Greening Graphic Design: A Step-By-Step Guide.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/02/22/greening-graphic-design-a-step-by-step-guide/

This is going to be very helpful for my supportive print piece. I will discuss how to integrate green/sustainable graphic design with biomimicry and graphic design in order to promote the best possible solutions for our present and future needs as both designer and target audience.

How to Decipher Labels and Choose Green.

10.30.2007 12:00 AM

Why Plastics Labeled 1, 2 and 5 May be Safer, and Other Tips
(This is great to know for product design)

On household and personal care products, "non-toxic" and "environmentally friendly" are virtually meaningless labels. Learning to decipher the meaning of the ingredients on those labels -- and some that aren't even listed -- is the key for consumers trying to avoid certain chemicals, especially those now under scientific scrutiny, but not regulated by the government, according to USA Today.

Here are some tips from the article:

• Avoid products that list "parabens" as an ingredient on shampoos, conditioners and other personal care products. Some studies suggest these chemicals affect the reproductive and hormonal systems in animal tests.
• Avoid products that list "sodium laurel/laureth sulfate" as an ingredient, because it contains a carcinogenic compound.
• Avoid anything with a "danger" or "warning" label, since it has stronger chemicals.
• Be wary of the term "fragrance," which is used to denote a combination of compounds, possibly including phthatates, which are a subject of recent concern because of studies showing they can mimic certain hormones.
• Choose sunscreens made with zinc or titanium.
• Choose plastics with the recycling code 1, 2 or 5. Recycling codes 3 and 7 are more likely to contain bisphenol A or phthalates, both suspected of disrupting the hormonal system.

Get Certified.

http://www.c2ccertified.com/

Cradle to Cradle Certification provides a company with a means to tangibly, credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality.

This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility...

Check this out!

Bio-Inspired Messenger...

I was overlooking one of my coworker's shoulders to see what he was working on, and felt another great idea come to me for my supportive visual when I saw this image:















I mean, how awesome would it be to create a messenger with an interface like this?

Inspiration/Reason 1:
I'm currently working on the new Interface for the RTI website, and we will eventually have our own messenger system instead of iChat. So I was thinking that this building is very inspirational in the fact that each person who works here (at RTI) is on a different level with color-coded available/away as you can see above.

This is also a great interface for us, since we are in three locations...We can be all connected in one building as an integrated whole.

Reason 2:
I need good examples of bio-inspired design projects to use in my reference guide for designers, and think that this would be very relevant.

Don't Be Designer B.

Key Words:
+ Seductive


Key quotes/sayings:
+ Waste is lost profit
+ Look at the world as an engineer. How can you improve it?
+ Grow an industry through design
+ "The world we have is the product of our thinking." - Albert Einstein
+ There is hidden ugliness beneath the surface of almost all products.
+ Only 1 in 10,000 products is designed with the environment in mind.
+ Sustainability definitely impacts your design; you have to look at the materials that are available to you first, and then design with those in mind.
+ FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative)
+ The majority of consumers seek to satisfy their personal needs before considering those of the planet;
therefore, companies fear in alienating their base consumers

This Weekend...

This weekend will be spent on my Working Outline and my first chapter!

YaY MLA.