Interview with Studio 7 Designs‘ Aran Down.

You are an award-winning, environmentally friendly design firm. Tell us what your clients come to your company for and what makes Studio 7 Designs different from other ‘green’ design firms.

We started out about five years ago by providing non-profit groups with free consultation and web design. Originally, we focused on helping out local companies ─ it was our way of giving back to the community. After about two years of helping about 50 non-profit organizations, including many universities and UN chapters, we were getting offers for corporate branding through our contacts. At that time, Studio 7 Designs was run by me and some part-time designers, so it was a natural evolution to move towards being a full-time design and development company. Our roots are based in real ethics. Our site doesn’t have a green theme; we wanted to try to capture the beauty of the natural world and use artistic creativity to show who we are as a whole.

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Not only does your web site offer you a chance to market your company, it’s also an opportunity to exercise your commitment to sustainability. One way to green your marketing is to make the web your primary advertising focus. Through e-mail newsletters, online ads, and promoting your domain name on all company correspondence, you can drive traffic to your web site and cover a lot of marketing ground without having to waste paper. Focusing your advertising efforts on the internet means less printed advertising, which means less paper waste and fewer pollutants released (the printing process and ink pigments create a lot of them).

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This year, biologist E.O. Wilson was the recipient of one of the TED prizes, and his wish is on its way to becoming a reality. Wilson wants to bring about a catalogue of all the world's species in one place on the web: an Encyclopedia of Life that is accessible to all.

As E.O. Wilson accepts his 2007 TED Prize, he makes a plea on behalf of his constituents, the insects and small creatures, to learn more about our biosphere. We know so little about nature, he says, that we're still discovering tiny organisms indispensable to life; yet we're still steadily destroying nature. Wilson identifies five grave threats to biodiversity (a term he coined), and makes his TED wish: that we will work together on the Encyclopedia of Life, a web-based compendium of data from scientists and amateurs on every aspect of the biosphere.

The people at TED tend to not just have big ideas, but to act on them. So it is no surprise that the Encyclopedia of Life is already underway. After the conference, Avenue A | Razorfish, an award-winning web design company, volunteered to help with the project. They have designed a gorgeous site that will soon house the encyclopedia. Many organizations are working together to begin filling the encyclopedia with information and making it possible for everyone to contribute content. In the age of Web 2.0, the Encyclopedia of Life will be the Wikipedia of all living things (past and present) on the planet. The video showing how the encyclopedia will work is a must-see.

This is a truly unique and ambitious project. Imagine having in-depth information on every single species on the planet available online, easily accessible to anyone. Scientists all over the world will be able to add data and information, and people can enter their own photos of plants and animals and place them on an interactive map. You can glimpse what the site will look like on the beautifully designed demonstration pages. It's obvious that good design has been part of this project from the beginning, and thanks to the folks at Avenue A | Razorfish, the extensive amount of information that will be part of the encyclopedia will be organized and well-presented. The Encyclopedia of Life is a wonderful example of great minds coming together to promote interest in nature, protect biodiversity, and make important information available and accessible to anyone. It brings together science, technology, and good design for the benefit of all the planet's life.

Links: Encyclopedia of Life, news coverage of the site launch, E.O. Wilson's talk at TED, About TED

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 there, I got the inside scoop on the event from people who were. Hopefully, events like this one will become more common as awareness of green issues spreads through the graphic design industry. AIGA is encouraging designers to get together on a local level and hold Green Design Salons such as this one, so I'm anxiously awaiting one closer to home.

According to AIGA Los Angeles, the event was a great introduction to green design and event organizers certainly practiced what they preached by making the event carbon-neutral:

AIGA Los Angeles, the professional association for design, presented Co[LA]borate SEEing Green on April 19th, 2007 at CiscoHome in Los Angeles. The event offered an opportunity for designers and other creatives to learn about new products, tools and services that are Sustainable, Environmental and Ecological. And because AIGA Los Angeles took into account the potential carbon footprint required to host and execute such an event, the organization purchased offsets from the Carbonfund, making Co[LA]borate SEEing Green carbon-free!

Phil Hamlett presents on green design practices.
Attendees experienced presentations from leaders in green design, including Joy Evans of Mohawk Fine Papers, who discussed the impact of paper manufacturing on the environment, what certification really means, and how Mohawk is future-proofing its paper production and distribution in order to protect the environment. Phil Hamlett of the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design gave an insightful presentation about how to implement green design practices in your own business, while giving voice to these efforts through client branding and communication projects. Cisco Pinedo, co-founder of CiscoHome and host of the event, talked about how he was first inspired to change his manufacturing processes by using FSC certified and organic materials. His message was a passionate plea for designers to pay keen attention to the materials we use in our offices and homes so that they support sustainable practices and a healthy planet.

Those who attended also got to sample organic, local, sustainable and vegetarian food and beverages. Sustainable and well-designed products were on display, and not only was the event carbon-neutral, but attendees were encouraged to take the Metro to the event to lower their transportation impact.

Events like this one renew my hope that my industry will be part of the force that changes the world for the better. Designers are in a unique position to create change and lead the world towards sustainability, and as they realize this, there will hopefully be more discussion on green design and more designers incorporating sustainability into their practice.

I would like to thank Natasha Wang, Bonnie Powers, and others at AIGA Los Angeles for sharing photos and information with me about this event.

Links: AIGA Los Angeles, AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, SEEing Green.

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 is, it's about time!

So, why should designers and communications professionals be concerned about sustainability? First of all, because everyone should. Second, designers are responsible for a hell of a lot of paper and resource use, as many designers create printed materials every day. Third, designers are in a unique position: we are communicators, capable of informing, educating, persuading, enlightening, facilitating, and of course, selling. We have the ability to incite action, change minds, and open eyes. I couldn't think of a better group for leading the green revolution than the design community.

As designers have become more aware of environmental issues and sustainability, some great resources on green design have been developed. Sustainability is not only a popular buzzword, but a marketable selling point in a competitive marketplace. This makes a sustainable mindset even more important for designers to develop. I have gathered a few of my favorite resources on sustainable graphic design and the greening of the design industry. This is just the tip of the iceberg though, so please feel free to add your favorite green design resources!

• Renourish: this beautifully designed resource for the design community, aimed at fostering discussion of green design and educating designers. "It exists to provide the graphic designer and their clients a host of resources to practice more sustainably in their craft. It helps you understand the importance of sustainability and how practical and invigorating it can be for the creative process and, in turn, our lives." The site contains a Sustainability Toolkit, a basic introduction to sustainability and why it's important, and many case studies about sustainable design projects and green design firms.
• AIGA Center for Sustainable Design: the AIGA is one of the largest design organizations in the United States. If they're concerened about sustainability, it must be a big deal to the design industry. The new Center for Sustainable Design includes resources and discussion on design issues surrounding sustainability, as well as information on what AIGA is doing to green their organization (like installing a green roof, going carbon-neutral and conserving energy, water, and paper). The site is still growing, and so is the community discussing sustainability on it.
• Design Can Change: this site is just awesome. Chock-full of beautifully presented information on climate change, its effects, and what designer can do about it, Design Can Change strives to get designers thinking about sustainability and then acting on it. Sign the Design Can Change Pledge to get started in greening your design practice, or if you need a designer, find one who has signed the pledge and made a commitment to sustainability.
• Institute for Sustainable Communication: the ISC focuses on sustainability in communication and provides tools for designers, media professionals, and communicators. Their goal is to promote "awareness and widespread adoption of economically, socially, and environmentally sound sustainable development practices in the use of communication media." Check out their Responsible Enterprise Print program and Design for Sustainability tool.
• GreenBlue: this non-profit institute aims to transform the design of human industry, making economics sustainable and incorporating sustainable thinking into how our world is designed. It began as a nexus of projects at McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), the private sustainable product and process design consultancy co-founded by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in 1995, who wrote Cradle to Cradle (a highly recommended read). GreenBlue is a little broader than graphic design, but the bigger picture thinking they exemplify is beneficial for anyone.
• Design By Nature: this is a resource forum for environmentally sustainable design, based in Australia. The site includes a thorough guide on green design practices, many examples of eco-friendly projects, and a community of designers concerned with sustainability.
• Celery's Ecological Guide to Paper: Celery, a green design firm based in Berkeley, offers sage advice on choosing sustainable paper. This guide offers definitions on paper and printing terms, a look at different green paper options, and specs on various green papers.
• The Centre for Sustainable Design: this UK-based group facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development.
• The Metropolitan Group's Tips on Sustainable Graphic Design: this list of sustainable design tips and questions to ask is offered by the Metropolitan Group's design studio.

There are many more resources where these came from, but if I listed them all, this post would end up being a novel (if it isn't already). So, please add to this list by sharing your favorite sustainable design resources!