I have recently launched www.re-nourish.com as my MFA final project at the
University of Texas at Austin.
As the fields of architecture and industrial design are starting to
embrace the idea of building and manufacturing sustainably, the field of
graphic design is lagging a bit behind. There are a few online resources
that provide information on “green design” but as a community, graphic
designers, do not fully embrace the principle. I wondered how could this
transition start? What would make graphic designers design more
envrionmentally conscious (besides being forced to)? The answer was
education. But not just education, but also how to make the sustainable
alternative just as reachable as the status quo approach. This question
led me to the web, where graphic designers can be found all day, everyday
(in front of their computer). This toolkit was designed to be easily
accessible at any time during the work day with information that is
quickly found.
renourish features
• case studies on sustainable graphic design (more on the way, feel free
to submit yours)
• definitions of sustainability and why it is important to graphic design
• preferred printers
• the truth about paper and sustainable options
• the truth about ink and non=toxic options
• sustainable living tips (since designers just don’t design)
• links to blogs and current sustainable news
• a blog format where guests can register post their reviews and
contribute to the community
• downloadable sustainable checklests for design jobs
• downloadable “safe” Pantone coated swatchbooks for Illustrator files
(Pantones with heavy metals removed)
More content will come as the sustainable community grows!
Feel free to contact me through the AIGA message board and also through
benzo@re-nourish.com for your thoughts on the site, what you could
contribute and how you feel it could be improved in the future!
Thanks… spread the word, seed new conversations… renourish the graphic
design community…