I believe as humans, we have a natural tendency to try and justify what we do or make ourselves feel better about what we do. I think as designers, we're probably struggling to do this everyday. This feeling might arise in us when having a conversation at a dinner party when you're standing in a group of people talking about what you all do for a living or are studying.
Guest #1: "I'm studying the effects of global warming on coastal farming communities in Central America."
Guest #2: "I'm in medschool. What do you do?"
You: "Im a graphic designer."
Guest #2: "Oh wow, that sounds fun!"
Fun...well yes, what we do is incredibly fun, but is also can have a positive impact on the rest of the world. Right?
Yes, I believe it can! We yeild the power and the outlet to convey positive or influencial messages to the public and promote causes and individuals who are striving for good. And yes, we can do our part to promote environmentally responsible practices and cut down pollution!..but unless we get hired by the EPA to promote clean air acts, how do we do this?
This brings us back to my original point that "we're always trying to make ourselves feel better about what we do." Since we're graphic designers who work in a lot of print, we probably feel bad about the amount of paper we use and end up wasting in the process. What's the solution to this bad feeling? Start using recycled paper! Instantly we feel better, but do we really know that recycled paper is that much better for the environment? According to the National Association of Paper Merchants,"There can be no definitive statement on which uses more energy because each forest, producer, vehicle, mill and so on will have its own way of working, and the different types of energy-use also have different environmental impacts. Broadly the reprocessed fibre in recycled grades is more efficient in energy terms."So maybe, it's a better decision, but maybe recycled paper isn't in that particular case. What do we do?
I think in order to truly make the right decisions when it comes to what we do sustainably as designers, we need to do the research rather than just accept the hype, even if it's just sitting there right in front of us, waiting to make us feel better. I think we can also spread this influence when working commercially by encouraging tthe compaines or firms we're working with to put an equal amount of thought into what they do rather than just printing "eco-friendly" on a product that deep down, might not be.
I agree with you, Missy. And the best way we can avoid polluting the environment is to USE less. As designers, even though we may be doing more digital work and using less paper, the companies we work for and the products we help to promote may not. We may design a beautiful web ad (no negative environmental by-products there!) that sells a product that uses bad chemicals, or has three layers of packaging, etc etc. So, not only should we look at the direct effect of things WE use in our process (paper, spray mount, exacto blades) but what the END product of our design is. So, like you said, encouraging the companies we work with to put thought into the effects of their product is so important, and hopefully we can make a difference in the end!
I liked how you started this blog by an opening conversation during dinner. I always feel people underestimate the power that graphic designers have. They always think its all about drawing and coloring "fun" as if we dont do actually work. Most of them dont even know that graphic design is all around them and we can actually manipulate their thoughts through the messages we send out. I definitely agree printing an eco-friendly should actually be an eco-friendly product, and not a lie to get more people to buy it. Because once people know its fake then the reputation of the company will go down hill.
it's so true! people definitely underestimate the role of designers; if we didn't help get out the message of our effects on the environment in clever, engaging ways, no one would listen! at the same time, i agree that it can be overwhelming and difficult to try to make our design process more eco-conscious from start to finish, and that includes the product or service we're promoting. i think it's worth looking into more methods of practicing conscious design, in addition to using recycled paper, such as the example richelle gave of the firm that sharpens xacto knives on a stone rather than throwing them out. such small steps can be helpful in the long run, and from there we can certainly look into what our design is promoting, and offer this perspective to our clients, as you suggested. i feel that when it comes down to it, it's impossible to become completely inconsequential to the environment, but if everyone tries to cut back on the resources we use, we'll at least slow down the effects.