a temperature shift in design
On reading an article recently my eyes froze on the phrase ‘‘little things can make a big difference”. Normally when I read this overused sentence – that is usually trying to persuade people to do their bit for the planet – I groan because, as a communication designer who works in sustainable design, I understand the consequences of this phrase: a short term reassurance that allows people to carry on buying and flying as ever before because they have pledged to recycle more and have ‘green branded’ their shopping list and still the carbon emissions continue to soar.
But this sentence had more gravitas. It sat at the beginning of a report that made headlines on the BBC news last week (1). It was referring to the small temperature and climate changes that will create huge, probably irreversible and undeniably disastrous impacts on our planet that are now predicted to occur in the next decade.
But what has this terrifying fact got to do with the everyday business of design? As the communicators of messages and the persuaders of purchasers I would argue that it has immense relevance. At thomas.matthews we have been working with sustainability as an underlying principle in graphic design for over ten years since our formation in 1998. Over this time we have been researching, promoting and designing with innovative materials, products and processes. We actively build awareness of sustainability and put pressure on our suppliers and clients, our sphere of influence, trying to effect change in our damaging industry. We push at reducing our carbon footprint and our clients as much as we can. And we constantly question and discuss these issues as a team to help build our evidence and knowledge bank, trying to spread the word that alternative solutions are out there and if not why aren’t they.
Sustainable thinking is now part of our DNA, integrated in our conceptual designing, forcing us to use our heads to think more laterally and we cannot understand why more design companies do not do the same. People are still making excuses as to why they can’t run a successful design business with green credentials. thomas.matthews has been running in profit for ten years developing principles that sets our sights much, much higher than just using recycled paper (we do that as a given) but are still very achievable. A lot of what we do is not rocket science but just good business practice and we would be happier if there were more like us around. With this in mind in 2006 we formulated our principles in the booklet ‘ten ways design can fight climate change’. By practicing with sustainability at the top level of our thinking we know it informs our design for the better.
I believe designers have a key role to take on as ‘agents for change’ in the education and creation of new mindshifts in society. The nature and scale of global warming reveals that our existing social and commercial structures need evaluating and will be in need of re-designing. As a business we now have the experience and practical knowledge to think in this scale and an understanding of the science behind it. As communicators we are continuing to develop and use the skills to help empower the population to act on all scales and, most importantly to keep on acting.
So when heads of ad agencies proudly talk about their sustainable effort as the short walk to their Aston Martin you have to pity them. To me this is not a clever retort – more an admission of guilt. It says they are ignoring the large green elephant that sits in their studio or walks into the room with the client. My advice is to sell the Aston Martin and take some responsibility for what you do. Put some creative thought into the future of our planet and the future of your business and we will all live happier lives.
this article was published in Design Week on 28.02.08
(1) Tipping elements in the Earth’s climate system. Lenton et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States. February 7th 2008
(2) Warm Words II report IPPR for the Energy SavingsTrust