betti020: April 2010 Archives

Environment. Design. - these are items of debate that have come up in - well a ton of classes - especially this semester. My topic, convenience, is closely related to this debate. I want to implement as many environmentally friendly aspects into my design work as possible - but the first step to becoming a 'green' designer is being well informed on the subject matter. So, for this blog I did some research on two items related to this topic : Ink and Paper.

Paper:
What types of recycled paper are the best to use? IJ Design out of Colorado is a green website and print design company - they state "Recycled paper made from 100% post-consumer waste is generally considered the most ecological choice in recycled papers." Infact, this company has a glossary of all the types of eco-friendly paper out there - very helpful I'll add it to the resource library but here it is now: Guide

Ink:
Are there green options out there? As John Kalkowski, Editorial Director -- Packaging Digest, says in his article "When it comes to packaging, inks and substrates are married to each other. Once the two materials are bound, they are difficult to separate. But it does happen in recycling and in disposal, and the results can contribute to worsening environmental conditions."

The good news is there are new 'green' inks out there that a lot of printers are already using.

I worked on a print piece this summer for the Mndaily. When I met with Bolger , my printer, I brought up the question of 'green' inks inquiring on the price increase if I went that direction. I was surprised to learn that the only inks Bolger uses are green - to what degree I am unsure- but I was impressed by this response.

What irritates you? Is it that shopping cart whose wheels won't turn to the right, that vacuum cleaner that weights 75 pounds too much, or that extension cord that's just not long enough? Maybe its just the daily tasks you can never find the time to complete? Too much laundry, no time to clean the shower? ... All of these things are burdens in our lives. There's an entire industry of designers out there who search for ways to improve the convenience in our lives-- and cash in on it -- because seriously, what would YOU pay to make your life easier?

IDEO is a company that focuses on lots of different types of design, (www.ideo.com) some of which is innovative product design. When I first began thinking about how convenience related to finances, I was reminded of that legendary video we all watched in Intro to Design Thinking:

The shopping cart video. Back in the day when I first saw this video I was amazed! I couldn't believe people were actually paid to spend their days dreaming of ways to make things better -- and then I realized how much money was behind this type of business. This company found a number of awesome ways to improve the shopping cart - all of which they patented - all of which they can cash in on when a company uses their design.

Not all of the improvements IDEO designed have been implemented in stores, but some have - the truth of the matter is these improvements cost stores a lot more money, and so these stores must decide weather an improvement in their customer's shopping experience is worth the extra money. From my experience, the stores that have upgraded their shopping carts are a lot more enjoyable ... Target opposed to Walmart ... Lunds opposed to Rainbow.

Another interesting advance is technology that has improved the convenience in many people's lives are the iRobots. These little robots are crazy expensive but for those who really don't want to be bothered with tasks such as vacuuming, sweeping or cleaning their gutters they're amazing.

Some people are willing to spend whatever it takes to make life easier. Time is extremely valuable in our society and so we demand convenience. Not all of us have robots sliding around our houses, but none of us can deny how nice it feels to have a bit of our day-to-day burdens lifted.