The Designers Accord

The aim of the Designers Accord Sustainability in 7 was to publish a digestible and accessible video series authored by leading thinkers and practitioners about the most interesting topics related to sustainability. The video series ran on Core77 throughout the month of April 2011, leading up to Earth Day.

This bite-sized professional education series delivering a daily dose of sustainability inspiration was the first of its kind.

Check out all the videos here at designersaccord.org/videos or on core77.com/sustainabilityin7!

There has been an unprecedented surge of interest in the field of design for social impact, or as it has become known – social design. Designers are looking for ways in which to incorporate more meaningful social change work into their practices. This event will explore how designers can create opportunities for themselves to expand into this emerging field.

Thursday March 1, 2012, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
School of Visual Arts Amphitheater
New York, NY 10010

For more information and to register
impact.sva.edu/blog/commitment-required-march-1-2012/

Free to the public but space is limited so register early!

The second UK Designers Accord Town Hall was held on January 19 at The Design Council offices in London. The event was organised and facilitated by Engage by Design, with sponsorship from The Design Council Challenges Team. People from different industries and ages came together to explore the theme of Social Innovation and what we can do to insure its success. Six speakers delivered fantastic and thought-provoking presentations, and then all the attendees participated in breakout brainstorming sessions.

Read the whole post on Core77!

In 1993, two graphic designers, the brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag, looked for a functional, watertight, and robust bag for their designs. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that hummed through the Zurich transit intersection in front of their flat, they designed a Messenger Bag made of old truck tarpaulins, used cycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the lounge of their shared flat – each one a unique item. Unintentionally, the brothers set off a new wave in the bag world. Yesterday, today and tomorrow: FREITAG bags are designed, cut and packaged in Zurich.

Learn more on the site, and check out the new FREITAG styles

Designed by Bainbridge Island, WA-based Grain, Spool is a build-it-yourself modular system that can be assembled into a variety of freestanding structures such as screens, table bases or partitions. To fabricate, Grain partnered with a non-profit that sources used materials from various production facilities in Southern California. Made from used thread spools upcycled from the Los Angeles apparel industry and connectors die-cut from 100% post-consumer chipboard, each spool has a random graphic pattern that indicates which type of fiber they once held.

Check out the awesome Spool animation!

Philadelphia-based Bresslergroup recently re-imagined that workhorse of the industrial manufacturing sector– the wire/cable reel. High shipping costs make old-school spools impractical to send back for re-use. By contrast, Bresslergroup’s elegant Evolution shipping reel is designed specifically for re-use in a closed-loop supply chain system. The 100% recyclable core is made of two interlocking half-circles that is easy to dis-assemble and store. Evolution reels require 70% less storage space than comparable rigid spools and their multi-use cuts down on landfill waste by about 10x.

Learn more about the project here

Pentagram partner Harry Pearce and his team have designed the 2011 D&AD Annual, the organization’s most sustainably produced annual to date. From the outer carton and the cover that celebrates the wonderful graphic illusion and quality of the original D&AD mark, to the exquise detailing in the book, the D&AD Annual is a pure study in impeccable design, high quality, and environmental consciousness.

Read more about the D&AD Annual on the Pentagram site

The new School of Rock website is a great example of how Chicago’s Mightybytes work to complete each project as sustainably as possible. From building on the powerful brand to choosing an eco-friendly hosting provider and then streamlining the code, content, and design elements used across 75+ franchise locations within a single domain, the sleek site showcases MightyBytes commitment to extending sustainable practices across all facets of their work.

Read more about the project

DH Studios is making a difference with its Gaggle of Tees line, donating 10% of all proceeds from its stylish t-shirts to non-profits that enable positive change. The designs are based on fun names for different groups of animals – a business of ferrets, a parliament of owls, etc – and the non-profits correspond with each group name. “Good things come in groups,” says Gaggle. “Give to groups that do good.”

Check out the shirts at gaggleoftees.com!

After taking stock of a month’s worth of trash and recycling, our friends at Altitude realized they didn’t need to recycle more…they needed to use less. To up waste awareness they held Trash Month when communal trash and recycling bins were removed and staffers were forced to hold onto their garbage. At the end of the month some were surprised at how much trash piled up, while others thought the amount was relatively small. More telling: after regular pickup resumed, many returned to their old wasteful ways. Trash Month highlighted the challenge of affecting long-term behavior change in a very visceral way.

Read more about the initiative