Sustainable graphic design
With a little careful planning we can all make a big difference to the
impact we have on our environment. Sustainable design is a simple yet
very important method of creating beautifully designed materials that
don't destroy the environment.
People often think 'If it's environmentally friendly it's going to cost me more'. This couldn't be further from the truth. Sustainable design looks at how to make the best use of materials to reduce energy consumption, pollution and waste. This may be done by using less paper, less ink and fewer chemical processes - which helps to reduce expenses and environmental costs.
Sustainable design considers not only the aesthetics of the finished item, but the project as a whole â before, during and after production. Careful planning of the quantity required is essential. Printing too many will result in needless waste; printing too few will necessitate reprinting, which is costly and not at all sustainable.
It is extremely important that environmentally responsible papers are used. Paper mills are having to become more responsible in their methods, which means there are now a wide range of high quality paper stocks that are recycled from post-consumer waste, that havenât been chlorine bleached and that hold ink to look, feel and smell just as good- if not better - than non-sustainable papers.
Sustainable design practice also looks at the best printing and finishing methods for the job - for example, page layout on the printing sheet. Sometimes using a slightly different size or format can have the same end result, but without using another set of printing plates - saving you time, waste and money.
Does that navy blue and metallic logo really need to be printed out of CMYK and a metallic Pantone colour? That is 5 colours and a nasty metallic pigment. It may look as good, or better, with just 2 spot colours. And why use hazardous chemical petroleum inks when vegetable based inks are just as good and are much easier to de-ink and recycle once the item is no longer wanted?
The above is just a brief example to demonstrate that a sustainable approach to design needs to be considered. The great news is you don't need to know it all. All you need to do is choose to design sustainably. We'll do the rest.
People often think 'If it's environmentally friendly it's going to cost me more'. This couldn't be further from the truth. Sustainable design looks at how to make the best use of materials to reduce energy consumption, pollution and waste. This may be done by using less paper, less ink and fewer chemical processes - which helps to reduce expenses and environmental costs.
Sustainable design considers not only the aesthetics of the finished item, but the project as a whole â before, during and after production. Careful planning of the quantity required is essential. Printing too many will result in needless waste; printing too few will necessitate reprinting, which is costly and not at all sustainable.
It is extremely important that environmentally responsible papers are used. Paper mills are having to become more responsible in their methods, which means there are now a wide range of high quality paper stocks that are recycled from post-consumer waste, that havenât been chlorine bleached and that hold ink to look, feel and smell just as good- if not better - than non-sustainable papers.
Sustainable design practice also looks at the best printing and finishing methods for the job - for example, page layout on the printing sheet. Sometimes using a slightly different size or format can have the same end result, but without using another set of printing plates - saving you time, waste and money.
Does that navy blue and metallic logo really need to be printed out of CMYK and a metallic Pantone colour? That is 5 colours and a nasty metallic pigment. It may look as good, or better, with just 2 spot colours. And why use hazardous chemical petroleum inks when vegetable based inks are just as good and are much easier to de-ink and recycle once the item is no longer wanted?
The above is just a brief example to demonstrate that a sustainable approach to design needs to be considered. The great news is you don't need to know it all. All you need to do is choose to design sustainably. We'll do the rest.