Sustainable design is a design philosophy that focuses on creating products that are both beneficial to their users and sustainable for the environment as a whole. These types of designs are known by many names, most notably as sustainable, environmentally friendly, or green designs. Regardless of what it is referred to as, sustainable designs strive to minimize human impact on the environment while still maintaining the core functionality that a product is required to perform. These types of designs are usually accompanied by the use of renewable resources and innovative production processes to achieve their goals of sustainability.
As the effects of global climate change become more apparent by the day, a newfound sense of awareness for sustainability has swept across the globe at an unprecedented level. Consumers and businesses demand for sustainable designs are higher than ever, making this one of the most critical modern design considerations of today. What was once thought of as more of an ideal goal is now rapidly making its way into the reality of our everyday lives in the form of sustainable designs and is now being commonly applied to a variety of products and designs. This ranges from multimillion architectural and construction projects, to something as simple as conscious typesetting, colours, and paper type choices on a printed document to minimize the use of ink and paper for the publication. What is important is that this concept has found its way into almost every single aspect of our lives, and it is crucial that we embrace this change to avoid being left behind playing catch up.
Principles of Sustainable Design
A number of key considerations for sustainability need to be taken into account by the designer throughout the development process of a product or design. These considerations often come in at the following different stages of a typical design and development process, namely: Form, Function and Usability, Cost-Effective Solutions, Renewable Materials and Recycling, & Durable Design Solutions.
Whether these considerations are being applied to a product packaging or a massive construction project, the core values behind sustainable design are the same, and that is to develop products and services that minimize negative environmental impact (and maximize on positive, long-lasting impacts) while serving the products or services’ intended purposes.
KIMBO Design is an industry leader in the development of sustainable designs. Our CGD-designated designers adhere closely to the sustainability design guidelines set out by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, which were developed with the contributions of KIMBO Principal / Creative Director Kim Pickett. If you’re interested in learning more about our work, please feel free to consult our case studies page or get in touch with us for more information on sustainable designs.
