Design 21: Social Design Network

Howies make clothes. Clothes that are well made, last a long time and in turn create positive impact on the environment. Building their business on a foundation to encourage people to think about the world we live in and place money back into the community, through environmental and social projects.

For me, Howies are an example of how visual communication and design thinking can truly be part of a greater good. Not only is it Howies clothes that aim to reduce a negative impact on the environment, but their graphic design as well. The spring and summer catalogues this year are beautifully thought out and designed, maintaining an essence of the environment throughout. Using paper made from the pulp of trees in sustainable forests, for example <a href="http://www.futureforests.co.uk/"><b>Future Forests</b></a>; using carbon neutral printers, <a href="http://www.cousin.uk.com/"><b>Cousin</b></a> and <a href="http://www.beaconpress.co.uk/"><b>Beacon Press</b></a>; and using soya based inks. This process means the finished catalogue is fully recyclable and biodegradable.

Howies continue their identity onto their website through talking about who they are and how they believe in helping the environment and the world we live in. One section on their website entitled <a href="http://www.howies.co.uk/content.php?xSecId=2"><b>Think</b></a> provides a...

An interesting Initiative is launched by the AIGA: <a href="http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/initiatives-designer-of-2015">Defining the Designer of 2015</a>. They describe it with the following:

<i>The design profession is changing dramatically, for good reasons: the marketplace is beginning to understand the value of design and is making demands of designers that go well beyond traditional roles. At the same time, leading designers have tools and perspective that allows them to adapt in increasingly valuable ways to the challenges of their clients.

AIGA, in partnership with Adobe, has launched an ambitious initiative to define the professional requirements of the designer of 2015—to forecast the needs, skills and roles of the designer of the future. This year-long project will help characterize the skills, education requirements and work environments designers will face in the year 2015. The desired outcome of the Designer of 2015 initiative is to define about six general types of designers who will be needed to address communication design problems in the collaborative environment of 2015.</i>

Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robotparade/133651617/">flickr</a>.

Dazed & Confused's Digital community have launched <a href="http://dazeddigital.com/projects/digital50/default.aspx">Dazed Digital 50</a>. In recent years, we have seen an explosion of creativity online - as technology becomes more accessible, and download speeds increase, so more and more artists, designers, writers and photographers have taken to the web. But which of them are really worth our time? They are asking us to a <a href="http://dazeddigital.com/projects/digital50/default.aspx">vote for our favourites</a> - the results of which will be printed in Dazed & Confused later this year. I relly hope to see some truly creative resources (incl. Design21) on the new listings in a few weeks, as it is worrying to see "20 Jazz Funk Greats" as the top listed online portal! Sorry, what??

I would like to introduce you all to <a href="http://www.lovelyasatree.com/">Lovely as a Tree</a>; the website that tells you everything you need to know to be a more environmentally aware graphic designer. Founded in 2005 by 1996 RCA graduate, Caroline Clark <a href="http://www.lovelyasatree.com/">Lovely as a Tree</a> offers advice for designers on how your choices of design, paper and print impact upon the environment, with lists of the UK’s most environmentally friendly papers and printers, web links to help make your office green, and case studies to inspire you. Great resource for the future graphic designer.

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What a positive step in the right direction: 070707 is the day to Answer The Call

Other Related Links: Climate Group.<br> iCount.<br> Aiso.<br> EarthLab.<br> Visible Strategies.<br> National Geographic.<br> Climate Project.<br>

<a href="http://www.dott07.com/">Dott 07</a> (Designs of the time 2007) is a year of community projects, events and exhibitions based in North East England that explore what life in a sustainable region could be like – and how design can help us get there.

An initiative of the Design Council and the regional development agency, One NorthEast, <a href="http://www.dott07.com/">Dott 07</a> enables communities and individuals in North East England to collaborate with designers in real-life situations. These projects are small but important examples of what life in a sustainable region might be like.

The Community Projects:

<a href="http://www.dott07.com/go/food/urban-farming">Urban Farming</a>, which helps schools, communities and businesses grow their own fresh food in a variety of spaces in Middlesbrough, and help them make it into meals in special kitchens called Kitchen Playgrounds.

<a href="http://www.dott07.com/go/energy/low-carb-lane">Low Carb Lane</a>, one street in Northumberland will look at a range of ways of making their homes more energy efficient, cutting their carbon emissions and reducing their demand on the National Grid by up to 60%.

<a href="http://www.dott07.com/index.cfm?objectid=6305B429-7E98-0F9D-065A1DCC0EB60F5A">DaSH (Design and Sexual Health) </a> seeks to improve screening and treatment provision for sexual health in Gateshead in consul...

Fascinating talk from designer Stefan Sagmeister: Yes Design Can Make You Happy. [2004]

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Another resource worthy of a mention this evening are sponsers of this years <a href="http://www.dandad.org/education/new-blood.html">D&AD New Blood</a> exhibition in London; <a href="http://www.carbonneutral.com/">The Carbon Neutral Company</a>.

"The CarbonNeutral Company has been leading the way in voluntary action on climate change for businesses, Governments and individuals for the past decade. With our broad range of carbon offset and climate-consulting services, expert team and market-leading industry standards, we help clients to measure, reduce and offset their CO2 emissions, and to communicate their action. When CO2 is reduced to net zero, the organisation, product or service can carry the CarbonNeutral brand, our registered trademark."

Quite simply; stunning!!!

This project utilizes a supermarket to provoke customer awareness. It uses symbols and the physical representation of values to cause change in the society. Customers are invited to purchase products such as “Clean air” or “Commercial free space”.

<a href="http://www.theflowmarket.com/">TheFLOWmarket™</a> is a project that utilizes traditional exhibition spaces to send an original message via an even more original medium. It is a supermarket selling consumer awareness. TheFLOWmarket™ has isles, shelves and registers like any other supermarket. But the cans, cartons and bottles on the shelves are all empty. The project idea is purely metaphysical and so are the products for sale. Entering the shop you can buy things like "Clean air", "Commercial free space", "Consumption moderators", "Good vibes" and "Holistic thinking" dressed up as basic commodities in standard containers.

The approach of the project is highly metaphorical and both the employees and customers become part of a theatrical interaction that deals with basic values in todays society. The play becomes an opportunity for personal reflection that can help the process of exploring possibilities for development of our common world. It basically transforms abstract values into physical objects that can be picked up or left on the shelf. The mere symbolism of the products immediately makes you think in terms ...