VIEW: 5 Ways to Keep the Green in the Design

We are a proud member of the Designers Accord. The following guidelines were inspired by a recent Designers Accord gathering where maintaining sustainable design practices in an (ugh) ailing economy was the topic of discussion. For the record, Studio 22's stance is that these actions are "baked in" to our process.

1. Analyze what is in your control, such as paper selection, bindings, or packaging/containment method. Make choices as part of the design exploration process.

2. Make it as easy as possible to disassemble the piece (if bound or packaged) for recycling at the end of its life cycle.

3. Estimate quantities based on past usage of similar projects as closely as possible so that you don't over-produce. Even if you recycle your leftovers, it's still waste.

4. Cut back on unnecessary wordiness in your text to reduce page count - not only does this help save on production costs, it saves paper and reduces postage expenses.

5. Evaluate how your audience will use your communications piece. Do they want to read an 8-page product brochure, or would they rather have a line sheet with highlights? Making it convenient for the end user can result in reduced materials consumption.