For this sustainable design case study, we interviewed designer Erika Rathje CDP, based in Vancouver, BC. If you’d like to have your sustainable work featured, please fill out our case study Q&A.
What was the main goal of this project and the design objective toward that goal?
The goal was to design a suite of promotional and day-of materials that would entice Tyee readers and supporters to attend a lively event celebrating The Tyee’s 20th anniversary, which included a satirical debate on the future of journalism. For visual direction, I was asked to closely emulate the style of a graphic made by the Tyee for a previous debate — a black and white collage with fun type and graphical elements. “Old-timey wrestling imagery” was suggested by the client. I tracked down this lovely image of the Bennett sisters which had a less physical vibe and came without the macho nature of men’s wrestling/boxing. Promotional material was intended to convey a fun, humourous debate and celebrate The Tyee’s anniversary, while fun swag (t-shirt, postcard) were opportunities to show love for The Tyee and ask folks to subscribe or support the organization. Lastly, the poster came to a physical fruition as a photo stand-in for people to take goofy selfies. Of course, one of the goals was to sell tickets and the event was sold out!
The poster design was used at various sizes for display at The Rio Theatre and online promotion. Photos courtesy of The Tyee
What sustainability opportunities did you see?
With so many tangible materials to produce, I saw opportunities beyond just choices of stock: t-shirt fabric, cutlery for the cake, carbon-neutral printing.
Did your client come to you with sustainability requirements? If not, how did you encourage and/or support your client to make more sustainable choices?
The client agreed to hire a local t-shirt printer I recommended that is a Living Wage Employer and I requested 100% cotton t-shirts to avoid microplastics. The design was simple so minimal ink was used on two different t-shirt colours (although it’s worth noting that printing on a black shirt has better results with two coats of ink!). I suggested compostable wood cutlery from a local supplier, which is what they sourced for forks instead of single-use plastic cutlery. I advocated for locally-made beeswax candles for the cake instead of buying from Amazon (see bcbuylocal.com for why), but they didn’t appear to have bought candles in the end.
A project collaborator connected us with two reputable local printers for eco-friendly, carbon neutral printing. They were able to supply materials on recycled and/or mixed FSC stock. I suggested upgrading an existing banner with a sticker for their 20th anniversary, but a different and unique design was requested.
Photo courtesy of The Tyee
“With so many tangible materials to produce, I saw opportunities beyond just choices of stock: t-shirt fabric, cutlery for the cake, carbon-neutral printing.”
Erika Rathje
What sustainable choices did you make and/or advocate for?
The client agreed to hire a local t-shirt printer I recommended that is a Living Wage Employer and I requested 100% cotton t-shirts to avoid microplastics. The design was simple so minimal ink was used on two different t-shirt colours (although it’s worth noting that printing on a black shirt has better results with two coats of ink!). I suggested compostable wood cutlery from a local supplier, which is what they sourced for forks instead of single-use plastic cutlery. I advocated for locally-made beeswax candles for the cake instead of buying from Amazon (see bcbuylocal.com for why), but they didn’t appear to have bought candles in the end.
A project collaborator connected us with two reputable local printers for eco-friendly, carbon neutral printing. They were able to supply materials on recycled and/or mixed FSC stock. I suggested upgrading an existing banner with a sticker for their 20th anniversary, but a different and unique design was requested.
20-year retrospective slide deck
What challenges or barriers did you encounter in doing sustainable design, if any, and how did you overcome them?
The challenge was mostly in working with a tight production schedule, but I’m glad that we didn’t have to sacrifice quality or environmental credentials because our suppliers were all able to deliver within our tight timelines.
If you had a chance to do a project like this again with unlimited funds and time, what other sustainable design choices or tactics would you pursue?
I would look into getting custom photography by a studio that creates early 20th century-style black and white images, with subjects who would better represent Vancouver’s ethnic diversity.
Photo stand-in board
“I realized I actually advocate a lot for sustainable design without noticing because it feels like second nature.”
Erika Rathje
What was the most insightful thing you learned practicing sustainable design on this project?
I was surprised at my ability to come up with sustainable solutions on the fly that are not usually part of my work (like cutlery and candles). I realized I actually advocate a lot without noticing because it feels like second nature. Having a good, long-standing relationship with the client meant that I really understood their values as an organization, which allowed me to be confident in making recommendations.
Were you able to measure any tangible impacts of your work? How did you do this?
Design is only part of the job of marketing, but the event was a sold-out, resounding success and people had fun! The Tyee received a lot of praise about the event’s look and feel, and said that the design elevated their brand and the event’s professionalism.
Slide for debaters on “Team Finished”
Why is sustainable design is important to you?
Design that cares for people and planet makes better use of finite resources, recognizes diverse abilities and varied experiences, and leaves this home better off for future generations. The choices we make have impacts, and it’s important to me to make negative impacts as minimal as possible, and positive impacts as great as we can.
Any final thoughts or sustainability advice for designers, colleagues, clients, and design students?
It’s easy to think of sustainability as just concerning the environment, so it takes more consideration to look at the other ways it can apply to our work. I find the four pillars are a great guide! (These pillars are social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability.)
If you’d like to have your sustainable work featured, please fill out our case study Q&A.
