Green Options

I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I lived in Los Angeles. Not because I like big cities, celebrities, or smog, but because the Los Angeles chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, recently held an event called CO[LA]BORATE: SEEing Green that brought together two of my favorite topics: design and sustainability.

CO[LA]BORATE: SEEing Green was held on April 19th, just in time for Earth Day. Although I wasn't

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Sustainability is gaining popularity among every industry, and the graphic design community is no exception.

When I was writing my thesis on sustainable and socially-conscious graphic design just a few years ago in college, good resources on the subject were hard to come by. Now it seems that discussion sustainability in design is cropping up everywhere, and design organizations and studios are jumping on the green bandwagon. All I can say

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By now, you've probably seen "The Meatrix," seeing as it is the most successful web advocacy video in the history of the web. This project helped to bring the world of Free Range Studios into the limelight and gave much-deserved attention to their hard work.

Based in Berkeley and Washington DC, Free Range offers a wide selection of creative services for companies and non-profit organizations. "We know that our best work comes not

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These Come From Trees (Redesigned)I previously posted about These Come From Trees, a guerilla public service campaign aimed at raising awareness of paper use and asking people to conserve paper using a simple sticker on a paper towel dispenser.

By reminding people that paper towels come from trees, the stickers save up to 100 pounds (about one tree's worth) of paper each year. Recently I found out

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I posted previously about Free Range Studios and their thought-provoking online videos. Shortly after my post, I found out about a new project of theirs, called The BioDaVersity Code. This time they have teamed up with Environmental Defense, World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club, and many other organizations to create a spoof of The Da Vinci Code

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These Come From Trees Sticker

What would you think if you saw one of these stickers on a paper towel dispenser in a public bathroom? The folks at TheseComeFromTrees.com hope you'll think about the source of the paper towels and use as little as possible. By placing these stickers in plain view on paper towel dispensers, they're calling out an often

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I discussed sustainable paper options in a previous post, but paper is only half of the printing equation. When looking for greener printing options, you also have to consider ink. And that is where things often get a bit messy. Traditional printing inks are petroleum-based and contain volitile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to air pollution and health problems.

Because petroleum-based inks are usually found in home inkjet printers, the first

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Humor can be an effective way to reach people and get them to think. When you add good design and presentation, you've got an even more powerful (and potentially more funny) message. The folks at Free Range Studios seem to know this very well. This design and multimedia firm specializes in communicating messages with meaning and inspiring change through their design work. They sum up what they are all about very

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We probably come into contact with paper and paper products more often than any other material throughout our lives. Humans have been using paper since ancient times, developing it over the years to adapt to different cultures, materials, and uses. Today, paper makes up 35% of our waste stream, but only 48% of the paper products we use is recovered for recycling. That means over half the paper we use is filling up

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As a graphic and web designer who cares about the environment, I am constantly trying to find ways to help my clients use fewer natural resources and become more sustainable.

One way I do this is to encourage clients to use the web as a marketing tool instead of creating printed marketing materials. Paper products constitute the largest portion of our waste stream (about 35%), not to mention the toxic pollutants

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Editor's note: Megan Prusynski, GO's newest team member, is a professional graphic designer and a very prolific blogger. She'll be covering design, art and culture for us. We're happy to welcome her aboard!

Apple computers have been staples for the graphic design industry since they arrived in the early 1980s. The company prides itself on its innovative technology, attention to detail, and good design. Designers like myself are

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