Deconstructing the Myths of Sustainability

This article is part of The Sustainable Studio column originally appearing on the Business of Design Online.


Can’t we make the logo bigger? At its heart, it’s a simple request but professional designers cringe at the lack of understanding it reveals about so many things: balance, composition, white space, scale. You can’t just make the logo bigger, or you’ll have to adjust possibly every other element of the design. This is the simple principle behind sustainability: everything affects everything else.

Yet we often fail to apply such an obvious principle at the macro level. We think about designing a package that the consumer will want to pick up and purchase, but we don’t think about where that package ends up (most likely in the nearest trash receptacle). This isn’t particularly the designer’s fault. There is so much conflicting information and the issues are so broad, that it can be difficult to really grasp what sustainability and sustainable design even mean.

It’s enough to make a designer give up and forget the whole the mess. But imagine if there were a way to approach the issues without overwhelm, without constantly feeling like you are swimming upstream. There is a way, and it starts with deconstructing the myths and misunderstandings that stand in the way of creative discovery...

Read the full article on Business of Design Online.