Design Your Impact
One of the main problems we have as designers in a time of climate change and over-consumption is how to avoid adding to the problem. After all, our profession promotes branding, advertising, and marketing to companies that make stuff. We design the packaging, paper products, ads, reports, websites, and any other communication device that connect our clients to their audiences. We get paid to communicate every need and desire to consumers whether they need it or not. When we are successful it leads to more services and products being consumed. This leads to our clients growth in wealth and resources and the ability to make more stuff. They become thrilled by our work and hire us to do more. As a designer conscious of the problems we face for our future humanity, how do you balance economic success for yourself and the impact it has on the planet?
The first thing for graphic designers to do is rethink how the product or service we are promoting is communicated. How do you optimize a product or service touchpoint? If that product is a sneaker sitting on a self-serve shelf, how is the item packaged, displayed and transported? What materials are used to accomplish this? What are the upstream and downstream effects of producing these materials? What can be done to lessen the impact of that packaging? If you are designing communications for the services of a Massage Therapist you would have a different set of questions. What media or device has the best reach for their specific market? Are you designing a website, flyer, postcard, brochure, gift box, trade show booth or a combination of any of these? Is it necessary to use any of these communication devices to reach the goals of the project? How do you maximize ROI (return on investment) with the least environmental impact? Once you have a good understanding of what the project consists of, then you can design it to your specific goals. Can it be lighter, smaller, minimize waste, use less materials, reuseable or multi-functional? Can you use recycled, reclaimed materials and renewable resources to make it? Can you avoid toxic materials? Is it sourced from local, socially and environmentally responsible companies? These are design problems that weigh the economic, environmental, social impact versus the communication needs that meet the end goal for the project. What do you hope to accomplish with the project and what are the externalities resulting from it?
I have developed my own project report card for weighing these options and helping guide Riverbed Design through the process. You can find it here. Here are a few of the many resources that I would recommend for framing sustainable communication design methods; AIGA’s Living Principles, renourish and the book Green Graphic Design by Brian Dougherty. All of these have similar approaches and philosophies that will greatly help any designer. These resources cover the many aspects of sustainable design practices. They speak of the physical standpoint of environmental impact and the other two areas of the triple bottom line, economic and social impact. When I started my own company I had a vision of a truly sustainable design practice that has a positive impact on the world. I wanted to be able to wake up every morning and be excited and happy about the work I would do. I did not want to worry about what my work was actually achieving and who it was ultimately benefitting. To accomplish this, I knew my company had to involve all three parts of the triple bottom line. Who I work for is just as important as the work I do and who benefits from it.
Everyone has their own idea of what “positive impact” means. You can make the case that working for Walmart will have a positive impact. They have a massive amount of influence on their corporate partners (wholesalers and manufacturers) with their purchasing power. This gives Walmart a great deal of leverage. Currently, they are using that influence to change the packaging for the products they sell. This is their sustainability mission that is reducing carbon in millions of metric tons and at the same time saving them a great deal of money. Personally, I would not work for them because of the negative economic impacts they make on local economies and how poorly they treat employees. This is based on my own value system.
Every designer or design firm has to answer this question for themselves: Who do I want to work for and why? It is important to have a value system in place that you can refer to as a guiding light. When times get murky and it becomes hard to trust your own instincts a value system can tip the decision matrix to making the right choices for yourself. It is paramount to do good research and make sure you will feel positive about the work you will produce for your client. There are plenty of companies that say they are doing the right things, but as soon as you scratch the surface things falls apart. Weigh the cost of the job, the type of work, the opportunities it provides, and what you will be paid against your value system. Interview your potential clients to make sure you understand them as well as provide yourself the ability to inform them on your particular approach. Do not lose the chance to show your strengths and knowledge. Building trust with a client will allow you to advise them on anything they consider you as an expert. On a small scale, this could mean the difference in whether they will explore recycled papers for a project, or on a larger scale, auditing their communication channels for a “green” friendly way. This can give you the best foundation to make the greatest impact. An important lesson I have learned is there is an abundance of companies wanting to do the right thing and they are waiting for someone to show them how. Sometimes you can make a more substantial impact by working for the company that wants to be green versus the one that already is. As a designer working in a the age of climate change and over-consumption, this is your chance to make a difference and feel good about the work you do.