PROJECT STATEMENT

The theoretical research started with looking into different aspects of social design; it opened me up to the facts that our all consuming society was having on our planet. I feel that I answered my original question quite quickly but I discovered the reasons that designers need to take action and became quite passionate about it. I discovered literature on the importance of green design such as Design For Society by Nigel Whitely. This highlighted the importance of the issues as well as showing how designers can take steps to factor sustainability into their designs. 

Initially, the practical research was looking at sustainable products and the ‘Eco aesthetic’ that has come about. My theoretical research entailed analysing examples of greenwashing and how companies use certain jargon and plaster designs in green and brown and natural imagery in order to look green. This linked to the practical element as I started looking into products that appeared sustainable but on closer inspection were not. I had to reevaluate this idea after receiving feedback and realising that the idea to build a product that looked sustainable but wasn’t, was not ethical as it goes against the morals of sustainability all together. One quote used in my essay was 'one could argue that the greatest harm caused by shoplifting or burglary is not the loss of the property stolen but the damage to the self-development, karma or soul of the thief, or to the unwitting receiver of the stolen goods who has been duped into participation in crime, or society as a whole.' (Heller, 2003). This quote uses an analogy about stealing and karma of the thief to talk about how creating bad design will effect the karma of the designer and therefore made me establish that I must create something good to put out into society. 

From this I started looking into the new wave of green design and businesses that had changed their business model to incorporate sustainable morals. Shops such as The Body Shop and Lush were key players starting out small, 30 years ago but now global brands. Their success has inspired new businesses to start up. I found the concept of zero packaging shops and discovered there were two zero packaging shops recently set up in Leeds. I went down and visited the shops to have a look at how they sell products and what their branding entails. It became apparent very quickly to me that their branding was in need of updating. The concepts of the company were really strong but the branding is holding them back from developing. They appeal to a small customer range but i think their ‘eco’ branding holds them back. I decided that I would rebrand the Jar Tree based in Leeds Kirkgate Market. The brief was to change their logo, and alter other components such as their website and labels and loyalty cards. ’it has become painfully clear that the standards defining good design must be updated.' (Stephens, 2009, p.1). I wanted to challenge myself to put myself to the test or creating good and sustainable design. 

I feel that my essay answered the question well. As I established the motivations for designers to take responsibility and how this could be put into effect with examples of companies that have done just that. Talking to Ian from the Jar Tree was really beneficial and helped me establish why people should take steps to being more sustainable. This led into my practical element as using the jar tree as a case study in the theory helped me link it to the practical. 

I think improving the design would require a closer relationship with the owners of the Jar Tree in order to create something that they were also happy with. Also having a budget would allow me to incorporate more realistic thinking to the branding and production. Also with more time I think that i should have spent more time on production in order to create better physical components such as the labels and the loyalty cards.