Adopting Sustainability in Graphic Designing Pursuits
The Graphic Design Industry is changing. Many are looking for ways to have a smaller impact on our environment. Check out how you can help.
The world is changing, and the technological domain is progressing in leaps and bounds. Things that seemed like a pipe dream until a few years are now made possible with the ceaseless research and hard work of scientists, artists and technicians. For instance, working from home would often be considered as the last choice of any organization. However, since the end of 2019, with a virus dismantling all that we knew about our normal world, work-from-home has become our new reality.
There are cutting-edge technological innovations at our disposal that are making it easy to overcome impediments and work effortlessly from our homes. Therefore, needless to say, with the changing times, human beings have learned to adapt and make do with whatever they have access to. However, as technology broke grounds and our lives became more comfortable, concerns regarding the depletion of our planet’s resources rose. The future of the planet looked bleak, and thus, many organizations started swearing by sustainability. Most industries have changed the ways they function and adopted sustainable measures to get their work done.
Now, while we are on the topic of sustainability, in today’s article, we shall discuss how graphic design firms can adopt sustainability in their processes. Graphic design, as a domain, is all about creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. The domain has evolved over the years, and a holistic design role requires the designers to begin with ideation and end with delivering quality results on time. Plus, now that most companies, like Graphically, have adopted sustainable measures in anything they do, lowering the consumption of the planet’s resources while they go about their designing process has also become integral to graphic design.
For those who have not been able to understand how sustainability works in graphic design, here is what you need to know. Sustainable graphic design processes seek to adopt an environmentally friendly approach and use natural resources in the right proportions as part of the design. That said, we shall now look at the ways in which graphic designers and design firms can adopt a more sustainable design process and do their bit to contribute to the well-being of the planet.
Applying Sustainability in the Design Process:
Graphic design firms tend to plan the entire project that they are working on from the beginning to the end. This is where most firms go wrong and fail to apply sustainability in the process. Experts suggest that firms should rather think about the delivery first and then trace their way to the beginning. An evaluation process should be applied next that includes factors like printing techniques, shipping and also keeps a weather eye on carbon emissions. That said, let us look at a few more ways in which graphic design firms can become more sustainable with their designs.
Reducing the Use of Paper
The graphic design industry has made a move to digital media for several decades now. From coming up with designs on technologically advanced tools to using different digital platforms like ebooks and emails to disseminate the designs, everything about this industry is digital. Besides the fact that the digitalization of graphic design makes the process super-fast and efficient, it is also environmentally friendly.
The use of the digital medium for graphic design reduces the need for paper and, therefore, saves trees from being felled for this purpose. The use of paper has a negative impact on the environment. It is not just vast expanses of forests that are cleared to make paper available for use. The paper industry also involves the consumption of fuel, electricity and steel. Besides the digitalization of the graphic design industry, another way to adopt sustainability in the process is by switching to the use of recycled paper.
The Frugal Use of Printing Ink
Though the graphic design industry depends heavily on digital platforms, the use of paper and printing ink cannot always be eradicated in their entirety. Printing ink contains several harmful chemicals like barium and lead. Therefore, the use of printing ink can emit harmful chemicals and thus, lead to global warming and climate change. A sustainable way to reduce pollution would be to use printing ink frugally and only where it is absolutely required.
Sustainable and Green Offices
Now that most offices are working from home, sustainability in the office space might not be an immediate concern. However, as more offices start opening up, it shall become necessary to look into the aspect of sustainability in the workplace. For instance, graphic design firms must not only use eco-friendly products but also try to go green in their office space. Reducing the use of air conditioners and switching to green power are a few ways to adopt sustainability in the workplace.
Other Ways of Adopting Sustainability
There are a few other ways in which graphic designers can adopt sustainability in their work. For instance, the use of recycled materials in different aspects of design can help reduce the pressure on the planet’s finite resources.
It is also important that designers learn how to reduce bleed whenever possible. This means that designers must try to expand their designs on papers so that there is less wastage of ink. Using Chlorine-free paper can also serve as a crucial way of striking a balance in the environment and make the entire process of graphic design more sustainable.
Summing It Up
In a nutshell, there are a million ways to see to it that graphic designs these days are more sustainable and environment-friendly. The discussion that ensued proves how little steps of consciousness can help industries thrive in a balanced environment. Aiming for growth does not have to mean that you cannot do your bit for the environment. The points that we have mentioned in this article are a few ways in which graphic design can become more sustainable even as the industry grows. At the end of it all, it is important to remember that growth does not mean abandoning the environment; it only means growing along with the environment.
About the Author
Sathish S is the founder of Graphically, a leading graphic design company that gives you a dedicated graphics designer for a flat fee. Being a habitual entrepreneur, he has seen the ins and outs of the digital marketing industry and has a proven track of bringing his ideas to life.You have a story to tell. We want to help.
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