For GOOD 019: The Neighborhoods Issue, we asked a few talented designers, artists, and illustrators to create flags celebrating their neighborhoods. The results were published in the magazine – and are now available online. Mouse over any flag below to see the name of the artist the ‘hood that it represents, and click on the flags to learn more.

i scanned through all the flags and found the four that referenced minneapolis (loring, south, powderhorn, AND uptown were all represented! nice work 612!). of course, you know what i did next, right? i googled the designers of each flag.

call me a stalker, but information is my opiate and in this opiate i am inspired.

the south mpls designer, j-zachary keenan, has simple yet gripping aesthetic and i found myself right clicking on many of his images, tabs upon tabs of text and lines and shapes.

j. zachary keenan's south mpls flad

i wouldn’t know him if i passed him on minnehaha, but that’s the glory of these twisted ‘nets. you are connected to someone who could be your neighbor and then you are sitting on the digital domain of a designer thousands of miles away.

call it freaky, but the internet is my opiate and in this opiate i am inspired.

there were a lot of really awesome sleds, including hungry hungry hippos, pacman, and a viking ship made out of milk cartons. my favorite – and luckily the one i captured on video – was the i dream of jeannie sled. the physics of this sled are so improbable, it’s amazing that it didn’t topple over at the top of the hill.

next year i am totally making something equally as crazy – but be assured – i’ll be wearing a helmet. gotta protect the egg!