10 Ways, You As A Graphic Designer, Can Go Green

Over the past two years, the debate on climate change has been getting hotter and awareness on ‘green living’ spreading like wildfire. Sustainability and eco-living are today’s buzzwords and everyone must do their bit to help preserve natural resources. To help you hop on to this ‘green’ bandwagon, here are 10 Ways, You As A Graphic Designer, Can Go Green:

1. Switch Off: When not in use, make sure all electronic equipment is switched off, including computer CPUs, monitors and peripherals like printers and scanners. Leaving them on standby might seem convenient, but it also wastes a lot of energy.

2. Save Paper: Print on both sides of paper.

3. Save Ink: Print in ‘draft’ mode whenever possible.

4. Save Space: Save soft copies of your documents on-line rather than hard copies in large filing cabinets. That way, you can save on space and printing costs.

5. Proofread On-Screen: Instead of sending printed hard copies of your work to your client, have them check for errors on-screen.

6. Print On Eco-Friendly Paper: When produced, this special kind of paper causes less toxic waste to be released into water bodies, ensuring cleaner water and healthier marine life.

7. Recycle: Wherever possible, recycle waste paper and used ink cartridges.

8. Reuse: Whether you’re designing a catalogue for direct mail or packaging for in-store sales, make it as reusable as possible. You don’t want your design work to end up useless in the trash, do you?

9. Encourage Printing On Standard Stock: While unusual sizes and shapes might win you awards and recognition for your printed designs, they also cause a lot of unnecessary wastage of resources. Minimise that wastage by printing on standard sizes and shapes and see your client come back to you again and again for helping him save on printing and cutting costs.

10. Read Up: On-line or at a book store nearby, you will find hundreds of resources (like this one) to read up on, that will help you practise a ‘greener’ way of life. One good starting place is the Design Can Change website.