Regional February 15, 2009 1:17 PM

Hero Design's Tribute to Flight 3407

Hero Design’s Tribute to Flight 3407
The immensely talented folks at Hero Design have created a tribute (see introductory image) to the 50 victims of the tragic plane crash.  From the Hero Design Blog: 

[On the evening of] February 12, 2009, Continental flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, on its way to Buffalo, NY, from Newark, NJ, went down in Clarence, NY (a suburb of Buffalo, approx 15 miles from Buffalo). 50 lives were lost: 44 passengers, four crew members, one off-duty pilot, and a resident of the home the plane crashed into. Visit here for more information.

Believe it or not, we heard the first bit of news about the crash just before 11PM on Twitter. We watched the details on the local news and on Twitter with our local peers who were on the scene at the command center, long before it hit the national news. With feelings of shock and nausea, we waited and watched as the details emerged and we learned of the devastation; it was a long, sad evening in Buffalo.

As we all struggle, nationally and locally, to come to grips with the severity of this tragedy, please keep the victims, their families and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.  Also, please think of all the emergency crews and volunteers from The City of Buffalo and the Town of Clarence, who have been working so hard to help as a result of this horrible event.

Buffalo is a small city. As the victims' names are released, there is a chance that nearly everyone here will know a victim, a family member, or someone close to one of the 50 that perished. Please remember how short life is, and always remember to tell your loved ones just how much you love them!

And thank you to Hero for doing what they do best - channeling their creativity in order to pay tribute to those "stars in the sky," mourned for by all.


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The flag design above is a suitable and poignant image. The absence of stars and the color blue, and the introduction of the color black combined with the red stripes (that seem ready to have time fade them away) evoke such a grounding sense of loss. The artist(s) should be commended for creating this powerful and iconic image.

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how much of the profit does Hero Design donate to the families of these lost souls. i can't believe there is a company out there that spends it's time capitalizing on being the first to honor the dead. what's next, tee shirts. i wish this company never existed. all of the hero's each of us knows,should be honored in our hearts and memories, not in the stroke of a five dollar paint brush, and two colors!!!!!

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Just so you know, Mark and Beth designed this as a tribute and the image is only available in a digital format.




They are not charging anyone for the design, it is simply a tribute. In fact, Mark sent us an email at WNYMedia and told us that we could use the design however we saw fit. I assume he sent the same message here. Mark and Beth are good people who used their talents to create a poignant tribute to a dark day in our local history.

replied to meanoldman
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@meanoldman, Or how about we honor the victims by ruining what could have been a thoughtful and heartfelt thread with unfounded profiteering accusations and cantankerous design criticism. Get a life.

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>>meanoldman

It's only a digital production. They're not selling anything.

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This image was ONLY produced digitally to be posted on our website and our blog as a tribute to the victims of Flight 3407, we encouraged others to also post this image around on their own sites as a tribute.

There is no merchandise; posters, tees, nothing with this image on it for sale. We have no plans to make one penny on this image. This was a donation of our time and services to show our support to the families of the victims and as our response to this awful tragedy.

We thank you very much for your concern,

Mark Brickey and Elizabeth Manos Brickey
Owners of Hero Design Studio

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Mark and Elizabeth, well done.

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"sorry hero design studio". this article just struck me wrong. what you have done is truly sincere. forgive my sarcasm, many are looking for profit. you have explained otherwise. thanks for the response.

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To Beth and Mark: I love this design and the fact that it was done with no intention to sell or profit from it at all.

To meanoldman: you probably should have done some research before you assumed that this was
done for any other reason than as a tribute. Keep your negative thoughts and comments to yourself.

May the victims of this tragedy rest in peace.

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meanoldman - when you say 'many' are looking for profit, do you have an example of a single soul who has tried to profit from this tragedy? I doubt it. Instead, you've just used that cop out to cover for your general d*ckheadedness but everyone sees through it. Maybe you should use this opportunity to re-evaluate yourself. You don't have to be a dbag forever.

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my apology stands as it is!

replied to bluedevil
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meanoldman first wrote "many are looking for a profit" not "many are looking for a profit about this particular tragedy". At least one radio station is using their crash coverage in promotional ads. Possibly TV stations will also, and maybe some have already. And reportedly those photographers Meg heard about are trying to make a profit.

Yes, meanoldman jumped to a wrong conclusion about the graphic company's intent. I've no doubt the company was totally well intended. It was a nice gesture. In hindsight, donating it without their name in the name of "an anonymous local design firm" might have been better from their perspective to avoid anyone jumping to the wrong conclusion. Live and learn.

But meanoldman promptly publicly apologized. That should have ended it. There was no legitimate reason for the Buffalo Rising representative to then post that vulgar attack at him here after he apologized.

replied to bluedevil
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pretty harsh words for jumping to a conclusion. But on the other hand I can kind of understand since we're all a bit overly sensitive in this hour of tragedy.

I think we have to erect a monument both at the crash site and somewhere downtown. If things need to be sold to fund it, so be it.

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People have been trying to sneak pass the police line to take photos to sell to newspapers and other media outlets. This info comes from a family member who is a police officer, working at the scene. So yes, people are trying to profit.

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ugh, police are so cynical. News has pretty much been dropped by the national media. Who are they 'selling' the pictures to? Most likely people are trying to take pictures for themselves.

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The photographers that Meg mentioned certainly might have been intending to sell gruesome crash scene pics to tabloids. Why argue with her?

replied to jamesbflo
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I don't know who they are trying to sell them to but that is what they said they were doing. It has nothing to do with police being cynical, that is what the people told them they were doing.

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The crash is very sad and my thoughts are with all the people dealing with the loss of their loved ones. But, how come no similar outpouring for all the other losses experienced by our community?

31 murders in 2006
22 in murders in 2007
37 murders in 2008

http://www.bpdny.org/Home/Statistics/2008Homicides

People that were killed by drunk drivers in NY
2006 - 392
2007 - 383


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There have been many outpourings in this area over victims of murders, DUI and other car accidents, fires, and other tragedies.

To imply otherwise is very inappropriate, as well as dishonest or detached from reality.

replied to Cynical@best
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Delightful how posters on BRO have sudddenly become experts on what is appropriate.

replied to whatever
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You're right. It wasn't inappropriate if you honestly believe what you wrote.

It's a mystery to me why you'd believe something so untrue, but perhaps you've really never heard about all the outpourings of community sympathy that have occurred in WNY for victims of murder and drunk driving. Those are not uncommon at all. If you didn't know, then I'll withdraw inappropriate.

replied to Cynical@best
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by outpouring i'm assuming you mean from the media. simple reason being that unfortunately murders and dwi crashes are all too common and most people are immune to that news. Planes crash once every other year and the death toll is much greater (in numbers of ppl)

Now if some lunatic were to on a killing spree and cause mass casualties, you better believe that would be headline news for days just as this terrible crash is.

Having said this, death is always tragic and always affects someone. I read the obits everday, and I don't know the people nor do I usually know how they died, but I always think a prayer for them. I'd guess many people do the same.

replied to Cynical@best
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Why do people make so much of this crash?

50 people were killed in an unexpected and catastrophic accident.

Unfortunately we have become used to hearing about murders and traffic accidents.

This was an absolutely unique event for the Buffalo area.

It's a big deal.

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Hello,

I am not trying to offend anyone, but I have to air my idea that flight 3407 was sabotaged by the government in order to silence 9/11 widow Beverley Eckert before she traveled to Chicago to present damning evidence to Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald about governmental pre-knowledge of 9/11. Please be aware that this is not about me or my thoughts, but I write to express what I see. I see a 9/11 widow killed as she was pursuing legal avenues for 9/11 truth, a consequent media blackout, a lie(ice was at fault), and no hard questions asked. Also, NTSB board member Steve Chealander resigned last week, who was appointed by president Bush, and he gave no answers and merely obfuscated the truth.

People, please ask yourselves how much sense this makes? NONE. The plane was sabotaged to protect those at fault for 9/11=Bush, Cheney and co.

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Go fvck yourself, clown.

replied to truth3407
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You don't want to offend anyone? You have.


This is not about your thoughts? Yes, it is because you glued together a disparate string of events and assumptions.


How much does this make sense? It doesn't. It's a conspiracy theory -- nothing more. You and your moniker can go away now.

replied to truth3407
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It prob just best actually to ignore this ignorant clown, its prob someone who didnt get enough hugs from mommy, and is looking for attention.

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