There are three distinct ways of thinking about a graphic designer's role: designer as manipulator of stuff; designer as message maker; and designer as agent of change.
I like to think of design as a big, ripe avocado. The outer layer of this avocado represents the physical world of paper and print. This is the obvious part of design that we immediately see-the layer of stuff. Yet if we peel back the skin of the avocado, we discover the meat. This is the realm of brand and information. All of that stuff on the exterior really exists in order to convey information and deliver messages.If we dive still deeper into the design avocado, we find one more layer-the seed at the center. This seed represents the central challenge around which all of the messages and stuff of design revolve: effecting change.
Designer As Manipulator of Stuff
The kind of graphic design that I learned about in school is a world of typography and images, paper and ink. It is the descendant of Gutenberg and the Bauhaus. It is essentially a world of stuff. In this world, graphic designers are manipulators of words, creators of image, and specifiers of materials.
Within this conception of graphics, green design is a matter of finding and using better physical materials. Designers may research things such as recycled and tree-free papers; or try to find nontoxic inks; or devise folds and structures that result in less waste. When most designers think of green design, these are the common themes.
In the early days of Celery, we immersed ourselves in the world of alternative materials and manufacturing techniques. We collected a library of unusual papers made from bamboo, banana, beer, and a bounty of other materials. We discovered topics outside the typical realm of graphic design, such as biomimicry, biocomposites, and Bucky Fuller. Ten years later, this is still a big part of what we do. We are researching and experimenting on nearly every project we touch.
Designer As Message MakerAlong the way, I have also come to know a different realm of graphic design-one that is not specifically about stuff. In addition to creating physical artifacts (all those booklets, brochures, and banner ads), graphic designers also help clients strategize about how to build strong brands and craft communications that resonate with their target audiences. As such, we are message makers. The messages designers make, the brands we build, and the causes we promote can have impacts far beyond the paper we print on.
This points to a different level of green graphic design. In addition to seeking out better materials and manufacturing techniques, designers can craft and deliver messages that have a positive impact on the world. An obvious example of this sort of green design is when designers work with nonprofit advocacy organizations. For instance, Celery helps the Global Footprint Network communicate with political leaders around the world about sustainable development. We use green materials, of course, but the ideas and messages we work with have much more potential to change the course of world development than our material choices do.
Likewise, green designers may help values-based companies build strong brands and succeed in the marketplace. These companies in turn help to educate their customers about social and environmental issues. Innovative brands can also have an influence far beyond their market share because they can shift the competitive landscape for major industries. A small company like Elephant Pharmacy, which has four stores in the San Francisco area, has carved out a comfortable niche by focusing on holistic wellness and natural products, but it has also influenced larger competitors to focus more on these things.
However, green messages are not limited to nonprofits and green businesses. Community outreach, cause marketing, and corporate responsibility are all well-developed corporate activities that allow graphic designers to work with messages that can have a positive impact. Designers can help companies position themselves as leaders on social and environmental issues, which in turn can influence business operations for years to come.
Designer As Agent of Change
At its core, design is about effecting change. Someone, somewhere is dissatisfied with the way they find things, and they attempt to improve the situation by investing in design.
As designers, we are trying to help clients change the way people think and/or the way they act. In this sense, designers are uniquely positioned to shift not only our own actions, but also the actions of many others who are touched by our work-including our audiences and our clients. We may be hired to change the user's experience of a client's brand. But in the process of doing this, we have the power to change the brand itself. We have the power to influence the substance of a product or service. Green design at this level is about being a force for positive change.
