Tuesday 30 April 2013

More Sustainable Packaging

From what I've seen sustainable and eco product design started out as a fad but a lot of companies are taking the sustainable packaging route using recycled materials and biodegradable materials. Here are a few examples.

LEE Paper Bags

All of the bag can be used again and then be recycled.


Gotta Moo Packaging

They use  sugarcane bagasse pulp paper, coated with sugarcane lignin and printed using vegetable-based inks. This helps to reduce emissions.


Mommy Francis
Instead of using pvc for the plastic cup lids they use a biodegradable material that looks like plastic.

Ethics in design (and who you won’t work with) - Post by Samuel Kallagher

http://www.davidairey.com/ethics-in-design/ Interesting article on design ethics and views from designers young and old on companies/organizations that they wouldn't do design work for based on their own moral beliefs. Very interesting to see designers views and also the companies they feel are morally wrong, definitely worth a quick read.

"ethics for a starving designer" - Post by Samuel Kallagher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E37z9vo6_G4 Great link here for a video on youtube called "ethics for the starving designer". A short animation from a young designer such as ourselves that talks about values, ethics and what he feels he can do to abide what it good/right. short yet interesting, worth a view.

How ethical are your design practices? - Post by Samuel Kallagher

http://www.davidairey.com/how-ethical-are-your-design-practices/ A Short yet interesting article that questions young designers such as ourselves about their design ethics, would you design for a company that goes against your own moral standards?, do we have to put ethics aside in order to progress further in our design careers? some quite interesting points and views are raised in this short article, worth a quick read.

Ethics in Graphic Design Thesis - Eileen MacAvery Kane

i emailed Eileen MacAvery Kane from http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org as she's written a thesis on Ethics
 in
 Graphic 
Design she replied and it's a very informative document that explains and lays out all the sides of ethics within the industry that we the student going into the aforementioned will need to know and consider "This 
thesis 
suggests 
that 
we 
can
 use 
three 
different 
lenses 
to
 explore 
and
 discuss
 ethics
 in
 graphic 
design 
curriculum 1)
legalities— the
 rules 
that 
govern 
the
 profession 
including
copyright 
law, 
piracy, 
plagiarism,
 fair
use,
and 
photo
 manipulation 
2)
integrity—principles 
of 
right
 conduct 
including
 spec
work,
 crowd
 sourcing,
 and
 responsibility 
to 
clients 
and
 contracts 
3)
morality— the 
general
 nature 
of
 moral
 choices 
to
 be 
made 
by
 a 
person
 including 
sustainability, 
social
 awareness,
 and
 cultural 
influence." she goes on to devote a small chapter to each of these points to explain them in greater detail and to inform the reader of the problems we might encounter here's a link to a pdf download of the thesis http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s7cqat1nbxjqjk4



Monday 29 April 2013

More from Benetton

The contraversial 1996 ad campaign using convicted criminals as models. Benetton photographed the inmates in their scrubs in the aim of making social commentary about the death penalty. Everybody is human don't kill etc. Mainly; Benetton is Ethical.

'Benetton's response is simple: There was no fraud. And there is no attempt to sell sweaters. ' (http://articles.latimes.com/2000/feb/24/news/mn-2088)

They may not have tried to sell sweaters, but they tried to sell a brand. Frankly, I don't find it that impressive anyway. 

In relation to post: A Graphic Designers Personal Ethics Question

“Regarding cigarettes, I don’t think the design of a cigarette pack encourages people to smoke. It only encourages people who already smoke to buy different cigarette brands." Airey then refers to alcohol packaging. “Alcohol causes much more problems than cigarettes, and I have designed lots of alcohol packaging. Where do you draw the line?”

It is accepted that most people in the UK drink alcohol, however, there is more of a stigma attached to smoking today. Unlike smoking, alcohol advertising is still allowed. Some adverts might just make you fancy a drink you weren't going to have. I wonder if alcohol advertising was banned, could the packaging alone persuade you to have a drink? Or as Airey suggests about cigarettes, would they just make you chose a certain brand. Some spirit companies make the bottle almost like a collectors item.






















No Logo

Tidbits from the horrifying No Logo by Naomi Klein.




Why are artists poor?

Concerning the issue of graphic designers/illustrators/specialfx-ers/fine artists not being paid enough or sometimes not being paid at all.

I found a book called "why are artists poor?" by a fine artist and economist.
It mainly discusses what's going on in the fine art ecomony, but I think the same sentiment applies to anyone doing a creative profession.

Scans:



I don't really know how to take this, but it would seem that it's got as much to do with too many people trying to become artists as it does the wacky idea that artists don't need or want money for their work.

Does this fit under ethics....?

Un-Hate, or Unethical? A Brief look at how an ethical message has become unethical - Post by Samuel Kallagher

http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/un-hate-or-unethical/ The website above is a great website to see some what recent ethical issues within design and this artical is very interesting as it explains how the online clothing brand "united colours of Benetton" campaign message of peace or "unhate" as they put it has caused mass controversy and is being branded unethical. Reading through the artical it makes a very valid point, is Benetton's using ethics/peace within their advertising campaign to try convince the world/target audience that they have a social/moral conscience and are not a brutal, penny pinching and child laboring clothing company?

The death of Print - A Infographic explanation - Post By Samuel Kallagher

http://columnfivemedia.com/work-items/get-satisfaction-infographic-the-death-of-print/ Sorry for the size of the image but if you follow the link above, this piece of infographic design gives a clear and highly detailed insight into the "death of print" but also shows how technology such as the ipad is being branded as the "print killer". The infographic piece also makes clear reference to the fact that the ethics of paper based design are becoming more and more over shadowed and regarded as a thing of the past by the rise of new technology and paperless media. Some very interesting facts and figures within this piece.

Obeys ethics questioned

http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/ an article on shepaird faireys overuse of the pastiche questioning his ethics

A Graphic designers personal ethics discussion

http://www.davidairey.com/how-ethical-are-your-design-practices/ quite an interesting debate on personal ethics and lines drawn by society and ourselves “If I was financially secure, and if I felt strongly about it, no, I wouldn’t take the client. If I wasn’t busy and needed the money, I would think about it …within reason. “Regarding cigarettes, I don’t think the design of a cigarette pack encourages people to smoke. It only encourages people who already smoke to buy different cigarette brands. Over 50% of the front of cigarette packaging says this product will kill you. If someone doesn’t get that message, quite frankly, they are beyond help. “Alcohol causes much more problems than cigarettes, and I have designed lots of alcohol packaging. Where do you draw the line?”

Caught in the Crossfire: Artistic responses to conflict, peace and reconciliation exhibition

Caught in the Crossfire: Artistic responses to conflict, peace and reconciliation http://www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/whats-on/caught-in-the-crossfire1 an exhibition showcasing the work of such artists and designers as Terry Atkinson, Banksy, Barnbrook Design and many more "The exhibition takes us on a challenging journey from the home front to the frontline and back again, as seen through the eyes of artists, soldiers and people affected by conflict. Visitors will travel through divided lands, debate the role of protest art, explore the aesthetics of violence and machinery of war, and reflect upon the aftermath of war where hope emerges and lives are rebuilt. A section of the exhibition focuses on the work of kennardphillipps made in response to the invasion and occupation of Iraq." "Barnbrook's passion for working with Bowie–a musical hero only after the fact–is also crucial. "Only design for the artists you like" is a mantra that many might consider luxurious, but it's entirely imperative to producing effective work, and might be extended to "only work on solutions to problems you care about". Without that central commitment our work as designers is absent of meaning, and we're taking up valuable space on a team. In Barnbrook's work it's become a central tenet that connects his activism with his more commercial passions; a guiding ethos that is at once challenging to apply consistently and necessary in order to live and function as a designer in society."

Greenpeace animation


piece of ethical design from green peace

Saturday 27 April 2013

Top 10 Most Unethical Companies

http://www.actionforourplanet.com/#/top-10-unethical-companies/4545796858

Number 5
Cigarette manufacturer, Philip Morris is the 5th most  unethical company due to it's marketing strategies. In the past the company has targeted children and exploited their vulnerability to addictive habits. The company has also employed underage girls to handout free Marlboro cigarettes to children at clubs and concerts. On top of this unethical marketing, the company issued a report in the Czech Republic saying that premature smokers deaths  have ‘positive effects’ because they save governments money. 


Thursday 25 April 2013

Working for Free

Don't be used!

Food Container Materials

Found this table on plastics vs paper and came to the conclusion that starch based biodegradable plastics are a more affordable, environmentally friendly option for your tableware compared to polylactic acid. These materials are often used for food packaging or serving food at events.

http://www.olivegreen.com.sg/environment_green-packaging.php

When packaging becomes misleading?










The Article below is taken from the article "Vitamin Water Sued for Misleading Labeling" on www.healthcentral.com 13/08/10. Would you dress up a sugar packed item a healthy to make more money?

If any of you follow the juicy and scandalous world of health news like I do, you might have noticed that Coca-Cola Co. has a pretty nasty lawsuit on their hands over one of their leading products, VitaminWater. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit organization in Washington D.C., has accused Coca-Cola of making false claims about the drink, including claims that VitaminWater reduces the risk of disease and is a healthful drink.

You need not look past the packaging on the product to see these health claims. Exhibit A: the product is call VitaminWater, implying that it contains those lovely essential nutrients that we all strive to get in our diets. What better way to get them than through a delicious, refreshing beverage? Exhibit B: each label touts a positive effect this drink will have on your nutrient-starved, thirsty body, such as "revive," "energy," "focus," "defense" and so on.

But if you take a look at the BACK of the packaging, the place where you will find the FDA-sanctioned nutrition facts and an all inclusive list of what is actually IN the product you are about to ingest to "revive" your poor little body, you will find that these health claims are a bit misleading.

Take the Vitamin Water Multi-V, for example. One bottle (2.5 servings) contains 125 calories, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 33 grams of sugar and no protein. While this particular bottle does contain 100 percent daily value of vitamin C, for being called "VitaminWater," it doesn't pack much else in its calorie-laden punch.

Coke's defense in court against these claims are, and I am directly quoting here, "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking VitaminWater was a healthy beverage." Take that as you will.

Unethical Packaging

I found these examples of unethical packaging on the following blog:

 http://graemeharrison.typepad.com/connect/2009/03/what-a-waste-morrisons-7p-banana-wrapped-in-polystyrene-cling-film-.html

I find it hard to believe!



Advertising in American Schools

Schools in America have insufficient funding and are therefore relying on advertising deals in order to raise more money. This causes natural controversy as we consider the vulnerability of children. The pages below are taken from the book Design Issues:How Graphic Design informs society. I have highlighted key sections to make it an easier read. The essay interesting makes the point that at school children are in a position where they are to trust what they are told. When advertisers ensure them their brand is THE brand of choice, whilst they are in this environment, it has a larger impact on the children's perception of the brand than if they were somewhere else.





Monday 22 April 2013

Sustainable Packaging






Designing Sustainable Packaging, Scott Boylston, 2009, pg 30-31 and 62-63

Green Graphic Design












Celery design look at the materials that available to them including inks and binding and make a decision on what to use depending on the sustainability and environmental impact of that material/ method and decide what to use accordingly.



Green Graphic Design, Brian Dougherty with celery design collaborative, 2008, pg. 13-187










Friday 19 April 2013

Typography ethics








Typography design outlining the basics of design ethics.

The Tony Tiger case study is interesting. Parents found it difficult to say no to their children.
Because of Tony the Tiger.

I did a post about this but it still seems strange that people find it difficult to say no to their children when cartoons are involved.

Milton Glaser and the ethics list


Milton Glaser and the Hypothetical Design Dilemmas. 

The problem is staying true to your moral code while getting enough to eat and paying rent.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Advertising children's food

An area of advertising wrought with ethical perils. Do you take a job designing a package for a children's breakfast cereal? Why not?

Maybe it's full of sugar and not much else? Does it involve using offensive stereotypes? Will it cause children to have screaming tantrums in shops?

Graphic designers in the past learnt that if you stick a well-known cartoon character on a product, parents are likely to buy that product for their children.

Looking around the shops these days, around half the cereals are aimed at children and look sugary. This is where the money evidently is.

But wouldn't it be healthier for kids to have a proper breakfast? Do you take the job...or not?







Cosmetics advertising

Cosmetics advertising is a large area of controversy. Problems range from misleading claims, made up or exaggerated scientific language, sexism, body dysmorphia and self image problems, harmful chemicals and animal testing.








The text of the last one:

No one cares if a man looks crap, but will your facial skin crack up before it's 40?