Sustainability
Good design values people, the environment, and improves lives.
Intro
I am driven to tackle the environmental challenges linked to design decisions influencing climate change and societal inequality.
Print and marketing
The ripple effects of making paper products for packaging and marketing materials are far and wide. The devastation from clear-cutting old growth forests releases millions of pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, destroys wildlife habitats, and displaces indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands. There are the emissions and pollution from pulp and paper production, and much more.
Among other considerations are the petroleum-based inks and the energy used in the printing process, over-packaging, oversizing, and the resulting waste that contributes to environmental degradation.
Low income and minority populations are more likely than other groups to live near landfills (where much of our designed packaging and marketing materials end up) and be affected by climate change.
Below are some strategies I use to design responsibility:
- Size printed marketing materials to reduce trim waste and maximize the press sheet using the Re-nourish paper calculator tool
- Proof on screen as much as possible to reduce paper waste.
- Encourage recycling at the end of use with messages directly on the piece.
- Display paper and ink specifications directly on the piece to bring awareness to sustainable considerations.
- Reduce ink coverage when possible. The more ink on the page, the more difficult recycling can be.
- Use a local SGP certified printer.
- Strive for sourcing tree-free or 100% post-consumer waste paper whenever possible.
- Request plant-based ink instead of petroleum in offset printing.
- Use using digital or waterless printing for smaller print runs to reduce set-up and trim waste and overall VOC emissions.
UI/UX Design
Environmental effects aren’t confined to print and marketing materials. Web, app, and digital design also has a negative environmental and social impact. 70 billion kilowatt hours a year are required to power the server farms that host our online data and keep the machines cool. This energy typically comes from burning fossil fuels.
Process for UI/UX design:
- Host websites with a renewable energy host (not just carbon offsets).
- Aim for clear and easy site structure—the easier it is to navigate to find content, the less time and energy is wasted.
- Streamline code, video, and images to reduce download time and energy use.
- Design and develop using W3C accessibility guidelines for users with visual and mobility differences.
- Use server caching to avoid dynamically generating your page for every return visit.
- Avoid using bloated mega-themes that require heavy energy use and data calls.
- Include a specially formatted print-friendly option designed to minimize paper waste for web pages that are likely to be printed.
- Include an environmental-awareness component or message about the environmental impact of the project.
Initiatives
As the co-founder and partner at Re-nourish, I have helped to build resources and tools for professionals and students to create more sustainably. My work with Re-nourish inspired my book “Design to Renourish: Sustainable Graphic Design in Practice” which addresses working with clients to create responsible solutions through various approaches, pitfalls, and real-world case studies.
I’ve lectured internationally about sustainable design at universities, colleges, and organizations to inspire and educate designers to consider the implications of the work they create and empower them to use their skills to design for good. Learn more ›
Process
Sustainability is not a separate way to design, it’s the way I approach all of my work. There may be a ways to go—we can move the needle together.
- Educate on better practices, how to push beyond “less bad” approaches.
- Seek out solutions that improve lives and improve the planet.
- Share knowledge with industry peers through Re-nourish and public lectures.