How to reduce the environmental impacts of your designs
Whether producing a design which will be displayed electronically or printed, your decisions as a graphic designer can impact the environment. This is why it is becoming increasingly important for creatives to think about truly sustainable graphic design.
Put simply, sustainable graphic design is an approach that considers the impact of the design being created on the environment.
Making careful choices when it comes to the shape, size and colour of your designs can have far-reaching implications. For printed designs – paper choices, ink and materials can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a design piece. This means less emissions and more efficient use of natural resources. For images that will only ever be viewed electronically, there is also an associated carbon cost, and considerations to be made. There is also the way that you work as a designer: your working environment, the power consumed by your equipment, the companies whose products you choose to use.
It is possible, as graphic designers, to work in a more mindful way that takes into the account the carbon cost of your work and to reduce it.
When thinking of print, the 3 Rs approach ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ is a useful technique to keep you focused on thinking of creative ways to make your design more sustainable. Think of the 3 Rs and make environmentally-friendly choices when it comes to the design, paper, ink and printing. Here are some ideas you could implement in your next project.
Carefully consider the following when selecting paper materials for your designs to be printed on:
Sustainable forest management – use paper sources that are accredited by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)Finally, shout about your environmentally conscious business
Communicate and educate your clients as to why you are making a certain design decision. This will increase the chances of your designs being approved by your client and also help to spread the knowledge of how to approach sustainable graphic design to others.