Keeping Score of Sustainable Design

With Earth Day 2012 less than 3 weeks away, it’s the perfect time to question how sustainable your graphic design practices are.With the confusion caused by the abundance of green logos, along with the feeling by some that sustainable design is unattainable (as  designer Jessie McGrath argues in her MFA thesis that “the idea of sustainable design is an illusive goal because a product can never be truly sustainable by virtue of the fact that it is a product,”)(1) some graphic designers may be discouraged to even try. However, there are some tools available. The Living Principles Scorecard, designed by Phil Hamlett, is an assessment tool that graphic designers can use to help them navigate the murky waters.The Scorecard, designed to be used in both the studio and the classroom, rates levels of sustainability on a scale of 0-4 (with 0 being “Doing Nothing” and 4 representing “Restoration”) and is divided into 4 categories:

1. Environment
2. People
3. Economy
4. Culture

Nathan Shedroff, Living Principles ambassador and Chair of the MBA in Design Strategy Program at the California College of the Arts, states, “the tool allows designers a quick assessment of a solution’s sustainability opportunities without a lot of work or a whole culture change. That change can come over time, as more and more people within an organization or studio use the tool over and over.” (2)The Living Principles Scorecard is available for download and designers, educators, and students are all encouraged to use it to help them assess how sustainable their graphic design practices are.Sources: http://www.livingprinciples.org/introducing-the-living-principles-scorecard/Notes:(1) http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/?p=861(2) http://www.livingprinciples.org/introducing-the-living-principles-scorecard/