Press For the Agency

Best of the Web 2007

This article is courtesy of STEP Magazine (download the original).

Though it smarts to say it, designers are a wasteful bunch. “We had been talking about how our studio could do less damage to the environment,” says smashLAB creative director Eric Karjaluoto. “It felt like an overwhelming issue.” The environmental costs associated with the design industry are monumental: “The paper and pulp industry is the third largest polluter,” says designer Peter Pimentel. “According to the AIGA, American designers alone specify or purchase $9.1 billion in printing and paper annually.” Finding few resources specifically to help graphic designers, smash- LAB decided to create the optimum.

“We contacted numerous organizations whose goals fell in line with those of the website, and most were polite but noncommittal,” says Pimentel. It was surprisingly difficult to rally support from potential partners at first. When Getty Images signed on as the official photography sponsor, smashLAB had its advocate. For the design firm this was its most rewarding project ever: “We went from feeling powerless to the realization that we could impact change,” says Pimentel. As decision makers, designers control vast purse strings. Once committed, they can make a huge difference. “It’s truly fulfilling to think that we might influence a designer to make a decision that could save a forest or prevent several tons of emissions.”