Calling for entries, due July 14! AIGA Seattle is continuing the tradition started by the Colorado chapter in 2009, LA in 2011 and Minnesota in 2013. The (Re)design Awards celebrates designers whose work has a positive impact on our planet’s environment, cultures, economy and people. This year’s awards will go to winners in each category →

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 →

Still time to enter AIGA MN Design Show and Green Leaf Award. MCAD Sustainable Design program folks will be the judges for the AIGA Minnesota annual Design Show Green Leaf Award category. The three judges include Co-founders and program instructors, Curt McNamara and Holly Robbins, along with MCAD Sustainable Design program graduate Rita Penrod. The Green Leaf Award recognizes design leadership →

With increasing focus on sustainability, companies are eager to tell their customers how they are working to preserve the environment. At the same time, consumers are demanding transparency from companies. Traditionally, eco-labels or similar “stamps of approval,” have helped bridge communications between companies and consumers about environmentally friendly products. But as the movement toward sustainability →

The design studio has essentially remained unchanged for the last century. Seasoned designers, no matter how progressive, are oft quick to declare, “how it’s done” following a workflow and studio model they were trained to follow, without ever wondering why. Most studios operate using a top-down management model similar to the one illustrated below. Orders →

In today’s graphic design process, sustainability is born of the creative minds of the art directors and designers, early in the concept phase. But the top-down management model of today’s graphic design studio, branding firm, or ad agency is not always compatible with the demands of sustainable design. To change this without jeopardizing jobs, the →

When Valerie Casey founded the Designers Accord in 2007 to create awareness of sustainability issues in graphic design, she hoped it would be a short term project. One that would start the conversation and put in place industry standards for sustainability that would become the norm. Five years later, though, even with all the movement’s →

Earlier this month, the AIGA MN held its annual graphic Design Show at Shelter Studios in Northeast Minneapolis. This year, the practicing sustainability professionals that make up the MCAD’s Sustainable Design Online (SDO) program’s instructor list were asked to participate in the eco-award portion of the show. I led the team to rewrite the criteria →

As my family and friends can attest, I enjoy chocolate. In fact, it could be said that I am a “snob” when it comes to chocolate. I have long established opinions about the most superb varieties and brands and confidence that I was consuming the finest. That is, until I met Mindo Chocolate Makers. Mindo →

Calling all sustainable graphic designers in the Mid-West! Showcase and celebrate your sustainable design work in the upcoming 2012 AIGA Minnesota and the Green Leaf Award that recognizes design leadership in environmental responsibility and sustainable design. The entry deadline is Friday, March 30th, so enter now. By entering student work or professional work in the →