RESEARCH - PUBLICATIONS ANALYSIS

This is a continuation from previous post re; analysis of variety of publications. I will analyse them individually and make comments HERE but please refer to my ADDITIONAL RESEARCH FILE to see those publications.

11) LETTER FROM AZIMUTH PRINT LTD COMPANY - Logo of the company placed in the right hand corner - 1/4 of the size of A4 paper, whereas underneath in right bottom corner address details. I haven't come across such a layout. I suppose the company want its recognition of a logo  most of all. Paper made of a MIXED SOURCES FSC, not quite sure what that means??? need to do some research on that. With regards to font I think sans-serif looks better than serif font. 

12) NSPCC LETTER/DONATION FORM - what is striking is the child like writing on the side as well as images of pictures drawn by children. I love the touch - it gives out emotions and connect to what the organisation stands for. The font is clear and very legible, even children could read it without any problems; so all the design details stated above are surrounded by children. Green colour representing peace and serenity also fits with the organisation. Well created, in my opinion! also in small print it states that the paper is environmentally friendly, but I wonder about the ink - is it veg based ??

13) SEACOURT PRINTING COMPANY COMPLIMENT SLIP- this company is very much appealing to me; it is sustainable, use waterless ink - environmentally friendly, and they do other sustainable qualities on their complimentary slip. Their logo, in my opinion reflects printing(colours) and green principles; fitting with work they do and services they offer. Also when I have spoken to them the service was fast, friendly and reliable; within 2 days I have received the mail from them. I THINK I MIGHT USE THEIR SERVICES WHEN IT COMES TO PRINTING MY FINAL WORK! 

14) AZIMUTH PRINTING COMPANY COMPLIMENT SLIP- ordinary design, which does make me think not environmentally friendly. I am an Environmentally Conscious Graphic Designer, and I believe that I have the responsibility when possible to create work  that will correspond with my quality and belief. 

About their logo, although the gradient represent printing, I am not keen on it. The purple shade is fine and stands out.

15) BIG PRINT SAMPLES OF WALLPAPER -  pretty novelty, yet I think they are unnecessary  and unfriendly to our nature. The logo - I have learnt that successful logo needs to be design in a way so to be seen even in small print; BIG PRINT SHOP is visible, yet the space for their web isn't. If they want to use their web their need to change the logo design or avoid it. Anyhow, in my opinion placing website below logo seems wrong, out - placed and commercially pushy. 

16) NATIONAL TRUST LEAFLET - it is different with regards to its design. I love the big sunflower as a front page and " I spy.." show paragraph. Instantly it wants me to turn the page. In my opinion it is very cleverly designed, appealing, legible, colourful and beautiful. 
I like the use of real imagery combined with drawn ones, and the mixture of fonts used. It appeals to me as well as to my children. Pleasure to read it all! "I spy..." idea is great!


17) OUTSIDE-IN POSTCARD BOOK - another graphic design strategy that might help an artist to stand out from the crowd. I like this idea and I think I will use it when creating Kathy's work. It is very appealing, simple  yet says a lot about what kind of work the organisation does, as well as introduces artists. I like the logo of this organisation. Red, powerful and the word IN is created as a negative space, which does makes it look as it is inside and has its belonging. Love it. The org. has work created by artist that are Outsiders and is mainly marginalised by the society. They highlight and champion this particular group of artists, that by some might not be considered as artists worth of looking, admiring or even possessing it.

18) AURO NATURAL PAINTS, LET THE PLANET BE YOUR PALETTE  LEAFLET - This is a different kind of folds-almost reminds me of a ladder. Pocket size. This company creates most environmentally friendly paints both exterior and interior. The leaflet has clean look and self explanatory - that's where good design principles are utilised. Logo? very rounded up, why blue? perhaps being sustainable they should  adhere to more earthy colours, but somehow it works. Would the word AURO mean transfer the meaning of being heavenly and one of its kind? I am not sure. I like that they used colour grey rather than black, it adds softness to design.

19) THIERRY MUGLER - what can I say?! love his perfumes and this booklet design! velvety like cover and spot printed name look and feel very expensive, even before I open it. Inside SILVER WRITING stand out very much on black background - it adds the feeling of mysticism; very fitting with the names of perfumes: ANGEL, ALIEN..that is Thierry's Universe! beautiful imagery compliment the whole outlook. Brilliant!

20) BROMSGROVE SCHOOL OF MUSIC BUSINESS CARD - in my opinion it is very poorly designed. No InDesign used, in my opinion it was a Word document creation. On the back of it there is a sparkle placed on the word ACOUSTIC - difficult to read and what was the reason of using the spark on the first place? I am not sure. The image is also of poor quality. the only good thing is the size of the font at the back. 

21) SELECTION OF BUSINESS CARDS
LUXURY BUSINESS CARDS, STARMARQUE  AND EMBOSSED. I like those designs, especially the Starmarque. I might consider one for myself perhaps, depends on how sustainable that is. Satin feel, 300gsm; all makes a difference in the quality. I think I could use embossed idea instead of spot print.

Also there are some cards that are more ridged, almost like a cardboard. But this is the type I love! very natural , sustainable look. The Green House business cards I believe has been printed with vegetable ink. 
Naomi Carson card, has nice colours, and type. Legible an pleasant to look at. The type an layout corresponds with her work.
Denim Geek - cleverly created in  a form of label. I like this idea. Its unique. Simple yet very effective. 

22) SELECTION OF COMPLIMENT SLIPS: PAPER BACK, ADECCO AND PRINTING.COM
Same size - I suppose its Universal. Paper Back has different layout with its big logo in the corner. It is created on recyclable paper. I like the colours: one of my favourites - grey and blue.
Adecco and Printing.com has pretty much same layout. I think nowadays most people know that the size of the compliment slip automatically indicates what it is, therefor in my opinion there is no need for the writing: "with compliments"
all cases have logos, and contact details. I wonder how to make them look fresher???

SUSTAINALBE PRINTING - QUESTIONS

questions to ask when looking for a sustainable printers:
http://www.lovelyasatree.com/choose_print.htm

 
"WATERLESS LITHO

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A LITHO PRINTER

You can massively reduce your carbon emissions as well as your energy, water, waste and solvent use by choosing a printer from Lovely as a Tree.

When choosing a printer, look for:

• EMAS, ISO14001, FSC, Greenmark or Green Dragon certification* (see glossary)
• Waterless or low-alcohol
• A local printer



You could also ask:

• Do they measure their carbon footprint?**
• Do they use renewable energy?
• Do they have a press that can run enough inks for your job in one press pass? This avoids multiple passes involving more ‘make-ready’ waste, more clearing up, more energy and more chemicals
• Do they use 100% vegetable-oil based inks?

* Please note that environmental performance will vary even amongst printers with the same environmental accreditations due to the fact that some have been working at reducing their environmental impact for longer and will have made more progress.

** Be aware that carbon neutral status is not always a good indication of environmental performance. There is currently no regulation in this area and so carbon neutral status can simply be bought through offsetting schemes. Please ask your printer and paper suppliers what they have done to reduce their carbon footprint.

See our Printfinder for a comprehensive list of environmentally accredited printers.

WATERLESS LITHO

 What is it?

Waterless printing is basically sheet-fed litho printing using different printing plates and a method of transferring the image to the paper without using water.

Removing water from the process means that you also eliminate the problem of achieving the correct balance of ink and water on press. It also eliminates the need for IPA (see glossary).

Benefits of Waterless Printing:

• Improved colour consistency throughout the press run
• Greater colour saturation
• Lower dot gain, therefore higher screen rulings can be used and more detail can be printed
• Better results on uncoated paper than with conventional litho printing
• Faster make-ready time meaning less paper and ink is wasted
• Improved registration
• No VOCs (see glossary)
• Conserves water
• More environmentally friendly

Most benefit gained when printing:

• Flat colours
• Long print runs
• On uncoated stocks
• Corporate identity work (as colour consistency can be maintained across different stocks)
• Fine and very detailed print

Downsides:

• It can be more expensive than conventional litho printing
• Some say that the same effects can be achieved by stochastic printing
• Others say that clients will not notice the difference and that conventional printing is good enough

There are only a handful of waterless printers in the UK, probably due to the cost of setting up and to the lack of anyone able to teach the waterless process in this country. See our Printfinder to locate your nearest waterless printer."

WHAT A BRILLIANT WEBSITE: THEY EVEN GIVE DETAILS OF VARIETY OF PRINTING COMPANIES AND HOW SUSTAINABLE THEY ARE!! :

http://www.lovelyasatree.com/colours.htm#here

 

RESEARCH - SUSTAINABLE PRINT COMPANIES

I have researched few companies that use good quality, yet recyclable stock.

1.REVIVE COMPANY

http://www.roberthorne.co.uk/products/revive-5050-silk/

http://www.roberthorne.co.uk/environment/

2. PRINT RESOURCE

http://www.print-resource.co.uk/recycled-printing.asp

What you need to know about recycled printing.When you use recycled paper for your printing requirements, you're helping the environment in two ways - firstly by using paper stock that would otherwise by used as landfill, and secondly by preventing the loss of further woodland both at home and abroad. There are many paper ranges that are either part or fully recycled, available in a wide range of finishes, so you can choose from gloss, matt or silk, thereby keeping the high quality standards of virgin papers. Not only does using recycled paper ensure you have good environmental credentials, it means your customers know you're serious about your 'green' standards - and it will hopefully persuade them to do the same!

3. SEACOURT

http://www.seacourt.net/
 

http://www.seacourt.net/waterless-printing.php

We are making a real difference...

• Zer0% Waste to landfill
• EMAS
• ISO14001: Environmental Policy
• Carbon Neutral status: Climate Care
• ISO9001: Quality standard
• Work to ISO12647 Colour Management
• 100% Renewable Energy Used
• Vegetable oil-based inks
• FSC Chain of Custody
• We use recycled paper on virtually every job we produce
• Five wormeries on site producing Seacourt fertilizer

• We are UK's Waterless print company...

  Waterless Printing is the ultimate environmentally friendlier printing process and produces a higher quality product than lithography, with brighter colours, sharper dots and finer screen rulings possible.
  The process is exactly the same as Offset lithography, except we no longer use and pollute vast amounts of fresh, finite water. We print using silicone coated plates which save us using water in the printing process and therefore extremely nasty chemicals, such as Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) that produce VOC emissions, which seriously harm all living things.

4. PRINT WELL

http://www.printwell.co.uk/
http://www.printwell.co.uk/caring-about-our-world.htm

5. AZIMUTH

http://www.azimuthprint.co.uk/

6. John Price

http://www.john-price.co.uk/green.html

John Price Printers - Sustainability

We match our passion for printing with a passion for the protection of the environment we work in. Our ISO 14001 accreditation mirrors this commitment. Our environmental responsibilities go deeper – to the paper stocks and the places where the raw materials are sourced. Ask us about our FSC and PEFC certified ranges.
Our green credentials ensure that whilst our printing quality and services will leave a lasting impression, the materials and systems we use will leave the smallest footprint. From forest to paper mill. From printing press to you. We offer the best choice and availability with assured sustainability.

KATHRYN AND HER WORK ALL AROUND

From further conversation with my client it was discovered that the following galleries currently stock her  work:

• The Tolquhon Gallery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
• The Castle Gallery, Inverness.
• OCG, Ambleside, Cumbria.
• Bircham Contemporary Art, Holt, Norfolk.
• The Wren Gallery, Burford, Glos.
• Twenty Twenty, Much Wenlock, Shropshire.
• St Davids Studio Gallery, St Davids, Pembrokeshire.
• Roger Billcliffe Gallery, Glasgow.
• She has done some large commissions for a couple of schools, both under the old percent for art scheme. One was a new build primary school in Bicester, where she made large, carved panels for each classroom area. They were mainly birds but then she was commissioned to make four more carvings when the school was extended and these panels depicted British wildlife - otters, badgers, a fox and a red stag.
• The other school project was to make smaller bird panels for classroom doors in a primary school in Swindon. This project also included time with the older children, giving them carving and painting sessions.
• Other large commissions include the large panels for a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship, which has lots of art throughout.
• She has also made a carved lintel in The Usher Gallery in Lincoln; The Sebright Primary School in Cookley has a panel on it's outside wall which was made during an artist in residence project for the Wyre Forest, along with another lintel for Bewdley Museum.

 Kathryn said that there are probably more but those are the main ones!

 

Fantastic amount of work. It made me realise that throughout word of mouth and basic approach in her marketing she achieved a lot. I hope that with my help she will profit further in every aspect related to her work. Also if I create that photo book, it will be add value to her brand identity; although  costly but for galleries, schools, art centres it will be suitable. She might also sell these, if wishes.

 

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

I have found that OXFORD UNIVERSITY does projects related to eco-design. In my view nowadays designers need to approach their work in more sustainable way, so to preserve and elevate their professional practice. More and more people revert to eco-way of living and are looking at the sustainability as a good deed, hence even decisions about for example packaging matter more than ever.

At present the strategy of green design relates to finding tools that will help designers to do design in eco-friendly way:

FROM: http://www2.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/dmg/projects/eco_sus_design.html

"From Eco- to sustainable design:
understanding this transformation in the context of new product development

Researchers: Bernhard Dusch, James Moultrie

As one of the key aspects of new product development, design plays a central role in the development of more sustainable products. Throughout the 1990s the notion of ecodesign has been developed in the design community. Ecodesign aims to optimise the environmental performance of a particular product, mostly on the basis of technical methods such as life cycle assessment. To date, ecodesign is widely discussed in design research and fairly well consolidated in design practice.
As during the last decade the limitations of ecodesign become more obvious, design research started to move towards the idea of sustainable design. This way of thinking is strongly influenced by the notion of system theory and follows a more versatile approach. Accordingly, not only technical aspects of a particular product are primarily of interest, but also organisational, behavioural and managerial factors which set the product in the context of a wider picture of production and consumption.
Although the idea of sustainability seems to be widely discussed in design research, there are signs that the true meaning of this notion has not been fully assimilated in new product development to date. This raises the question of how design research can better support the integration of sustainable design thinking in design practice.

One of the key aspects of this project is the development of sustainable design reference and brainstorm tools. Despite their different areas of application, all tools draw on the same body of knowledge which is represented case specific. Thereby the tools not only translate theoretical sustainable design knowledge into practical design strategies, but also communicate the fundamental concept of sustainable design in an accessible way.


Although primarily designed as part of the research methods of this study, the tools have increasingly generated interest among design practitioners for use in their own creative process. In response to these enquiries we are currently working on an official version of our tool kit which will be available later on this year.

RESEARCH - PRINTING FACTS AND FIGURES UK

To no surprise the marketing, newspapers, magazines and other publications play a vital role in the world of printing! The power of print lies in the there! but to read that only 11% is used for paper production sounds ok. An the recycling rate in Europe was over 56% in 2008...should be more up to date..I hope.

Print is very important tool to communicate messages across the world. It has the ability to grab attention - used in education, marketing etc. which is why it is important for COMPANIES WORLDWIDE TO USE SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL BOTH PAPER AND INK! for greener future..

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FROM: http://www.ipex.org/files/ukprint_flyer_final.pdf
(in UK Printing Industry section:  http://www.ipex.org/page.cfm/ID=561

RESEARCH - FEW FRIENDLY VIDEOS

FEW FRINEDLY VIDEOS:

 

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http://youtu.be/yjO83SUdIkA

 

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http://www.twosides.info/videos/Video_99.mp4 

 

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Sprouts paper! :

http://youtu.be/AREPlF9IMkk

 

RESEARCH - PAPER: FACTS AND MYTHS

As I am going to create a letterhead for my client I would like to follow her desire (an mine) to use sustainable paper. Therefore research is very important to establish pros - and cons on paper. There is so many information and sometimes I feel confused about the information.

I have found very interesting website

  http://www.twosides.info  and I have explored it further:
http://www.twosides.info/content.asp?ContentID=28

1.

2.

" THE PAPER I CONSUME USES A LOT OF ENERGY"

3.

"PAPER HAS A HIGH CARBON FOOTPRINT"

4.

"PAPER AND PRINT  is a WASTEFUL PRODUCT"

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

It is a very interesting article! The company LavishConnect is the side of their creative services agency that specialises in producing lovely work for charity and non-profit organisations.

They have been working in the creative industry for too many years to mention; since 2002.

In their experience, when clients choose to work with an agency they make their decisions on three things: the quality of the work, the attitude of the people and the value for money.

I am pretty sure that Kathy would love the sound of that!...so do I. I am so glad that we do start understand the need for more greener design! And it is up to us designers to change peoples thinking. We are the creative people who deliver the end result - it is up to us to make sure that the clients and our environment profit!

from:

http://lavishconnect.co.uk/environmental/

Sustainable printing

As more and more consumers place green issues higher up their agenda, they will be expecting charities to live up to sustainable values and will look to donate money to charities that are environmentally friendly, over ones that are not.

The options available when choosing sustainable printing methods can appear overwhelming. A whole industry seems to have grown up around the terminology alone – FSC, ISO 14001, Recycling, vegetable inks, PEFC, carbon neutral. So what do they all mean and how do you know when they are relevant to your not-for-profit organisation?

The key points:

•    The paper and print industry is the 4th largest industry in the UK and has a huge impact on the environment.

•    Although it is never possible to be totally sustainable, whatever your marketing channel, there is a lot you can do. There are plenty of options when choosing which paper, inks or printers to use – and the important thing is to consider these factors at the design stage.

Paper

The paper-making industry has a direct impact on the environment as it is energy intensive, uses vast quantities of water and generates large amounts of waste. Of course, different papers are produced in different ways, so not all paper has the same environmental impact. Aside from using recycled paper, which uses less energy, isn’t nearly as expensive as it used to be, creates fewer emissions and less waste than virgin paper, look out for the following labels:

Post-Consumer waste – Choose the highest percentage possible, although any percentage of either post- or pre-consumer waste is better than none.

Off white or natural white paper – Unbleached recycled paper undergoes fewer chemical processes than other recycled or virgin fibre, so uses less energy.

Stick to FSC certified materials if you’re buying virgin (manufactured from new pulp or cotton) paper. Although not 100% accurate, this is generally agreed to be the best certification scheme available. Unlike other schemes, the emphasis is on tracking fibre all the way from the forest to the end use, so the user can be certain of the fibre’s origins. It is wise to treat anything else that claims to be from sustainable forestry with caution.

Ink

Although it might not seem obvious, it is important to think about your print options at the design stage. For example, by reducing areas of ink coverage in your design (eg. solid colours and dark full bleed photographs) you will use less ink. This will also make your product easier to recycle.

Also, brief your designers to avoid using fluorescent colours which require petroleum-based inks. Until recently metalics have only been available as petroleum-based inks but a vegetable oil version has just come onto the market so ask your printer if they’re using these yet.

Other important ink considerations:

Heavy metals such as barium, copper and zinc are contained in certain pigments and can result in environmental and worker health hazards. As mentioned above, metallic and fluorescent inks are the most toxic and do not decompose as easily as other inks. The heavy metal component causes problems by leaching into groundwater.

Few modern sheet-fed inks contain non-renewable mineral (petroleum) oils but heatset web inks still contain 30-35% mineral oil – think about whether the inks you use are made from non-renewable sources.

Soya – These days, instead of containing mineral (petroleum) oil, inks typically contain three parts linseed to one part soya. By using these vegetable oil based inks you’re reducing environmental hazards and avoiding using a non-renewable resource.

Printers

Large amounts of energy are used in the manufacturing of the machines themselves and they collectively use a significant amount of energy during all stages. However, there are more energy efficient printers coming onto the market all the time..

When getting work printed externally, you should aim to use printers which are ISO14001 certified or have the Greenmark standard which means that they have focused on reducing their carbon emissions as well as offsetting them. 

It’s really important to ask these basic production questions…

Can you use lighter paper for your job? Avoid specifying heavier paper than is necessary. It may seem obvious, but 200gsm paper uses twice as much wood fibre as 100gsm paper.

Discuss the paper size availability with your printer, as well as the press size before designing your product. Many materials are available in a limited range of sizes and so simply shaving off a few millimetres may dramatically reduce waste. If you have a sufficient run length it is worth getting ex-mill stock which is more cost effective, is delivered direct to the printer and can be made to a bespoke size reducing any possible wastage.

Top tip- Keep in that the most cost-effective formats are A sizes, as all materials and printing presses are based around these. Try not choose a paper/ material which the project size does not fit well.

Window envelopes cannot currently be recycled in the UK so unless the windows have been cut/torn out, the envelopes will be removed from the waste paper when it is sorted. Can your charity use all-paper envelopes instead? Also, think about finishes – for instance, as a general rule anything that is matt laminated cannot be recycled after use.

How many copies do you actually need? Don’t print more copies than you require just because it’s not going to cost much more or because your printer is running a ‘special offer’.

It might seem obvious but make sure that the job has been proofed extremely carefully. This will avert a re-print or a job being pulled off the press halfway through.

To prevent emergency transport of materials, book the job in with your printer, and try to get quantities and paper agreed well in advance, especially if buying special order recycled paper.

Consider the number of processes on a project and how and where they are carried out. For instance if a job had specialist binding, foil blocking, u/v varnishing etc it is possible that a number of specialist suppliers in different locations would have to be used. This would require transportation to each plant increasing the carbon footprint of the job.

Evaluate and confirm delivery details early in the project cycle to allow panic free and efficient distribution. And where you can, buy locally."

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 http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/1030136122004paperfactsheet.pdf

also a leaflet about Recycled Stock

SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS...thoughts and research

I have been thinking about the materials I will want to use while producing variety of publications for my client. Kathy would be very pleased with minimal use of colour, and is also interested in sustainable use of materials: ink, paper whenever possible in order for her to keep the cost to a sensible amount, yet ensuring that the quality of my work is delivered to highest and acceptable standards.

 

 When I have studied Green Design module I have learnt thatmost companies who actually do use sustainable ink are based in USA. But slowly UK is going in the same direction.

I have looked at very interesting presentation in pdf form taken from: 

http://sustainableink.org/
 

http://sustainableink.org/?s=Green+Marketing+Presentation+to+Tufts+University

..I have only chosen few:

Green Marketing Presentation to Tufts University

April 1, 2012 by bgrossman

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