Press For the Agency

Green by Design

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

By default the design and graphics industry is accountable for much of the waste and pollution inflicted on our planet every year, with some designers and agencies quicker than others to take up the challenge of encouraging green practice. By recognising that social, environmental and economic imperatives sit side by side, being ‘green’ doesn't have to be as difficult as you might think, writes Sam Gopal.

As part of the publishing industry, we here at Desktop are ever conscious of the detrimental impact caused to the environment by the graphic design process. From the destruction of forests to the toxic pollutants discharged into our atmosphere by paper manufacturing and ink usage, the last few decades have seen considerable damage inflicted upon our planet.

The print industry alone utilises more than a third of the paper consumed in Australia, the production of which is the third largest user of fossil fuels worldwide and the single largest user of water per pound (source: Reach for Unbleached Foundation). Printers are also the key contributors to the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air.

As the need to live within environmental limits has become a global issue, designers and companies have shown that the structures, products and services of the existing world can be redesigned to operate with significantly less environmental impact, so we decided to have a chat to some eco friendly designers around the world to see how they are paving the way.

 

VIOLA
After graduating from the Swinburne National School of Design, Anna Carlile aspired to work in a manner that would minimise her impact on the environment. And so, in 1999, she established Viola EcoGraphic Design in the creative hotspot of Flinders Lane in Melbourne. "Viola was born of a desire to not only celebrate nature through its work, but to protect it by offering environmentally sound design practices to clients," explains Carlile. "We draw our inspiration from nature and our work reflects a profound respect for the environment. Our designs integrate ecologically-inspired creativity with informed processes about the impact of design on the environment."

Passionate to share what she has learned about environmentally sustainable practices with other Australian graphic designers, Carlile launched Design by Nature in collaboration with the Centre for Design and RMIT. "This extensive online forum targets key areas that need consideration when creating environmentally sensitive design, and includes useful information such as paper and printing guides, and examples of great sustainable design," she enthuses. "The intention of Design by Nature is to raise awareness, extend the dialogue on environmentally sustainable graphic design and hopefully lead to behavioural change and the protection of the environment. The bottom line is that eco-design principles can be adopted without adversely impacting on communication objectives or outcomes."

In producing the Design by Nature resource, Carlile drew on the experience of Chris Ryan, professor and director of the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab at the University of Melbourne. Ryan believes that Australia plays a pivotal role in the ecological climate and that our young designers are striving to better their design practices for a more sustainable future. "Comprehending the subject matter underlies the ability of these designers to transform their work processes," he explains. "It all begins with understanding the environmental impacts of products as they occur at each stage in their life cycle (raw material, processing/ manufacturing, transport, use, disposal) and focusing creativity, ingenuity and inventiveness to design those impacts out of the product."

Viola is devoted to the best practices in ecologically sustainable design. "Our clients share our passion and respect for the environment," says Carlile. And our projects, from print-based design solutions to social and fundraising marketing, demonstrate that visually sophisticated graphic design doesn't have to 'cost the earth'. An informed designer can deliver a premium quality, professional looking outcome and ensure minimal environmental impact, without necessarily increasing cost.

The most important steps towards an ecofriendly design occur when you come up with the concept. Is a printed piece the best way to reach the target market? If it is then reduce unnecessary paper waste through considering the smallest paper size and stock for each job and try to reduce the number of pages.

"Discuss with your printer an efficient way to set up your job so that more pages can fit onto a sheet and assess the print run required for a job," she says. "Minimise the number of ink colours and coverage in your designs and avoid areas of solid colour. The more ink you have on the paper, the harder it is in the recycling process and the greater the amount of toxic waste produced. By doing these things, paper, film, plates, proofs, inks, and the big incentive - money, will be saved.

"Ecologically sustainable design adds an inner beauty to your design that your client needs to know about," Carlile continues. "You must inform your audience of the initiatives taken to produce your piece in an environmentally sensitive way. By becoming aware of the environmental initiatives in your design, they will begin to see the 'hidden ugliness' in designs with high environmental costs."

 

With an undying commitment to her work ethos and a continuing desire to be armed with further knowledge, Carlile recently earned a masters of the environment from the University of Melbourne. "There have been many positive changes in recent years in the publication and packaging industries - in terms of recycling, material selection and printing practices, but for us leading the way with sustainable design practices isn't enough. We must educate and inspire others to change their ways through our eco-design consulting and workshops."

 
smashLAB
Eric Karjaluoto is the creative director at smashLAB, a strategic interactive agency based in Vancouver, Canada. With a focus on website design and development and online marketing, the agency strives to employ digital media in alignment with its ecological viewpoint. "Our studio has concentrated on embracing a sustainable mind-set, and minimising our environmental impact on future generations and the use of nonrenewable resources in the design of physical objects," Karjaluoto explains. "William McDonough and Michael Braungart present a very exciting notion in their book Cradle to Cradle, in which they explore a framework that concentrates on closing the loop and in turn becoming waste-free. Their approach assigns the responsibility of a product's life cycle to its creator.

"I basically see this whole movement as a cultural diet," Karjaluoto continues. "As a species, we've been indulging at the buffet table for far too long, and the doctor is telling us that if we don't 'shape up' things will get grim rather quickly. The nice part is that once we start watching our collective diet, it becomes easier to do so. At smashLAB, we've found that this mindset has affected how we act as individuals outside of the studio. We examine our choices more closely. We avoid products that are excessively packaged, and I've even gone as far as to write to companies, asking them to change such bad habits. For designers to effect change and help the environment, we have to practise what we preach, both in and out of the studio."

 

Recognising the volume of waste designers are responsible for and prompted by the lack of accessible information at the time, smashLAB initiated the Design Can Change campaign to provide a resource for designers in all matters concerning sustainable design.

"The response to the Design Can Change initiative has been amazing!" Karjaluoto advises happily. "Over 1500 people from 68 countries have taken the Design Can Change pledge, committing to being more sustainable in their practice. The campaign has been featured in international publications and has spurred discussions on websites, blogs and forums. At this stage, it has a life of its own that we really don't fully see from where we stand. The other day my mum called to note that she had listened to a fashion designer speak about the campaign on the national news. It's kind of neat to hear the campaign being discussed by people you wouldn't expect to know about it."

 

Karjaluoto is also heartened to see concepts, such as sustainable design, now getting some serious attention from within the design industry. "In my mind, sustainable design has evolved from being a fringe interest to one that most everyone is somewhat concerned by, and we in large part have Al Gore to thank for that," he says. "As a result, I think an effective way to promote sustainable design is to simply engage in dialogue. None of us really have one simple answer to solving this problem, and I highly doubt that anyone will arrive at it. Nevertheless, by talking about sustainability with other designers, we can share our findings and insights. Likewise, most clients want to know how they can incorporate sustainability into their efforts. It's a wonderful time, as clients are very receptive to our insights, and we have a great opportunity to engage them in this dialogue. In my mind it's all about accessible communication, and designers are good at facilitating that. That being said, I should note that we remain pragmatic in our suggestions. As a result, our clients understand that we're looking for the best holistic solution, as opposed to ignoring their concerns in favour of some kind of dogmatic standpoint.

"Encouraging clients to incorporate sustainable design is best done by making the solution a no-brainer," he continues. "A client we worked with recently wanted to create a low-run seasonal brochure. The unit cost was quite high given that there was a cost for its design, and at the same time the printing requirement didn't leverage any economies of scale. So instead we created a PDF that had no associated printing or postage costs and could be changed each season as required with nominal expense. For the client, this was a win/win; it met all of their needs and its negative impact to the environment was negligible."

Such ideas are constantly evolving, and Karjaluoto advises that this section of the industry is morphing as fast as the technology we rely on to realise our creative. "Sustainable design is booming and as a result I find it difficult to keep up. I do, however, find that www.worldchanging.com is a helpful resource for those interested in news and developments in this area. It's easy to become bogged down in the language of sustainability, but I encourage any designer to engage in it. Taking on more sustainable practices isn't nearly as daunting as it may seem at the outset. In fact, it's quite natural and something that we've found to really fit with our general values."

He humbly admits, however, that we are all a long way off from fully realising our 'green' dreams just yet. "I should state though that we haven't achieved sustainable design," he says. "None of us are 'there' yet, and I don't know that we ever will be. At smashLAB, we made one substantial change, however, and that was in refocusing our business on interaction design. As a result, most of our efforts don't result in tangible products. We still do assist with printed elements as required, but these have become an 'as necessary' deliverable, instead of our first line of items to consider. When we do find that a printed piece is necessary, we consider its function, materials, creation and distribution in an effort to minimise its negative impact. We ask questions from a macro perspective, and avoid becoming overly prescriptive in our efforts. What problem is the client trying to solve with it? Is it the most effective way to address this concern? Is there a better method of doing so? As a result, we aren't trying to sell products, but rather a solution to a client's challenges."

 

Despite the huge efforts that are being made in sustainable design, Karjaluoto still forecasts an uncertain future. "I think we're headed for a big backlash in the upcoming months. There are a number of parties who are jumping on the green bandwagon and, as a result, people are going to become much more cynical of claims made. 'Green' is being looked on by some as a marketing opportunity, when it really should remain a moral imperative. My hope is that in the long run this leads to a more sober approach to acting responsibly. The last thing I do is to ask people to buy from our company because our efforts orbit around sustainability. We do this because we know that there's a flaw in how we interface with the planet. My feeling is that sustainable design will become more matter of fact for most designers. In time we'll weigh the environmental cost of what we create as carefully as we consider the financial cost."