Four Legs + I Design Stuff

The Teal Cat Project.

For the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with superhero vegan cookbook author (remember this review?) and Post Punk Kitchen founder Isa Chandra Moskowitz on the illustration and design work for a really awesome new endeavor she launched today, the Teal Cat Project.

The Teal Cat Project works like this: You donate $25, and in return, you get a Teal Cat tchotchke. 100% of your $25 then goes toward funding a cat rescue program. The first affiliated group is the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, who train and educate rescuers about trap-neuter-return (TNR) practices to keep feral cat populations in New York City under control.

The Teal Cats are really cute, and they’re upcycled from thrift-store finds that were donated to the cause. The current campaign will only last until the current batch of Teal Cats is all gone! When the ceramic kitty supply has been replenished, a new campaign to support a group in a different city will start up.

Check out the Teal Cat Project website, poke around a bit, and, if you’re able, buy a Teal Cat! There’s even an option to donate a bit of money without buying a tchotchke (or if you want to give a little extra). This is a great way to support a great kitty rescue group, and I hope you’ll consider chipping in.

You can follow the Teal Cat Project on Twitter and Facebook, too! Anything you can do to help spread the word is greatly appreciated. Meow!

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43 Comments

  • Reply Miss Alix August 9, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    This is such a great project. Off I go to donate!

  • Reply MareeP August 10, 2011 at 6:12 am

    Thank you for caring Anna 🙂
    This is a great cause

  • Reply ramona August 10, 2011 at 6:46 am

    Thank you for sharing this! Its such a great idea and I never would have found it on my own. I donated straight away. Now anxiously awaiting my little teal friend. I wish the Teal Cat Project the best of luck.

  • Reply Kathy August 10, 2011 at 9:18 am

    This is great! Just donated on behalf of my cat-loving sister. I’m sure she’ll love the little teal kitty!

  • Reply lk August 10, 2011 at 10:03 am

    Awesome project… thanks for sharing! I’ll be picking one up for my cat-loving best friend 🙂

  • Reply marlene August 10, 2011 at 10:50 am

    done 🙂

  • Reply Alicia August 10, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Ah, great design as usual, Anna. You always make fabulous choices and, duh, naturally, are amazing with typography. Would you ever consider writing an entry or making a subpage listing some of your favorite online design resources? I love seeing the sites that designers I respect use and love!

    The cat icon on the bottom right, next to Designed by Anna Dorfman, links to […] instead of tealcatproject.com. I can’t imagine that was intentional, but perhaps leftover from the build on your server? Anyway I figured I’d say so just in case.

    Assuming its WP-powered, is the design based off a certain theme? If you don’t mind sharing which theme, I’m always looking for interesting ones to use and sites to buy from and whatnot! Thanks, Anna!

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 11:25 am

      Yikes! Thanks for catching that, Alicia, I’ve fixed it. 😉

      This is something I’ve discussed on Twitter before, but because such a huge part of my job is researching fonts and images and other resources (and buying the licenses to use them), I’m not too keen on just putting it all out there. The research part of design is often the hardest and most time-consuming, so I’m a little private about the whole process. It’s hard to say that without sounding like a jerk, but I’m hoping that as a designer you understand where I’m coming from. I also feel like out of fairness to the client I sometimes need to just let the finished product stand. Does that make sense?

    • Alicia August 10, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      No, I totally understand and you don’t sound like a jerk at all. You got to where you are by your work and your research and sharing all that work with a less experienced designer is sort of like winning a reality show and getting a starring role in a movie. hehe. Sort of like jumping the line. But in a way I appreciate you saying no because it’s my job to find the tools and resources I need and develop my own style, not aspire to something like yours. 🙂

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 2:53 pm

      But on the other hand, I totally don’t mind talking about this stuff with other designers! It just feels weird when it’s on my blog or Twitter…especially from the client’s POV, I’d imagine. Thanks for understanding. (And your work is great. Protect your sneakret sources!)

  • Reply jen August 10, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Oh Oh! This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing it with us!! I LOVE IT! So so glad to see talented people putting their skills together for animals. LOVE IT!

  • Reply jen August 10, 2011 at 11:18 am

    Me again… only available in US and Canada. I can understand – shipping/breakages etc. But this is an awesome idea – hope it could also be done in Australia for Aus/NZ/Asia

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 11:27 am

      Jen, it was the organizers’ decision to limit the shipping to US & Canada—it’s only two people running the whole thing, and offering international shipping and dealing with all of the various shipping fees is too complicated.

      You can still make a donation from anywhere in the world, though!

    • Kristina August 11, 2011 at 10:39 am

      start your own! 🙂

  • Reply Ryan August 10, 2011 at 11:30 am

    Done! Can’t wait to get mine! Such a great idea!!!

  • Reply Adam August 10, 2011 at 11:46 am

    So wonderful, thanks for posting this Anna! Awesome design as well (as usual)!

  • Reply Martha August 10, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    love the tiny x mouth. great work!

  • Reply Dusa August 10, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    As owner of a herd of “half-wild shorthair” rescues, this touches my heart. I finished reading your post AFTER I hopped over to donate!

    Thanks, Anna!

  • Reply Megan August 10, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    Awesome project, it’s always nice to see people using their time to do good through design! I especially love the little cat head icon next to the URL. Nice job!

  • Reply nicolezh August 10, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    OMG- you team up with one of my superheros. Isa Chandra is a role model for me, I adore her food writing (and her hair styles) plus I am a crazy cat lady. Awesome project- huge success to you all!

  • Reply Querencia August 10, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    Once again my day starts off even better after visiting DoorSixteen. Squealed with delight, blogged, let people know online, called my friend who’s a vet tech at a feline only clinic, squealed some more and wanted to come back here to say thank you for being part of such a great project. Not enough words to say how great this is on so many levels. The idea and execution are brilliant. Cheers to all involved.

  • Reply querencia August 10, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    p.s. I am hoping a Flickr Pool is spawned so I can see peoples’ cats with their Teal Cat.

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 3:18 pm

      I’ll suggest that!

  • Reply Sarah August 10, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    I used to be a huge cat lover until I started read about how cat populations affect birds, which are becoming increasingly threatened.

    [LINK]

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 3:31 pm

      Doesn’t that make the case for TNR even stronger? The goal here is to STOP feral cat populations, not breed more cats! The link you shared is a perfect example of why this is a really important initiative—it extends beyond the cats themselves and into the rest of affected wildlife.

  • Reply Ryan August 10, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    I too clicked through and made a donation for a kitty before I finished reading your post. Now when someone asks about my awesome teal cat I can say it benefited feral cat spay/neuter (instead of “I just bought this cat at goodwill and painted it teal to make it more cool”, wasn’t there a Portlandia episode about that?)

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 3:34 pm

      I’ve never seen Portlandia, but that sounds about right!! 😀 Thanks for supporting the project, Ryan.

  • Reply Rachel Kay August 10, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    I love this idea!

  • Reply Kathleen August 10, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    This is awesome. People have the coolest ideas. Bought a cat 🙂

  • Reply Abigail August 10, 2011 at 10:32 pm

    silly me – i got so excited about the cats and the teal that i missed the fact that you did the design until i started reading the comments 🙂 thanks for sharing this work with us.

    • Anna @ D16 August 10, 2011 at 11:23 pm

      The cats are way more important than the design!! 🙂

  • Reply Shannon August 11, 2011 at 11:24 am

    I love these cats!! I’m am definitely going to help spread the word!

  • Reply Sarah August 11, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Wow. Awesome project. Awesome design. Good work!!

  • Reply STEFANIE August 12, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    what a great project, much respect! and it seems the current batch is already sold out 🙂

  • Reply Laura August 14, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    Since this post is in the “4 legs” category :)… I was wondering what you feed your dogs? We are thinking of getting a dog but don’t want to buy any meat products. Is there any way around that?

    • Anna @ D16 August 14, 2011 at 10:50 pm

      We don’t feed our dogs a vegan diet, but there are tons of resources out there for learning how to do so. Google “vegan dog foods” and you’ll find lots of info. 🙂

  • Reply PhillyLass August 15, 2011 at 10:27 am

    Sorry this is OT, but does ICM have a restaurant? I’m in NYC on vacation this week and I would love to go to a few great vegan restaurants while I’m here. And since I already love her cookbook, Isa’s place would be the perfect place to go!

    • Anna @ D16 August 15, 2011 at 11:41 am

      What’s ICM?

      If you’re looking for vegan restaurants in NYC, SuperVegan is a great resource! http://supervegan.com/restaurants.php

    • Anna @ D16 August 15, 2011 at 11:43 am

      DUH, I just realized ICM = Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Sorry, I’m slow. 😉

      Actually, Isa lives in Omaha, Nebraska, so no restaurant here (or there, for that matter), but she’s might be doing something this fall…at least on a temporary basis. Fingers crossed!

    • PhillyLass August 15, 2011 at 12:33 pm

      Oh! I thought she was based in Brooklyn, but I guess that blog is from some time ago. Thanks for the link– that’s really helpful!

    • Anna @ D16 August 15, 2011 at 12:45 pm

      Yeah, she’s from Brooklyn originally, but she went from there to Portland to Omaha. 🙂

      p.s. Go to Blossom! And get the soy bacon cheeseburger! And a Butterfinger milkshake for dessert. FOR REALS. Trust me.

  • Reply Kathy August 30, 2011 at 11:13 pm

    Thanks for using the word “tchotchke” in your post; I’ve been trying to spell it properly for a while now!

  • Reply Maureen September 1, 2011 at 2:05 am

    Oh, I hope they pick LA as the next city. We have such a big feral cat “situation” in my neighborhood. I hear the cats getting into brawls outside my window. It’s like the feline version of “Gangs of New York” out there!

    Also, here’s my favorite sketch from Portlandia. It never gets old.

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