Green design was the topic for Incite/Insight 2008, which took place on November 20 at the Alliance Française. Melanie Wiesenthal, art director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and Peter Fine, an assistant professor of graphic design at New Mexico State University, were the presenters. Eric Benson was the moderator.

After opening remarks by Steve Ryan, AIGA Chicago president, and a few words from event sponsors, Peter Fine began with a 30-minute presentation of slides showing many student projects. At NMSU, Fine looks for ways to bring eco-graphics into the curriculum. He teaches that the role of the designer is to make decisions that, although they may seem like small steps, will eventually lead to a paradigm shift towards a greener future.

“This isn’t a choice we made…to be standing around with plastic bottles in our hands,” said Fine about our current predicament. He later mentioned how his path to green thinking came after he began teaching graphic design history and discovered that the designer’s role has often been to create waste. “Every age has its aesthetic,” said Fine who suggested that eco-graphics — design with future generations in mind — may become part of ours.

Secondly, Melanie Wiesenthal presented a slide show of her own. She featured professional projects including some of her own work from Aveda and Martha Stewart. Wiesenthal offered food for thought in designing “with the end in mind,” including using alternative materials, negotiating with vendors for greener product offerings, shipping with less material and creating budgets at the very beginning of a project that anticipate the higher cost of eco-friendly materials.

The presentations were followed up with a question-and-answer period in which several themes emerged. Among them, was the idea of consumer skepticism. Wiesenthal cautioned the audience not to judge corporations as “greenwashers” so quickly, since even just a few steps in the right direction is making a difference and may lead to greater initiatives in the future. On creating good solutions, Wiesenthal suggesting that designing “with belts and suspenders” isn’t necessary. We are still capable of achieving effective communication by getting creative with our aesthetic decisions instead of choosing tried-and-true production techniques that are often toxic.

There were no problems in getting the audience to agree. “Good design should just include sustainable design,” said one member of the audience. “I want to recycle less,” said another.

Towards the end of the night, some final thoughts emerged on client buy-in. “Sustainable design and making money don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” said Wiesenthal. Essentially, if we gain trust with our clients, we have the ability to walk them step-by-step into taking actions that support a sustainable future. Even better, if we can show them that moving towards greener practices is affordable, our clients can’t say no. “We are already empowered to do this,” said Wiesenthal.

Sponsors: Artisan, Getty Images, Rider Dickerson