Posts Tagged green design

t-shirt design: biodegrade

Inverted tetris… why not? (:

I have a few medium grey T-shirts left. Let me know if you’re interested in one or if you have suggestions for color combinations you’d like to see for next time.

new projects up on annaeshelman.com

I’ve uploaded some new projects to my portfolio website. Take a look!

internship at ripe: green design studio in washington, dc

Although the studio consists of just a few team members, I quickly realized that ripe is no small deal.

During my four-month internship I experienced what it’s like to be a designer in a full service studio. While I was part of the team, I had the opportunity to do a mix of everything – whether it be researching and inspiration-gathering for a new brand concept, designing layouts for a website, sitting in on a client meeting, or final production work for a stationary package. There was always an interesting task to tackle.

It’s been great to work with a team that is just as serious about environmental responsibility as they are about creative, high-quality design. ripe considers how sustainability can affect all aspects of design, from conceptualization to final output. And from bamboo floors to French-pressed coffee, ripe is always seeking newer and cooler ways to become even “greener” around the studio itself.

One of the most valuable experiences I had was being immersed in behind-the-scenes organization of such a productive studio. Staying on task was vital, but the laid back atmosphere helped the day-to-day flow of photoshop files and phone calls, while generous amplification of Pandora radio tended to boost creativity by 300%. And of course, there was an adorable kitten to play with while taking a break from the screen (and occasionally some amazing chocolate dipped bacon lollipops from Farmers & Fishers to munch on)!

grocery store wars

Grocery Store Wars from Green.com on Vimeo.

This video was produced by Free Range Studios.

real green goods logo trademarked

MICA commencement exhibition and graduation: complete!

I graduated! My exhibition is located on the 2nd floor of the Brown Center (the iceberg building).

wind book: senior independent project

wind book: icons

A selection of icons from my wind book:

kite design: seed

seed

- bamboo

- hemp line / thread

- 100% recycled paper manufactured with wind power

- found wood (spool)

- inkjet print

kite design: ghost

ghost

- bamboo

- hemp line / thread

- 100% recycled paper manufactured with wind power

- found wood (spool)

kite design: cotton sled

cotton sled

- bamboo

- leftover oak

- hemp line / thread

- recycled organic cotton paper

- found wood (spool)

kite design: barn door

barn door

- bamboo

- hemp line / thread

- recycled organic cotton paper

- found wood (spool)

- found vine (tail)

kites + wind power

Kite flying is a universal activity which keeps us in touch with the environment and our natural spirit. The materials, design, and flight of this kite spread awareness of sustainable resources we have around us, as well as the interconnectedness we have with our planet. The kite is made from bamboo, hemp, and 100% recycled paper manufactured with wind power. It is flown with one of our greatest renewable resources: the wind.

preliminary kite design sketches

us: original video and sound piece

I created this video for my Sound I final project in December 2008.

This five minute film piece uses imagery from Google Earth’s immense database of satellite images of the Earth’s surface. The sound component to the film utilizes sounds from synthesizers, computer generated sine tones, various instruments, and sounds gathered using a contact microphone. Beginning calmly with images of natural desertscapes, the film moves through several more stages of sound and image (tundra, forest, mountain…), a slow crescendo of nature to the climax of the sprawling city: fast, flickering imagery with a collage of sound portrays the chaos, disorder, and complexities of civilization and technology. The video, among other things, is a comment on the power of the human race and current global issues concerning our environment.

The film, as well as many others from my class, will be featured in MIXTAPE – an exhibition at the Brown Center – this week. Come check it out.

aiga baltimore: compost modern

From baltimore.aiga.org:

COMPOST MODERN

“Sustainability is the defining issue of our time. It will eventually become the context within which all design is performed, the lens through which all design is considered. Join AIGA Baltimore, for a 4-night exploration of the role we will play in the future of green design.

Through Compostmodern’s recorded lectures and vibrant discussions in a relaxed environment, participants will investigate the current and future potential for ecologically sustainable growth and responsible design. We’ll focus on real world solutions and practical applications of design, using fresh infusions of design thinking.”-baltimore.aiga.org

Thursdays, April 9, 16, 23, 30 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Creative Alliance
$35 members, $50 nonmembers

Creative Alliance
3134 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224

designers and sustainability

According to an article by Gordon Kaye (of Graphic Design USA) on thepapermillstore.com, about 94% of graphic designers create projects for print, 53% for packaging design, and 77% for the internet. Designers today have more influence than ever over the production of client’s projects from pre-production all the way through to the final product. 88% of designers said they had influence over what paper choices to use for the projects, and 83% said they had influence over where and how to get the project printed. Based on these figures and also on a few experiences working with clients, I think designers can have an enormous impact on our society’s collective carbon footprint.

Designers strive to find balance between what a client wants to communicate, their allotted budget, and a successful design that’s executed cleanly and creatively. Finding ways to minimize energy consumed in the process adds another variable to this puzzle. Negative environmental impacts can be reduced without compromising the aesthetics or functionality of a piece. Luckily, sustainable thinking and “being green” is becoming popular among people and companies who are keeping up with global events (or who want to look like they are). Companies are starting to realize that if they don’t jump on the green bandwagon, they may lose business from responsibly-minded customers. I hope that sustainable practices will soon be the norm instead of the occasional. Here are some ways that can get us started in a good direction:

CONSIDERATIONS

- A product (whether it be a design piece or an object of another kind) could be made from fewer materials so that it is smaller and lighter.

- It could be made with reclaimed materials or recycled materials.
- It could be designed to have a second function. For example, it could transform into another product, like the packaging for the biodegradable TWIST sponges. The paper labels wrapped around the sponges have instructions on the inside telling the customer how they can convert the label into a birdfeeder.

- The product could be manufactured with renewable resources. There are lots of choices for more eco-friendly papers (see post about paper choices), as well as finding a printing company who might use non-solvent based inks or runs their business with renewable energy.

- More to follow.

paper choices for the eco-conscious designer

Within ten years, demand for recycled paper will exceed supply by 1.5 million tons of recycled pulp per year (says thedailygreen.com). Yes, if there was less virgin paper in circulation, eventually we would run out of recycled pulp because there is a limit on the number of times it can be recycled. However, in 2008, only 48.3% of office paper was recycled! And along with that, about one quarter of landfill waste is paper. If we use less paper altogether, recycle more, switch our virgin paper to a higher PC content and combine this with non-wood paper solutions, perhaps we can lower the paper industry from being the 4th largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions among United States manufacturing industries. Canada’s paper and pulp industry says that by 2015 it will be carbon neutral, which is quite an impressive goal. Click here to read more about how they’re planning on achieving this.

RECYCLED PAPERS

There is no doubt that recycled paper has less of a carbon impact than paper made with virgin pulp.  The EPA requires paper to contain only 10% PC content in order for it to be called “recycled”. But the higher percentage of PC content, the better. Paper made with 100% recycled content uses 44% less energy and produces 38% less greenhouse gas emissions than using virgin wood (thedailygreen.com), and doesn’t require any trees to be cut! However, there are some things to consider when choosing a recycled paper. Depending on the distance of shipping, the carbon footprint of using local sustainably-harvested virgin paper may actually be less than using recycled paper from across the country.

I found on Green America’s website the statistic that 95% of all United States magazines use virgin paper. That’s 35 million trees cut down every year. And about 2.9 billion of these magazines are never bought and never read. The Better Paper Project is an organization which works with magazines to switch over to more sustainable methods of production. Many magazines and other printed projects have concerns about the quality, cost, and availability of recycled papers. However, these concerns are now obsolete as recycled papers are now becoming more sought after. betterpaper.com states that nearly 3/4 of magazine publishers said that they would switch over to paper with recycled content if these concerns were eliminated. Another issue with recycled paper can be that in order to make it back to a top quality paper, most recycled material will have to go through a process of straining to remove inks and glues. This can diminish the length and durability of the paper fibers. Some printing presses require the highest quality of paper to ensure that there are no problems while running the machines. A solution? National Geographic, for example, uses a 10-15% recycled content from envelope companies and the U.S. postal service for its cover because these products are cleaner and require less processing (globaljournalist.org).

SFI OR FSC CERTIFIED VIRGIN LUMBER PAPERS

—-Information coming soon!—-

(For now, check out the glossary for information about the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council.)

NON-WOOD (TREE FREE) PAPERS

—-Information coming soon!—-

Other things to keep in mind when choosing paper is its chlorine content (see the Glossary for more information about ECF and PCF papers) and the manufacturing process. Was the paper manufactured with hydro or wind power? (note: even if a paper says it’s “manufactured with wind power”, it may be manufactured with 20% wind power, 80% fossil fuels) Was the paper made to be Carbon Neutral? AIGA Center for Sustainable Design has a comprehensive list of good paper choices.

personal design projects relating to sustainability

Here is a selection of projects I have created in the past two years. The concept for each design in some way relates to sustainable thinking through design.

LED EXHIBIT

Currently, I am finishing promotional material for a hypothetical exhibit about LED lighting. Four sections—spaces, home, objects (functional), and creative (art objects)—allow visitors to experience the versatility of LED technology and encourage awareness of the energy efficient and money-saving qualities of this brilliant technology. I will post the full project when it’s completed. For now, here are images of the logo, a few spreads of the museum guide, and a poster graphic (in progress):

ECOFOLIO

I created the concept and visual design for this website to give green companies a way to avoid the expenses and negative environmental impacts of paper catalogs while promoting themselves in a directory of other like-minded businesses. The website features a digital publication tool which translates a catalog or magazine to a fully-searchable dynamic format with the capability for embedded links, sound, and video.

RE-RAVEL

RE-RAVEL is a hypothetical recycled sheep’s wool paper product by Living Tree Paper Company. This swatch book and dust jacket, which transforms into a poster illustrating the themes in the book, relates the textiles of traditional Navajo weavings to wool paper and the philosophy of the company. An interactive paper swatch pattern in the center of the book exemplifies the idea that using imagery from the process of weaving makes a strong visual story when combined with a contemporary approach to environmentally friendly design.

ENVIRONMENTALITY

I developed the concept and promotional campaign for ‘Environmentality’, an event in Baltimore hosting a lecture series, product vendors, and art exhibits designed to raise awareness about sustainability. To encourage community participation, the six postcards would be mailed to locals over a period of six weeks. Each postcard introduces a particular lecture, and the mosaic of images in the poster blends the various themes of the weekend-long event into one place. All materials would be printed on 100% PC recycled paper with vegetable-based inks.

CURRENT PROJECT

I am just beginning work on my senior independent project. I am creating a body of work which explores the essence and importance of the invisible force of wind. From distributing seeds and moisture to powering the navigation of sailing ships, wind has been a necessity for the progression of life on Earth. Visual experimentation in the form of a book will express the cultural, biological, and technological significance of wind, its emotional imprints on the human psyche, and ideas about utilizing wind power for functional use and renewable energy. In addition, I am constructing a kite and designing its surface graphics. The kite will serve as a medium for me to personally explore the effects of wind, and the design and flight will extend the kite’s purpose to promote public awareness of wind power.

I hope to make the audience more aware of their environment as well
as technology we can implement to use wind as a renewable energy source.
As a whole the work will integrate complexity and simplicity; past, present
and future wind power technology; and our interconnectedness with our
history, environment, and planet.

artemis photo greeting cards

Kathie Fife of Artemis Natural Resource Designs LLC, a graphic design and natural resource consulting company, has created a product which–from both an artistic and an environmental standpoint–is doing many things right. Two sets of six cards highlight beautiful and unique scenes of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.  and offers interesting history, recipes, and facts on the back of each card.

Each set of cards comes wrapped in hemp. Here is a list of their attributes:

- FSC 100% recycled paper
- processed chlorine free
- green-e certified
- manufactured carbon neutral with renewable water + wind power
- acid free and archival quality paper
- professionally designed and printed in New Hampshire

Check out Artemis online for more images and information about these beautiful cards.

new graphic design portfolio website hosted by HostPapa

My portfolio website, annaeshelman.com, is launched! This site is hosted by HostPapa who purchases 100% renewable energy (wind and solar) to power their servers, computers, and office spaces.

moxie sozo: first zero-waste 100% renewable energy-powered design firm

Check them out: www.moxiesozo.com

wind power generated from kites

“giant kites to tap power of the high wind” [article + video]

my green graphic design blog: a resource for sustainable thinking

I’ve imported several posts from my old blog which I created for a class I took called Climate Change and Sustainability for Artists + Designers. Here’s some information about “viridianarium”, an information resource for graphic designers looking for ways to “green” their work:

———-

After completing a number of online carbon footprint calculators, I found that although there are ways I am helping to minimize my CO2 output, there are still many changes I could make to further reduce my global impact. The calculators’ questions inspired me to thoroughly investigate my life and research how to reduce my carbon impact at home, on the go, and as a designer.

This personal research prompted me to create a resource for myself and other graphic designers who want to incorporate sustainable practices into their work (Viridiarium). I am constantly learning new information not only about the severity of the climate crisis, but also about how positive actions, on the individual, local, and global levels, really can (and do) make a difference. Designers have the power to inform, inspire, and hopefully initiate change — even if this change is as simple as changing light bulbs or switching from buying paper made from virgin lumber to paper with recycled content.

To read more, check out my sustainability blog (http://viridiarium.wordpress.com/). Although I’m permanently moving to annaeshelman.com/blog, I’ll keep the old wordpress blog open for viewing.