What We Do

Clarify Designs is one of the only graphic designers in the Portland and the Northwest to take a SUSTAINABLE APPROACH to graphic design. Graphic Design is inherently wasteful. I hate to say it, but it is. It’s also a necessary evil. Now I’m painting a not so pretty picture of the graphic design profession, so let me clear this up.

Graphic Design is necessary, but it can also be more environmentally sound than it is. Check out designcanchange.org for an overview of the new movement in graphic design.

How is graphic design wasteful?

It’s goal is to create print materials for marketing, branding, and image development. Most designers don’t factor in the need to be eco-friendly because it hasn’t been about that. They don’t teach you this in school. Global Warming, Climate Change, the realization that our planet is fragile, is a new concept. So back to the question, how is it wasteful? With most designers there is no consideration for the environmental impact, so there is excess paper product, one time use paper pieces, excessive ink, toxic ink, excessive printing, and the end result is that it usually ends up in the garbage.

How does Clarify Designs help to reduce this waste and bring a new sustainable approach to design?

There are two main operatives we focus on when beginning a new project, 1.) the client’s needs and ways to create the most attractive and stand-out designs, and 2.) what the entire lifecycle of the project will be. The goal is to create a clean, attractive, professional design, while also making sure that the life of the piece is healthy for the Earth.

Steps we take to reduce waste and be eco-friendly are as follows:

• Use recycled and recyclable materials
• Use vegetable or soy inks (most traditional inks are toxic)
• Avoid using an extra UV coating
• When possible, use fewer colors, which can yield impressive results
• When possible only print on one side, printing on both sides uses more ink and energy
• Ask our clients if there might be ways to reuse the piece, make it more than a one time use piece
• Create designs that will be suitable as online marketing, thereby avoiding printing altogether
• Create designs that are smaller in size thereby printed on less paper, also do not use odd shapes that will create extra paper waste.
• Use treeless paper

All of these are a few of the ways Clarify Designs can help to cut back on the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. These steps also reduce energy usage, which in turn lowers the carbon footprint and is more environmentally responsible.

Please check out clarifydesigns.com for more information and helpful links.