These Come From Trees Gets a Redesign, Thanks to a Random Act of Designess
These Come From Trees (Redesigned)I previously posted about These Come From Trees, a guerilla public service campaign aimed at raising awareness of paper use and asking people to conserve paper using a simple sticker on a paper towel dispenser.
By reminding people that paper towels come from trees, the stickers save up to 100 pounds (about one tree's worth) of paper each year. Recently I found out that the sticker had been redesigned, and there's an interesting story behind the redesign that I thought was worth sharing.
When graphic designer Guy Peterson of Brand Boggler found out about These Come From Trees, he loved the concept, but like most designers with a critical eye, saw room for improvement in the design of the sticker. Guy wanted to do a "Random Act of Designess" by finding a cause he believed in that needed help with some aspect of design, and offering his expertise for free. His first Random Act of Designess was redesigning the sticker for These Come From Trees.
Since These Come From Trees made their concept open-source by using a Creative Commons License instead of a Copyright, they were very receptive to Guy's eye-catching redesign and began using it. I must say, the redesigned sticker is quite an improvement! It is much bolder and easier to discern the idea from far away, and illustrates the point of the sticker perfectly. This is a perfect example of graphic design's potential to have an impact and draw awareness to an issue, and a unique twist on pro-bono projects for designers.
Of course, being a critical designer myself, I have a few more suggestions for improving the stickers. First of all is making the stickers themselves from something other than laminated virgin paper. There are many sustainable paper options out there, or better yet, the stickers could be made with a treeless paper such as Yupo or Polyart - a bonus is that synthetic papers are usually waterproof and smudgeproof, so no lamination would be necessary. The materials used for any design project reflect the concept and add meaning to the design, and since the message of this project is to encourage conservation, conserving trees in the sticker materials would only add to their impact. I understand that the stickers need to be cost-effective in order to be widespread, but I encourage These Come From Trees to look into the possiblility of using tree-free or at least recycled paper. By creating a demand for such materials from sticker makers, it's also a way to change that industry.
Kudos to Guy Peterson's "Random Act of Designess" in his redesign of the These Come From Trees sticker. He proves that graphic designers can make a difference and help good causes simply by doing what they do best!
Tags: Conservation, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, guerilla marketing, resource conservation, stickers
- Uncategorized
March 24th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
The new design looks soooo much better! Congrats, Guy.
March 26th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Megan,
I posted the following questions on hugg and again just now in the General Topics sections of this site not originally aware of “greenoptions”. I have not yet found any new information. As a constant hugg and treehugger.com reader, I didn’t know where better to inquire. I am seeking advice on environmentally friendly materials for art and design projects. Perhaps as another designer you might have some ideas. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Does anyone have information on available green adhesive materials? I’m hoping to find decent quality hot glue-gun sticks that are non-toxic and not petroleum based. In the past I have been a big fan of hot glue guns, but I always had concerns in the back of my mind about the potential danger of the vapors created when heating the sticks, and the glue off-gassing when solidified. Are regular hot glue sticks recyclable? Can the glue be recycled with cardboard when the two are bonded together? I’m not sure if the glue used in hot-glue guns is non-toxic and safe, but I haven’t found information proving that it is.
Someone on Wikipedia stated that “A common material for the glue sticks (eg. the light amber colored Thermogrip GS51, GS52, and GS53) is ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer.[1] The vinyl acetate monomer content is about 18-29 weight % of the polymer. Various additives are usually present, eg. a tackifying resin and wax. Other base materials may be based on polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, or polyester, or various copolymers.[2]”
When I saw the word “vinyl” I cringed. Is this form of vinyl as toxic as others?
Are any similar, but enviro-friendly alternative products available? Any advice on available products or suggestions on where else to inquire would be greatly appreciated.
Another material for which I am seeking additional information is adhesive tape. What kinds of tape are eco-friendly? I know that some pieces of tape attached to cardboard boxes often get tossed into the recycling, but I don’t know if it is actually supposed to be mixed in. And again, I don’t know whether or not the adhesives used are toxic.
Finally, I know that many environmentally friendly paints have been mentioned on this site before, but I was curious to know whether anyone had recommendations specific of paints for various applications. I’m primarily looking for good quality outdoor paints for mural work – something that is opaque, fade and weather proof, and preferably fast drying. Also, I’m looking for archival quality paints with a decent colour range for indoor pieces.
Thank you,
Sean
seanmartindale1@gmail.com
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:08 pm
thanks for the info megan. just bought a 50-pack, thanks a lot!
April 10th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
Thanks for the comments and sorry for the belated reply (I was on vacation, woohoo!). As for non-toxic materials like glue, unfortunately I know very little about the subject. Have you tried posting in the Green Options forums? I would be interested to learn what you find out, it’s a sad fact of life in the art world that a lot of art materials are not very environmentally friendly and often toxic.
The only “green” adhesive I can think of off the top of my head is wheat paste. I believe it’s flour-based (google it for a recipe) and is sometimes used to put up posters. Although it is usually darn near impossible to remove… that’s one idea. I hope you’ll share info if you find out more, and sorry I’m not much help on the subject of green adhesives.
~Megan Prusynski
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