Sustainability - Compostable Paper/Sack Solution

Looking at focusing on my bag solution to be reused again and again.  I was looking at using paper as a solution but you can use a biodegradable plastic for a plastic bag solution.  Thought started to think about whether we store or reuse current plastic bags and how they are stored.  I posted on face book the question to see what kind of responses I got and how they were similar and different.  The idea was to maybe use the responses I got as part of my design for my carrier bag. Here are some of the responses that I got.

Sustainability - Compostable Paper/Sack Solution

Inline with my idea of using a carrier bag as part of my direct mailer, i was looking at using paper as my choice of material. However through discussion a plastic carrier bag cannot be ruled out.  We can get biodegradable/compostable carrier bags which are made from potato starch. The shape of them are very simple but the visual element can be very creative and playful but making the whole look of the bag so different. I will explore using this material as well as paper.

Sustainability - Logo Development

From advice given from a group critique, I have looked at developing my logo design further. The look of the logo is fitting with the overall style of the supermarket. However I need to developed the idea of a spade visually better in the logo.  The use of the capital adds the end is very risky and people may not get it.  If I want to portray the visual representation of the spade I need to play around with scale and composition and orientation vertical rather than horizontal. Also looking at using the ‘U’ as the capital and this takes the form of spade and replacing the capital d with a lower case letter.  I have started to play around with shapes of letters, and the composition to develop the logo.

I think this working in terms of the shape of the ‘u’ stills flows with the type but u can clearly see the interpretation of the spade shape

Sustainability - Research for Direct Mailer

Epson Save Paper Direct Mail

A screwed ball of paper, discarded because of a typical printing

Error (offset text, jammed, smudged etc), was prepared for new

customers containing our message of ‘perfect printing’ from

Epson. Each personalised letter promoted a particular model

chosen for the business type. All were underpinned by the

environmental impact of paper waste.

I really like this idea from Epson.  I like how this have gone down a different route and moved away from the traditional nice and need approach.  The message clearly comes across very well. They have directed a particular message to a direct client, to educate them in ways to save the use of paper.  I think the approach they have taken to educate their clients about sustainability.

The risk with this kind of direct mail is you can’t guarantee that the product will be used for purpose.  But this direct mail doesn’t have another use, however you could reuse the box the direct mailer comes in. The materials used from what I can see, specifically for the box looks like it has been produced using sustainable materials.  I think the concept is really clever. It definitely communicates a strong message from the company.  My direct mailer is more to promote the brand and to encourage the consumer to visit the supermarket.  Almost like giving them a sample.  Think along these lines I'm going to look at how companies who distribute free samples package these to give myself some ideas for my own solutions.

Sustainability - Research for Direct Mailer

Epson Promises Direct Mail

The ‘New Year Promises Superior Printing’ Calendar had new and

Existing customers in mind. The attractive design included a different

Promotion each month; a year long reminder of the brand, products

and services. Functional, creative, sales focussed and cost effective.

I really like this idea from Epson.  The calendar idea is quite obvious as a concept, but I like how they used it to inform the consumer of different promotions the company is offering.  The most striking part is the use of type. They have used the type and replaced the black type with colour, which when read spells out the month it represents. I really like this it took me awhile to realise the idea of this, as you read instantly the message before making the connection with the coloured letters.

The risk with this kind of direct mail is you can’t guarantee that the product will be used for purpose.  Me personally would use it for the concept factor.  However others may not see the significant of it and it may be thrown to the side.  I like the idea of the direct mailer having a number of purposes one to tell the consumer about the products and then to be reused for another.  This is the approach I want to take with my direct mailer design.  Looking at it from sustainable point of view it doesn’t look like this product could be recycled. I think this because of the glossy nature of the product; it possible uses a gloss varnish.  Also the inks depending on the type could also create issues with the sustainability of the product.  If I were to redesign this, I would consider using a recycled paper stock, to give the calendar a nice natural texture.  I would use non-toxic inks, maybe something water based.  For the type I think using screen-printing technique would give a nice rough look, but to also carry through the texture of the paper through the ink, creating a more tactile solution.

Sustainability - Research for Direct Mailer

I have gathered a range of different styles of direct mailers. I have gathered the imagery to inspire my thoughts regarding my own design.  From the montage I will select a few to analysis further and give my own opinion to why I like it, what works and maybe look at it from a sustainable view.

Sustainability - Compostable Paper/Sack Solution

Whilst looking at potential solutions to my shopping bag. I came across this.  This is a solution similar to my problem with my brief.  I was thinking how could I design something with edge using paper for a bag.  This bag caught my eye immediately. Its modern chic, very up to date and a really good concept for a compostable bag solution. Its had make think more creatively about my solution, however I still need to consider whether the design of my direct mailer allow me to be creative with the bag design or should I keep the bag design simple and produce a creative direct mailer.

Here is a stylish flax-viscose non-woven fabric bag called 60Bags. First thing you notice about this bag, is that is actually looks pretty hot. The bag is designed to replace all those thick paper bags you get from stores like Banana Republic. The shape and design of the bag will help turn heads and get the retailers brand noticed. Plus it’s a feel good product for their customers, who can go home, toss the back in the compost pile and 60 days later, presto, more dirt for your garden

60bag.com

Sustainability - Compostable Paper/Sack Solution

In order to create a solution, which meets the brief of creating a compostable bag/ sack solution for the supermarket brand, I look it to the definition of the word compostable so I could gain an understanding of what exactly I was being asked to produce for the brief.

Definition:

Compostable Plastic

This is pretty close to biodegradable plastic but "greener". According to the American Society for Testing & Materials, for plastic to be considered as compostable, it must be able to break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass at the same rate as paper. It also needs to look like compost, should not produce any toxic material and should be able to support plant life. Compostable items are made from plant materials such as corn, potato, cellulose, soy and sugar.

So:

Biodegradable - green, but can leave traces of toxins

Degradable - made from oil, but breaks down into harmless materials

Compostable - green from start to finish. Perhaps

It looks like the greenest choice is clear - compostable plastics are the most earth friendly option.

From this I am starting to question whether I am being asked to create a plastic bag solution.  I don’t want my bag solution to be made form plastic.  The reason being this is it would not fit in to my idea of using this as part of my direct mailer. Can we get a compostable solution using paper???

“It’s important that lawmakers, retailers and consumers have the facts about retail packaging alternatives,” said Bob Rovzar, managing director for Weyerhaeuser Company’s retailer segment.

“Recyclable paper bags are an environmentally sustainable, functional choice for stores and consumers,” he said. “They are made from recovered materials and are easily recycled, re-used or composted by consumers. This reduces waste and helps sustain the environment.”

The facts about paper bags

* 100% recyclable at convenient curbside recycling or at recycling stations.

* 100% compostable--paper breaks down quickly and naturally in the environment.

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* Reusable--consumers may reuse paper bags to carry items, create arts & crafts projects, package items for shipping and mailing, collect recyclables and other uses.

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* Recyclable paper bags meet or exceed industry specifications for durability. They hold up to 20 lbs of goods and keep their shape when loaded.

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* Recyclable paper bags are very familiar to consumers, so they’re easy for everyone to use.

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* Recyclable paper bags are clean, so items are not contaminated, soiled or damaged.

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* Recovered wood fibre used in paper bags comes from manufacturing wood products--a productive use of an abundant and renewable natural resource--trees.

Using Paper for my bag solution will allow to me to create and use this as part of my direct mailer to encourage the consumer to visit the new eco friendly supermarket. Paper shopping bags are highly available, by using the right paper material can hold a lot of weight, and most importantly are compostable.

Sustainability - Logo Development

This is an example of how the logo could work on the packaging products. The D shape makes up the imagery of the cup, with detailing to make it more obvious.  The brand is above the image to realte the brand with the product.

Sustainability - Logo Development

I have look at different styles for my logo.  I have selcted a random colur to use to show how coloured coulf be used.  Initially the block colur was to show where the laser cut would be, but some of the effects given by colour is really striking.  I feel that my logo is very modern, simple, and is simply clever!

This is logo i really like i think it would work as my final logo design.

Sustainability - Logo Development

I have started to develop my logo digitally.  I wanted the type to very simple, natural, with no sansserifs etc.  From developing my inital ideas i thought it would be best to create my own typeface.  But i did look at some typefaces to see if there was a suitable style i could use:

To create my own typeface, I created the outlines for the type by using the pen tool.  I created the type from teh sketches that i drew. The type i drew was very rounded, and i have tried to replicate this with the digital type. Once i had created the outlines of the type using the pen tool, i started to look at compisition of the capital D. 

I realised that on this composition of the type with the capital D almost looks like a garden spaid! Creating this was a complete accident, i never see this visually in my hand sketches.

Sustainability - Research for Direct Mailer

I have looked at these pieces examples as they relate well to my initial idea for my direct mail.  I want my direct mail piece, to reform as my bag solution to the brief.  The direct mailer has more than one use so that it is reused and not thrown away.  These examples how apiece of simple packaging etc and be made in to something else.

Steve Haslip's HangerPak comes from a slightly different point of view; his packaging design turns in to something you can use with what comes inside (as long as that's a t-shirt). Even if a cardboard hanger has a limited lifetime, it still gets an extra life cycle instead of going straight from package to recycling bin (or, worse, the landfill). This project won First Prize in the D&AD Student Awards 2007 category 'What else do you do?'.

This idea of packaging = product sure isn't limited to lighting, though. Dutch designer David Graas dreamed up a line of furniture made from cardboard that transforms from flat packaging to three-dimensional furniture that makes very judicious use of the cardboard -- the end product is virtually zero-waste. There's a stool that goes with the chair pictured here.

This really inspires my ideas for my direct mailer will work very well.  It’s achievable and could be a great solution to the brief.  I was looking at laser cutting as an alternative to my logo idea and packaging.  This could be implemented through the bag solution and direct mal as well.

Sustainability - Logo Development

From this inspirational gathering I started to doubt the development of this logo and started to look again and my initial thoughts and ideas.  I went back to the first idea I had.  The concept around this was bringing to light!! I used the letter D in the word unearthed, and changed this to an uppercase letter. This letter would be cut out to reveal inside whether it be packaging etc… on this referred to how I could this to illustrate products, I created imagery for some food products using the letter D.  This was to ensure if the idea was taken forward it would work for a range of different food products. Here is some of the idea I came up with.

Sustainability - Logo Development

For my development, I started to consider how the main logo would look.  I started to look at composition with the logo and type.  I again hit a mind block, so gathered further inspirational imager on logo designs.