Green Graphic Designers and Sustainability

By ignoring the negative impact of paper manufacturing systems, designers are supporting paper which is the fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. However, many are unaware that the environmental impacts of graphic design are closely tied to the paper and printing industry. Paper distribution puts forests at risk and requires a huge amount of energy and produces harmful greenhouse gases. Despite the advancement of e-commerce and digital delivery systems, paper consumption is still on the rise.

Graphic designers do not see the direct impact of design that contributes to climate change thus feels that sustainable design is not relevant to them. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says that. Singapore is taking action by researching climate change impacts, reducing CO2 emissions and waste. Climate change impacts everyone thus Singaporeans need to be responsible and take action. The Minister for Education (MOE) is introducing environmental education into various academic levels to prepare students with the right knowledge to encounter climate change. However, the actions towards sustainability education are targeted towards primary schools, secondary schools and universities in general but no mention about educating design students specifically to be more responsible in producing sustainable designs.

Sustainable graphic design is about using the influence of design to construct more sustainable solutions. Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) Sustainable Design Faculty is an online course for designers from all fields including graphic design to learn about sustainable practice, theory, and techniques. As a higher education level, they take on the responsibility of challenging the status quo in the industry and be an influence in society. Therefore, there is a demand for graphic designers to be well educated on the environmental issues in their works.

Sustainability should be essential to design and not just an additional factor. Responsible designers are aware of other environmental impact of their work and equipped with methods to reduce carbon footprint and natural resources. Therefore, designers that are eco-minded can communicate knowledge with stakeholders to aid clients in making more sustainable decisions and make positive social change. Thus why is there a lack of environmental education in graphic design curriculum and what is the perception of sustainable graphic design in Singapore? This study argues the demand for sustainable practice, theory, and techniques to be taught at graphic design academics in Singapore through connecting values and real-world applications.

To help accelerate conversations on sustainability in Singapore’s graphic design industry, this dissertation investigates the demand and perceptions for sustainable graphic design in Singapore’s industry. This paper will equip graphic design educators and graphic designers enthusiastic about sustainability on gaining knowledge on green graphic design in Singapore.

There is a lack of environmental education in Singapore’s graphic design curriculum to prepare graphic designers to be more responsible. Hence this research aims to find out why there is a lack of environmental education in the graphic design curriculum when Singapore is embarking on tackling climate change which requires Singaporeans to be diligent in taking action, including designers. This follows up with studies to investigate whether there is a demand for sustainable graphic design in Singapore’s industry and what challenges faced with sustainable graphic design.

The objective of the readings is to analyse current trends in sustainable graphic design in other countries and current sustainable graphic design practices, theories, and techniques.

Brian Dougherty refers to design as an “avocado” where there are three layers — 1) The physical world of paper and print; 2) Brand & information and 3) Effecting change. These three layers quoted in his book Green Graphic Design summarises what is sustainable graphic design which is evident across the readings for this research.

The first layer is paper and print in sustainable graphic design, it consists of the technical side in choosing more sustainable alternatives to materials such as recycled paper and using sustainable printing methods. The book The Green Design and Print Production Handbook by Adrian Bullock and Meredith Walsh contribute information on sustainable design and printing process. The book mention websites like The Paper Calculator that holds a compilation of data in the industry to provide details on paper information like how much wood and water is used, the weight of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and so on.

The second layer is the brand and information in green marketing. Graphic designers aid in educating the audience about environmental issues through company branding which gives them a competitive edge since sustainability is trending in markets. Additionally, graphic designers need to be aware of greenwashing. Sherin Aaris wrote in the book SustainAble: a Handbook of Materials and Applications for Graphic Designers and Their Clients that greenwashing is common in businesses to over hype their commitment to sustainability which can be misleading to consumers and can be a concern in delivering the wrong message. Thus, graphic designers as message makers can tackle this by being informed. The issue of greenwashing has been mentioned by several authors like Dougherty, Jedlicka, and Bullock.

The third layer is where designers as agents of change in changing the client’s and stakeholder’s perceptions and their actions to more sustainable ways. In Design Activism: Beautiful Strangeness for a Sustainable World, Alastair Fuad-Luke wrote that graphic design has a history of social and political discussions and propaganda where designer’s voice out social and political issues. Alastair Fuad-Luke refers to this as design-led activism where graphic design plays a huge role to communicate environmental, social and economic in the community thus advocating positive change. Dougherty also refers to this as a form of activism.

In recent news, experts say that complicated mooncake packaging is harder to recycle and harmful to the environment. Mr Liow Chean Siang, head of environmental certifications said and. This shows the demand for choosing more sustainable methods to design especially in the paper recycling industry in Singapore.

Wendy Jedlicka wrote in Sustainable Graphic Design: Tools, Systems, and Strategies for Innovative Print Design that recycling can bring economic and environmental benefits in local, state and national levels. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the recycling rate for paper/cardboard is only at 56% where 319,700 tonnes are generated. The Zero Waste Masterplan aims to reduce waste sent to Semakau Landfill daily by 30% before 2030. The Singapore Packaging Agreement 2007 pushes companies to reduce packaging waste. Example, 15 companies like Hilton Singapore, Kraftwich and SaladStop! Have taken action to reduce plastic production and use by 2030. Thus there is a demand for reducing waste through responsible design. Chick and Micklethwaite wrote in Design for Sustainable Change admit that unless all design is sustainable, there is a need for sustainable design.

A few authors from the readings are educators themselves like Eric Benson, an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of Illinois and a member at the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design. Benson states that design educators are slow in responding to revaluating current design methodologies in reducing environmental impact. Benson also experiments teaching methodologies for sustainable graphic design through discussions and studio projects to build the student’s foundation in values and connecting that to real-world situations. There is a demand for graphic design students to be educated in sustainability to collaborate with the client to construct sustainable solutions.

Sustainable design is a very broad topic and there are many existing frameworks and approaches to it. Based on The Living Principles for Design framework by AIGA, sustainable design infuses four factors —society, economy, culture, and environment where graphic designers are agents of positive change and influence in society. AIGA also released a brochure to introduce responsible design and print techniques for economic and environmental benefit where is mentioned that graphic designer’s influence in the industry is on the rise Example influencing the amount of material used with printers, influencing awareness with marketers and influencing the brand value with business leaders. There is a demand for all graphic designers to take responsibility in educating themselves on sustainability to collaborate effectively with clients and stakeholders to construct sustainable solutions. This is no new challenge for graphic designers as they are equipped to find solutions and solve design issues.