Last Thursday was the final night of four compostmodern meet-ups through the Baltimore AIGA. The final video for discussion was of Nathan Shedroff who addressed a few key strategies for becoming a more sustainable designer. Here is a brief sum up of some of the biggest points to consider for your next design project:

1. Design things to be useful :: simple enough… consider finding the need before finding a solution. Our designs need to first and foremost address functionality.

2. Dematerialization :: Design something smart. He used the example of the iphone; we no longer need to carry a watch, gps, pda, mp3 player, camera, phone, etc. It can all be contained in one small product, increasing usability and convenience for the user and decreasing the number of products that will eventually end up in our landfills.

3. Substitution :: Consider your materials. Does that chair need to be built from fresh chopped wood from the northern Boreal forest or is there an opportunity to utilize recycled or sustainable materials? For print designers there are no excuse not to consider recycled, fsc or sfi certified paper options anymore. Recycled stock costs and quality have improved dramatically over the past few years to make them equally competitive beside a conventional stock.

4. Transmaterialization :: Turn products into services, the hybid taxis being a perfect example for this strategy.

5. Localization :: Reduce transportation, support your local providers and keep your money local. See Andrea’s May local challenge below to get started on this strategy today!

6. Informationalization :: Research is essential to design. A building designed to works in downtown Baltimore may not be appropriate on the flood plains of Africa. Consider the variables that effect design and open you thoughts to the input of outside opinion and research.

7. Design for “intended” reuse :: As artist, we often feel as though we can turn any hunk of trash into a worthy piece of artwork but the average consumer may not have the creativity or interest to go this extra step. Why not design products that are intended to be reused when their original intended use is through. Shedroff used the example of Maille Condiment Jars. When finished with the product you are left with a classy drinking glass.

8. Design for durability :: design a product to be serviceable, repairable and upgradeable. Our designs should also be something that people want to have around. I like the example of OXO. If you look at the products on their site they have their own unique distinctive look but the style is attractive, timeless, and puts the demands of function first. You will even find a section on their site for refills and replacement parts – why replace the entire product if it is only a small piece that is no longer functional.

9. Design for disassembly :: Why is it so difficult to figure out if the water bottle or lunch container you just ate from is recyclable or not? And what is the meaning of the filled in symbol verses the outlined symbol. If a product is intended to be recycled why make it such a mystery. Be intentional with your design and don’t make the user question the capabilities of a product.

10. Redesign the system itself :: Our economic models stink (in Shedroff’s words describing the GDP) We need new ways of thinking because decisions we are making on the old ways are unstable and detrimental.

For more on ways to be a sustainable designer he recommends the following books:
* Design is the Problem by Nathan Shedroff and Hunter Lovins
* Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
* Nature Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins
* Leading Change Toward Sustainability by Bob Doppelt
* The Next Sustainability Wave Bob Willard and Hunter Lovins

—EJ
www.orange-element.com

At Orange Element, we use photography and illustration as often as possible in our work.

For the past 6 years, we’ve been using Masterfile as one of our premier resources for finding and purchasing unique photography.

In September of 2008, Masterfile released a publication entitled ‘Green World’. The magazine-style piece holds great imagery, interesting environmental facts, statistics and compelling reasons why companies across the globe must make sustainable initiatives central to their brands.

From their press release:

“With ‘Green World’, Masterfile tackles the topic of environmentally compatible living – a trend that will dominate and define our futures as no other. In fact, ‘green’ consciousness is no longer simply a trend. Environmental awareness has gone mainstream, and ecology minded thinking will necessarily play a key role in the actions of all people from now on. This has recently become very apparent in the field of advertising and media, where the topic is more and more prevalent…

…’Green World’ was produced carbon-neutrally and printed on 100% recycled paper. At masterfile.com/city there will be a link to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) website where visitors can learn all about their important initiatives. Any resulting monetary donation made to the FSC to assist them with their efforts in conserving the world’s forests and diminishing climate change will be rewarded with a newly planted tree in Masterfile City , Masterfile’s virtual online world!”

Here are a few screenshots from the publication:

While there are no more 32-Deluxe or 8-page Standard Editions left, you can view an interactive version by visiting masterfile.com/greenworld.

This piece has inspired us. EJ Hall, a designer at Orange Element, completed her senior design thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design with focus on sustainable design. She is now developing a sustainably-focused piece for Orange Element that will soon be available for designers, firms, printers and business owners – so that they too may be able to initiate internal plans to improve their own best practices as they relate to more sustainably-driven thinking. Thank you, Masterfile, for using creativity to spread message and spark an idea.

Happy Friday! Get ready to download because this is a great find! Last month we had a font hour and Sarah brought a free font to the table that you should download and default in your emails right now.

In an effort to extend the life of print cartridges everywhere, Utrecht based marketing and communications company Spranq developed Ecofont. This Verdana based font grew from the question and design challenge:

“How much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability?”

The “swiss cheese” results proved to be the most successful, reducing ink use by 20%!

The font is available for download and free to use here. Spranq co-founder, Gerjon Zomer admits the font isn’t the most beautiful of typefaces but if we substitute it in our emails, memos, and other internal printouts we can feel good saving money for our companies and reducing waste in our environment.

—EJ

To continue our topic of the Olympics I ran across an article that explains Beijing’s pledge to use Renewable Energy for the Olympics. The article points out how they are using wind power for 20% of the electricity supply for the events, solar power to light 80 to 90% of the street lamps, biogas to heat 90% of the bathing water and two new incineration plants will generate 250 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. If you have been watching the games, chances are you’ve seen one of GE’s ecomagination ads. Check it out here:

Also, since this is a design blog, I have included the environmental logo for the event. To learn about more of the design elements that went into this large Beijing event check out the Olympic torch relay page for an Olympic style guide. The site talks about the carefully considered design that went into the “brand” of this years Olympics from the design of the stadium, which is laden with symbolism beyond first impressions, down to the design of the event postage stamps, tickets and mascots. We were amazed to find that the experience of the opening ceremony did not stop at the performance or visual elements but even the environment was considered and manipulated through the process of cloud seeding used to hold back the rain on the night of the event that we saw pouring down on the cyclists the next morning! Supposedly, they say, this is friendly to the environment too… 

We are all very excited to announce that Kaley Hymiller, a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), has accepted a full-time intern position here at Orange Element. Kaley is a super-talented Industrial Design major there, which was really interesting to us as a graphic design and marketing communications firm. As you probably know from past blog musings on my part, we’re big believers in the importance of having a strong product or offering in order to be able to create a powerful brand. We are excited to have Kaley aboard and look forward to having her skillset in-house to be able to develop even more perspective on the intersection of product design and branding. You can see more of Kaley’s portfolio at http://www.coroflot.com/khymil20.

And while we’re on the topic of product design, I wanted to share something I read about in my latest issue of Popular Science (I love this magazine, as well as Popular Mechanics – call me a dork, I don’t care). It was an article in their Concepts & Prototypes section about a solar-powered sailboat that a Turkish design firm had concepted called Volitan. The article discussed that while using wind power is by default sustainable, nearly every sailboat has a motor that burns gasoline. In the US alone, there are over 10,000,000 gasoline marine engines.

Designnobis has come up with a solar powered craft that uses both wind power as well as solar to propel the hull forward in the water. It’s a boat concept with stunning good looks, but that to me seems completely feasible as a production model (although the carbon fiber hull would probably make for an extremely costly venture). Take a look at the pictures below and read more about Volitan at Gizmodo HERE.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com/

Yesterday, in true EJ fashion, she sent an email to the entire Orange Element staff that asked simply “Who left the elephant poo on my desk? Cool!” For a while I was really confused. Why would elephant poo be on her desk, much less in our office? And why would she think that was cool?

After a while my curiosity got the best of me and I had to go ask her what it was all about. It turns out, Andy Bonner had left a paper sample on her desk that was literally made from elephant dung. I’m not kidding and it’s not what you think. It actually looks like real paper – it’s light in color and it DOESN’T SMELL. I swear, I brought it up to my nose and…nothing.

I did a little more research and came up with this site: www.elephantdungpaper.com

We love sustainable products like this and we hope it becomes mainstream. What a great way to use a waste product for something good–after all, that’s what recycling is all about. And the best part is that every time you use this paper, it helps to save the elephants. Good stuff. I can’t wait to see the look on our clients’ faces when we recommend printing their next marketing piece on elephant poo.

Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com