Being One in a Quarter of a Million Graphic Designers

Posted on November 16, 2009 by itees

I just read an article on GreenerDesign.com and they were writing about being second or third place in a contest and how that can still make you a winner. In the design profession it’s widely known that we enter contests, so we can be rewarded by our peers, because clients rarely compliment, most pick apart or send revisions. They rarely start a response by saying, “wow what a creative idea you’ve come up with”, it’s usually more like, “I’ve rewritten the copy”, or “I’ve decided I want to go in another direction.” To be fair to the clients, they do occasionally compliment.

Meanwhile, one fact that was starring me in the face while reading, and I was so proud of my profession… There are over a quarter of a million graphic designers in the U.S. alone! Now, having been in this profession since the early 80s, I sure have been designing a long time, so I’m wondering why this profession has grown so large? Knowing that the competition will be so tough for each and every graphic designer that graduates, why do they think they will succeed?

One reason must be because every designer has their own style and creativity and will always bring their own spin to a project. Could it also be that being a graphic designer has finally become a profession that deserves respect?

In reading further into the article one thing that also had an impact on me was learning the amount of books, brochures, direct mail pieces, invitations, business cards and more, that are being printed and the impact that has on our environment.

From the website, GreenerDesign:

“These designers have a significant — though often unrecognized — impact on ecological and human health. They have a hand in the creation of 65 billion pieces of unsolicited direct mail every year, not to mention magazines and books, product packaging, and other printed matter. When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, the pulp and paper industry is the fourth largest emitter in North America.”

I’m going to continue with my own efforts in trying to make sure that each new piece designed will be printed in an eco-friendly way, if my clients will agree to it and hopefully they will. I may only be one in a quarter of a million designers (in the U.S.), but even one can make a difference. Imagine if more designers around the world cared to make a difference.

Vélib Bicycle System in Paris France

Posted on November 1, 2009 by itees

What could better than a bicycle system that works and makes our lives easier to manage? The Vélib Bicycle Rental System put into place in Paris, France is helping tourists and everyday travelers get from one part of the city to another. However, these expensive to produce bicycles made in Hungary are being stolen, showing up in Eastern Europe and northern Africa, as well as being vandalized. Reading about this in the NY Times, the bicycles are expensive to produce because of the locking system and sturdy construction. They have opened repair shops around the city and must repair 1,500 bicycles a day. In addition, 80% of the initial 20, 600 bicycles installed, have already been stolen.

Still, they are planning to produce more bicycles, and will invest in advertising, so they can reach adolescents and vandals and perhaps change what’s happening.

From the NY Times article:

…”We miscalculated the damage and theft,” said Albert Asserat, director of strategy, research and marketing at JCDecaux…“We made the bike stronger, ran ad campaigns against vandalism and tried to better inform people on the Web,” Mr. Asséraf said. But “the real solution is just individual respect…”

Hoboken, Jersey City, New York City and other metropolitan areas, should install this type of system, which would be an improvement and eco-friendly. When I bike down to Hoboken I have trouble finding a place to park my bicycle and I think having a system like this installed would reduce overcrowded bicycle parking. Imagine if this system was installed in New York City? Less taxis, buses, cars, and train rides.

If we had this, more people would ride from uptown to downtown, crosstown, getting much needed exercise and it would help “green” our cities. Why wait for a taxi, bus or train to get to the other side of town, when you can just take a bike and lock it back up at your destination.

100 bloggers, 100 green books, 1 day

Posted on October 25, 2009 by itees

Here’s the idea. 100 bloggers, 100 books, 1 day!

100 bloggers each selected one book from the list created by Eco-Libris and we will each review our book on the same day, at the same time!

Started by Raz Godelnik of Eco-Libris, he’s put together a list of 100 books that are meeting the “green” criteria (recycled or FSC-certified paper), with preference for newer books, that are good for children and/or adults. We each picked the book we wanted to review (first come, first served basis) and they asked the publishers to send us a review copy. All Bloggers will publish simultaneously their book review on Tuesday, November 10, at exactly 1:00 PM EST.

I chose, “Hope and the Super Green Highway” a children’s book by Helen Moore and Louise Rouse, published by Lollypop Publishing Ltd, UK.

We’ll ask participating bloggers and publishers to tweet these posts and use any other social network they usually use to spread the word on these reviews. We’ll provide further instructions later on about the best ways to magnify the effect of your post. As soon as the posts are published, we’ll release a post with all of the links so we can all interlink, comment and actively participate in this green lit conversation.

They’ll ask all the participating bloggers and publishers to tweet posts and use any other social networks, like LinkedIn and Facebook, to spread the word on these reviews.

As soon as the 100 posts are published, Eco-Libris will release a post with all of the blog reviewer’s links, so we can all interlink, comment and actively participate in this green lit conversation.

This is a wonderful concept, bringing attention to responsible, eco-friendly printing as well as “green” topics and having us all publish at the same time, gives this the importance it demands.