Download frenzy

As of 8 December, 2008, two thousand and six copies of the sustainable graphic design widget have been downloaded.
Amazingly, in a late 2008 frenzy, one thousand and thirty copies of my Masters research have been downloaded. This research, titled "Sustainable Graphic Design in Brisbane" is an abridged version of my masters thesis; it summarises the first half of the thesis in a short chapter, then gets down to the pointy end of the research. I am honoured that people have found it interesting, and only hope that either or both of these continue to contribute to the sustainable design community in a useful way.

Thanks, happy clickers!

Climate Change melts Brazilian Chap

Photo: Red Cross of Argentina

Produced by the Red Cross of Agentina to promote awareness of the perils of climate change, this great piece of guerilla publicity in Buenos Aires features a half-melted young man handing out fliers encouraging readers to take public transport, conserve water, reduce and recycle, and so on.
Original Story

Studio making a difference

The chaps over at the Paragon Muse have downloaded and read my Masters research: "Sustainable Graphic Design in Brisbane", and have really taken on board some of the findings. In fact, there have been 895 downloads of my thesis since I posted it, which I am really quite amazed and heartened by.

Some of the points the Paragon Muse chaps summarised from the findings were:

"Designers’ ability to creatively problem-solve make us uniquely qualified to help with coming up with possible solutions to environmental and social sustainability issues. (i.e. dealing with the actionable ideas part.)"

"Graphic designer’s skills in perception maniuplation makes us even more qualified in garnering attention to the challenges and motivaing at least an emotional response if not actual civic activity.(i.e. dealing with the awareness part)"

They have also posted some designs that they prodced with sustainability as part of their brief.

They are proof that any change toward sustainable design is a great move, and I hope they continue to evolve and inspire others as well. You can check out their blog post here

Nice one!

Long time...

Wow it has been ages since I posted anything. After turning my business away from design that was harmful to the planet, and focusing on sustainable graphic design, I have been too busy to post!

This makes me so happy, not just because it means I can still put food on my table, but because it means that business WANTS sustainability factored into their graphic design. Most people that I talk to about it haven't ever considered it before, but as soon as I explain how it's possible to design solutions that are as environmentally-friendly as possible, they are on board. 

Not only on board, but spreading the word.

Amazing to think that only two years ago, the general consensus was that I was crazy to take such an ethical stand. 

Sustainable graphic design widgets at over a thousand downloads

Amazing.. there are now 1038 sustainable graphic design widgets hanging out on people's Macintosh dashboards and iPhones all over the world; from Kuwait to Sweden, Argentina to Germany and so many right here in Oz. If even one eighth of those downloaders use it, then it will have been worth all the effort!

Sustainable Graphic Design Widget: 582 downloads in one week!

The main goal of my Masters research was to provide easy access for graphic designers to information on sustainable graphic design.

My research showed that Apple Macintosh is by far the preferred platform for the Australian graphic designers needing to access this information. In response, I designed a small, stand-alone piece of scripted software, called a “dashboard widget” as an informative tool. 

Containing information on print processes, paper issues, and some definitions, ideas and links to other resources, the widget will run with or without an internet connection.

The sustainable graphic design widget is now active. It has been downloaded 500 times, and featured on design blogs & sites around the world. I have had many lovely emails and comments, keep them coming!

The widget has been granted the Softpedia 100% clean software award, and can be downloaded for free from the apple website. 
Suitable for MAC 10.4 and up.

Tshirt design

So I thought I'd be a bit "Adbuster-ish" and make some t-shirts at a screenprinting workshop I signed up for. No, I didn't use bamboo or organic cotton, I used some blank grey marle cotton t-shirts I had left over from a print job about 5 years ago. Recycling YAY!

Basically I learned not to try and do a difficult register on my second ever t-shirt print. THis is the best of the bunch, and I will wear them around happily. I was glad to learn how to do it properly though, and kept this screen in case I want to try again.

I think my next one will be mostly white with just some scrabbly bits of secondary colour that overprint. I want to do some with a really cutting but simple message on it. I want everyone to wear one when we overthrow our corporate overlords.

Can mushrooms save the world?

Make a cuppa, get comfortable and watch Paul Stamets give a 17 minute talk on his research on fungi. Really amazing stuff. There may be hope for us yet.

A real turn-off

It's the little things that count.. especially if millions of people do it.

Terrible Beauty

I am often inspired by "terrible beauty": a violent thunderstorm with dramatic green and black skies; or a moment of sanity surrounded by utter chaos. Chris Jordan uses terrible fact to create a powerful visual statement. Art is power.

Valve Caps, 2006
Chris Jordan
10x25 feet in five vertical panels

Depicts 3.6 million tire valve caps, one for each new SUV sold in the US in 2004.

actual size:

Earth Hour 2008

March 28, 2008, 8pm.
Switch off your lights for an hour and help save the planet. Sign up to support this great incentive and be a part of a great community-based action.

Ms Suzuki, why didn't we listen?

THis is fairly long, but what she has to say is profound for a 12 year-old. This speech would have the same impact today, with the same problems seemingly even larger. We need to find some way to deal with our society's greed, to re-establish community and find touch with our empathy again. We need to alter western society's structure, so that fiscal wealth is not our sole vision of happiness (a vision ably provided by the advertising world), but that happiness can be found through community, love and fairness.
Should we aim to alter society's structure from the top, or the bottom? How do we get to where we all, deep down, want to be? Where on earth do I start?

I freakin LOVE bamboo

I love Bamboo. Seriously. It even sounds cool when you say it. BamBOO! BAM!boo. Awesome.
My favourite floors are made from bamboo, it looks absolutely gorgeous, and is so damn sturdy. My ma has the most excellent chopping board made from it. Some of my fellow queenslanders are making beautiful furniture from it (http://www.wambamboo.com.au). It makes great paper, and now one of my friends tells me she has a bamboo cotton jumper! BAMBOO COTTON!

It makes me wonder why we chop down gorgeous, mature trees when we can use this totally renewable stuff. It grows like crazy. It's beautiful. Vive la Bamboo.