The role of graphic designers is shifting. No longer seen solely as the producers of aesthetic “things”, graphic designers are being valued for their problem-solving skills and ability to help businesses strategize. At the same time, both designers and the clients they serve are increasingly expected to consider issues of sustainability and take responsibility for →
MCAD SD faculty member, Krista Leraas, arranged for MCAD’s sustainable design program to sponsor ecological economist, Dr. Nate Hagens, as a guest speaker held at the MCAD Auditorium on July 10, 2014. Nate is a well-known speaker on the big picture issues facing human society. Until recently he was lead editor of The Oil Drum, one →
Net zero. Carbon neutral. Zero impact. Sustainable. These buzzwords and concepts have come to represent the highest levels of innovation within our built and designed environments. Or have they? It turns out that they have not, that a new wave of development is pioneering beyond them into the restorative, net positive space. Restorative development leapfrogs →
A master’s program in sustainable design? Taught completely online? Led by a biologist? Requiring a course in leadership? What are they thinking? For those comfortable with traditional design programs, these sorts of questions must come to mind when looking at MCAD’s one-of-a-kind MA in Sustainable Design program. When the director of MCAD’s MA in Sustainable →
As consumers, when it comes to sustainability, we are surrounded by bad news: Global warming, water scarcity, air pollution, loss of biodiversity, human rights abuses, carbon emissions, poor working condition… The list goes on and on. Fortunately, technology increasingly allows us to track and trace the back-stories of everyday products related to these sustainability topics →
A big congratulations to our 2013-14 graduates. We couldn’t be more proud of you and your work. Elke Erschfeld’s thesis was titled, “The Life of Life Events: Using leverage points, Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), and infographics to influence sustainable consumer behavior.” Sarah Dehlinger-Stanke’s thesis was titled, “Connecting to Nature in Interior Dementia Care Environments.” Mirna →
During the 2012–13 Biomimicry Student Design Challenge (BSDC) competition, I discovered that solving humanity’s biggest design challenges requires new skills applied within a comprehensive framework that integrates sustainability. I gained a deeper understanding of the Buckminster Fuller Institute‘s tenet of what Fuller described as “comprehensive anticipatory design scientists.” (Fuller, 1999) Learning from nature Biomimicry, the →
Practicing sustainability-focused design, like any art form, is a skill that requires craft and sensitivity. As designers, we are tasked to skillfully create consumable goods, services and systems that inevitably make an impact on many levels, many of which are not well understood or even measurable. By learning and then practicing various approaches, I have →
We all know the plight of the typical industrial designer: make (more) stuff; repeat. But with the nexus of vast technical abilities and support systems to deliver ideas, where does responsibility and “design sensitivity” come into play? How will we be able to design with an understanding that every design decision is connected in some →
Arlene Birt (MDes) is an information designer who is dedicated to sharing the ‘visual stories’ of companies’ sustainable products and services. We recently caught up with her to discuss her career with Background Stories as well as her new Summer 2014 fully online course devoted to the subject of how to communicate sustainability stories, Visual →