exhibited in venues like the Pittsburgh International Airport. 

Beyond visual art, Korey shares his creative process and journey with a growing audience through social media platforms (check out his Instagram page here), and engages in live painting, teaching, and collaborations that extend his reach both within and beyond the Pittsburgh arts community.