Evaluate Essay

    Since graphic design needs a lot of materials for the printed products, the keywords for sustainability in graphic design are recycling materials as much as possible, use new technology with low toxicity or use the idea of biomimicry as tools to design or to create materials, encourage activism to spread sustainable design and so on. I’d like to approach to the possibility of sustainable design from graphic design point of view, focusing on the use of material and design activism.

   It is a job for a graphic designer to select what material to use for an outcome of the design like choosing ink and paper to write or print on. First of all, simply organic things could be selected for all the materials to reduce chemical impacts. For example, squid or octopus’s fresh ink could be selected for the ink(post 9/1/2013) and also natural fiber sheet for paper. Secondary, if I keep it much simple, any natural objects if they could be easily returned back to the nature such as leaves or stones(post  2/12/2013) could be used including live creatures, to minimize waste and reduce energy/water use. For instance, leaving honey in letter shape in public place to attract bees or ants could create message that we can actually see in the environment and also it disappears naturally after a short while when the attracted creatures finish eating it(post 1/12/2013). Or could do bring a huge group of people to stand in specific position so you can see images or words from a distance. These ideas are all very simple and manageable but it is sometimes better to go back to the basics in the term of sustainable design.

   Because one of the purposes of graphic design is to send a message to the people in most effective and understandable way, it could lead an excellent activism, such as inviting famous people to do a campaign, for spreading the idea of sustainable design. There is a British famous paper cutting artist called Rob Ryan. He is well known for his delicate beautifully cut out works with message of love and life. But he hasn’t done anything related to environmental issue yet (robryan, 2004). Since he is worlds-wide well known and most of his work uses paper as a main material, I came up with an idea of inviting him to create a work to announce a campaign of recycling or minimize waste by using waste paper. It would be visually beautiful and also quite recognizable what the message is for the audience. Collaboration of waste paper and talent of Rob Ryan will produces an amazing value to the waste and could be a strong message of what sustainable design today.

    Thinking about sustainability in design is essential for all the designers because as taking part of producing things, it is responsible to consider how the product ends up. Also since all the materials are limited on the earth, designers must deal with the limited materials as much as possible. I am glad that I could have an opportunity to study about this topic at the same time I study graphic design communication. Therefore I will always keep this point of view in my mind when I work on my design.

Pitts River Museum

I had an opportunity to go to Pitts River Museum in Oxford.
There were enormous kinds of collections in the museum and I found there was a collection of recycling.

A juice bottle used as a vase. Simple recycling. With can made flowers.

 A basket made of fibre bound with foil and crisp package.

A music instrument made of olive oil tin.

A watering can made of food tin.

A kettle made from melted plastic.

Most of them are made by simple process and created in developing countries. Although there is no latest technology, idea of sustainability is on action when it is in needs.

Squid in Ink

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/art-nature-imaging/art-techniques/squid-in-ink/index.html

Drawing of squid using fresh squid ink by Alice Shirley.
Squid ink is absolutely natural material and can be manipulated as watercolour even when it's dried.

Chalkboard paint

Found an interesting paint which can create a chalkboard anywhere on the wall.
It is also air pollution-free so doesn't have chemical impact on its use.

"ECOS organic paints offer a completely unique range of decorative finishes. It's the only range of totally solvent-free paints available anywhere in the world today, independently tested to reveal 0.0% VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

VOCs are a major contributor to low-level atmospheric pollution and the use of these compounds leads to global warming. In addition, the use of solvent-based paints is a major cause of, asthma, allergies, sick building syndrome, chemical sensitivities and the general flu-like symptoms reported by many people using conventional paints, including Matt and Silk wall paints.
Most paints currently on sale, both gloss and emulsion, contain solvents and VOCs. ECOS paints contain none.
As a result they are ideal for use throughout the home, particularly children's bedrooms, nurseries and kitchens, especially if you or a member of your family is chemically sensitive or suffers from asthma or allergies. " (http://www.ecosorganicpaints.co.uk/store/blackboard-paint-uk/prod_233.html)

If this paint becomes a standard of creating chalkboards, it will reduce use of slate stone which is a main material for producing a chalkboard and also the use energy and water during the process.

Gravity-Defying Land Art by Cornelia Konrads

"German artist Cornelia Konrads creates mind-bending site-specific installations in public spaces, sculpture parks and private gardens around the world. Her work is frequently punctuated by the illusion of weightlessness, where stacked objects like logs, fences, and doorways appear to be suspended in mid-air, reinforcing their temporary nature as if the installation is beginning to dissolve before your very eyes." (http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/installation/page/6/)

Gates made by organic objects.

A Wall of Shattered Glass Floods a Benedictine Monastery

"Aerial is a new site-specific installation by Baptiste Debombourg (previously) at an old Benedictine monastery called Brauweiler Abbey near Cologne, Germany. Debombourg used numerous sheets of shattered laminate glass to mimic a frothy flood of water rushing into a room. Remarkably beautiful work." (http://www.thisiscolossal.com/tags/installation/page/6/)

This installation looks so beautiful.

Only if it is made by real ice not by the glass, in freezing environment....

Leaves, stones

Continues from the previous post, possibilities of using organic materials in graphic design.

My past project of leaving a message in a public place.

I used little stones I found around the place.

Leaf typography by Shiori Uchimura

http://shiolund.tumblr.com/post/1652799833/reading-week-and-30-things-to-do

Insect Typography

After I had the lecture of sustainable design with scientific technology, I came up with the idea of using organic material for graphic design. It could be live creatures as well.

Insect typography by Stefania Marconi

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Insect-Typography/3340551

Caterpillar letters by Nina Katchadorian

http://www.ninakatchadourian.com/uninvitedcollaborations/quitusingus.php

http://youtu.be/g3BESHLwiwY

For the last video, although it's failed I like how the letters naturally fade out because the 'letters' are all alive. Thought I could use bees or ants instead.  Like if I put some honey in letter shape in natural environment, either bees or ants come to eat honey and at the same time they make letter shapes by themselves for a little while. Then when they finish eating the honey they all disappear. This idea could be used to leave a message in a natural environment for a short time super eco-friendly.

Hive vase by Thomas Libertiny

With a little help of bees, Thomas Libertiny made a vase-shaped hive.

http://www.tomaslibertiny.com

Reduce wastes and chemical impacts

http://www.tedresearch.net/3-reduce-chemical-impacts/
http://www.kategoldsworthy.co.uk


Today I had a lecture by Kate about design to reduce wastes and chemical impacts.
I like her idea of recycling old carpets to create new pretty carpets by cutting its surface by laser cutter and make beautiful patterns on it and also dying it with natural materials. Because she's recycling old carpets, her finished products seem like it already got vintage quality and it's adding value to itself.
It is quite a simple idea but could be a starting point for everything could be recycled.


I know it's all by his hand but laser cutting reminds me of works of Rob Ryan.

http://tagfinearts.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/rob-ryan-solo-exhibition-and-calendar.html

Imagine if he uses old prints for his material, it could be anything like old posters, newspaper, ads... He surely creates amazing value to the wastes.

Paper houses by Shigeru Ban

This Paper Partition System one of his disaster relief project created for Japanese people after the tsunami happened 2011. As a Japanese, the disaster was the terror which I can never forget. When the victims had to live in a gymnasium all together, how to keep their privacies protected was a big problem. This partition system is so simple but really clever to separate their private spaces apart with low cost and no difficulties. Also it is reusable when it is in needs and could thrown away easily.

While most of the Japanese people felt impatient with their uselessness in helping those victims, I adore how Ban supported them immediately with his clever design. I yearn to be a designer like him who could contribute toward overcoming any difficulties for the people.

http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com

TED's TEN

1. Design to minimise waste
2. Design for recycling/upcycling
3. Design to reduce chemical impact
4. Design to reduce energy and water use
5. Design that explore clean/better technology
6. Design that looks at models from nature & history
7. Design for ethical production
8. Design to replace the need to consume
9. Design to dematerialise and develop systems and service
10. Design activism

http://www.tedresearch.net

I list TED's TEN here for not to forget it.
These ideas could all used for how today's graphic design should be like. Especially graphic design that we could see in daily life is advertisement printed on paper which consumes a lot of material. I think all graphic designers should consider how those ads could be sustainable since most of them are dumped after they finished their job. Graphic design could also seen on TV commercials which has a huge influence to the audience. It could be a good chance to tell how sustainable design is important to many people. At the same time when we solve design brief, I'd like to think how I could combine the idea of sustainability together.

Uniqlo's recycling policy

When I was researching about Uniqlo for the previous post, I found that Uniqlo is constantly doing recycling of their own clothes by donating them to many countries where people need more clothes which I think is truly amazing. Not just as a material but they are extending their clothes' lives as clothes, it could be done because their products have the quality to last as good things to wear.
I think their innovation in fabric brought them ultimate sustainability and allow them to take a responsibility as a mass fashion production.

http://vimeo.com/29081709

http://www.uniqlo.com/en/csr/recycle/

Uniqlo Heatech Campaign

   I joined an unique campaign of Uniqlo to get free Heatech. Through a mobile game, just rubbing my mobile screen, it said I converted some energy by my kinetic energy. I'm not sure how my energy works but I saw so many people joined this campaign to redeem free Heatech.
   I'm a big fan of Heatech so I literally wear it every single day through all autumn and winter. It is made of fine thin fabric and it does keep warmth dramatically. I think it was really good campaign to spread amazing function of Heatech and let people wear it more so they use less heater and save more energy. Innovation of the fabric and unique style of campaign worked very effectively in this case.


http://www.uniqlo.com/uk/corp/pressrelease/2012/10/uniqlo_unveils_plans_to_warm_u.html

Workshop

Today we had a workshop thinking about alternatives of what we'd created before.

Graphic design group(me and Olivia) talked about Wooden Dingbats which is a sign made of MDF board.

I thought I understood the idea of sustainability but actually it was really hard to think about how this wooden sign could be sustainable. We focused on the material itself and found an alternative called ECO board (http://www.eco-boards.eu/) which is strong as MDF but made from waste of agricultural products. I don't think this makes the wooden sign itself sustainable but at least if we use the recycled material it could reduce the number of trees being cut down.

It was interesting to think about the process how this material is made and came from where and also think about eco-friendly alternatives.