Sustainable graphic design with New Leaf

New Leaf paper has a new and improved website. It's great, you can do an Eco-Audit, find a local printer, and watch a counter of resources saved by New Leaf's eco-practices. In an age of information sharing, I will share with you some information on SUSTAINABLE DESIGN that New Leaf shares, which was borrowed from ReNourish.

What is sustainable graphic design?  

Sustainable graphic design aims to eliminate the negative immediate and future social, economic, and environmental impacts of the printed and digital material produced by the profession. Paper fiber, the substrate most used by the graphic designer currently, should be collected, recycled and injected back into the market as a post-consumer product in order to move towards a sustainable industry. Ideally disposal of paper fiber will be eliminated altogether and instead a Cradle-to-Cradle practice of manufacturing and recovery will be utilized. Sustainable graphic design considers the impact of its creations on communities where materials may be sourced, and aim to support a local economy by working with vendors in their region to increase prosperity and minimize their environmental footprint. Global interdependence, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability are the goals of the sustainable graphic designer. Achieving these goals will thereby improve our quality of life overall.

Look to the past for inspiration.

We can often find solutions to current problems by looking to the past for insight. In the early 15th century Gutenberg revolutionized printing when he produced his 42-line Bible. Gutenberg was famous for his breakthrough in movable type, but his experiments with ink are less well known. At the time water-based inks were being used. Gutenberg found that the water-based inks were too fluid, so he adapted techniques used by artists of the time and began to use oil-based inks made from linseed oil (veggie-based inks are not something new!).  It wasn't until the growth of the petrochemical industry in the 1940's that we began to introduce petroleum and toxic solvents into our printing. (until the middle of the 19th century, the main ingredient of paper was cloth rags, hemp, and grass. Using wood for pulp is relatively new, but that's another topic) Fortunately, again the printing community is embracing soy & veggie-based inks for their environmental benefits, vibrant colors, further spreadability, and for making paper easier to recycle.
                                                      •

Looking to the past often creates insight, or gives us a new perspective on a current issue. I have several "artist books" I made years ago out of used and re-purposed materials. When I've been doing a lot of computer work, I like to take-out my old projects for tactile inspiration.

I just love chipboard!

 

 Check out the final printed version here.

The team at Pinball Publishing once again exceeded my expectations! Thanks Pinball for being so great to work with.

I know many of you think of chipboard as cliché, but I still can't get enough of it. I remember in the early 90's when I would cut-up brown paper bags into 8 1/2 x 11 and jam them through my printer. I loved it then & still love it today. Now we can find many sophisticated lines of chipboard in various thicknesses & textures from many of the leading paper companies. Neenah is one of my fave's, their Environment line "dessert Storm" has the look of chipboard, but with a smooth-refined finish. Check out Neenah's environmental commitment & test-out their paper calculator.

Three Sun's Farm-logo

 

"Three Sun's Farm" is a small organic family farm named after the three sons in the family. This logo was designed as two separate stamps, the inner flower & the outer name & address. The intention was to allow for a two color logo that could be stamped on recycled brown paper bags & egg cartons.

Hand-sewn Poster Design.

 

 

This poster was done for a client who wanted something simple, yet wanted a look that would stand-out among the other fliers & posters hanging in the local coffee shops. This was printed on 100% pcw recycled paper, with a hand-sewn cotton pocket to hold business cards on the top.

"Thank-You" ReDesigned

Sometimes saying "thank you", or sending a card, just isn't enough to express the heartfelt gratitude you feel. Above are a few examples of some "thank you art" I have designed. Each of the "thank you's" were created to relate to the gift received, and all were created using re-purposed materials, or using materials I had around the house. This bottom-right thank you was for a hotel certificate received, it was created from the free shoe buffer in the hotel room. Above that, a thank you put inside old contact lens containers. Also shown, old matchbox, knife box, found twigs, & left-over fabric.

My Studio Designs

My Studio is where I create. I love to bring a creative twist to all aspects in life, be it designing an identity, wrapping a gift, or decorating a cupcake. I guess you can say I have a love for the tactile experience.