Firebelly: Chicago

"Firebelly is a super-talented team of patient listeners, genius problem solvers and forward thinking designers"

"We’re tenacious about creating meaningful design, developing sustainable strategies and combining both to change the world.

Our expertise is in Authenticity + Sustainability. Firebelly believes in honest storytelling and genuine experiences—the sincere things that simply can’t be faked or forced. Creating sustainable design and developing successful long-term strategies means we consider more than the present needs of our clients: we strive to be future-proof and considerate of our global impact.

Whether in print, online or in motion" href="http://firebellydesign.com/capabilities/integrated">motion, we connect people in meaningful ways, produce tangible results and deliver more than our clients expect."

...I think that says it all really.

The company is based in Chicago and it is another outstanding studio who believe in the same things that I believe in. I have little to no knowledge of the political and economic situations in Chicago but I am pretty certain that the relation design industry and the environment are the same. and my analysis of the 'beam' studio could also be applied to this design studio.

El Design: Canada

http://www.eldesigno.ca/?p=960

Celery Design : Paris/ Calfornia

Celery Design is a studio graphic design studio who also believe in cutting edge green design working across different media. They are very well established with Brain Daugherty who is the author of the well know book, ' Green Graphic Design'

"One of Celery’s roles over the years has been as an advocate for a new model of graphic design that deals proactively with social and environmental challenges. Through frequent lectures, magazine articles and public outreach projects such as the Ecological Guide to Paper, Celery has worked to influence other graphic designers to embrace sustainability as a crucial design objective. Celery’s work in this area was recognized with an Environmental Leadership Award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The firm’s work has been featured in numerous publications including ID Magazine’s ID 40 list of influential design firms."


We advocate that designers actively engage with people both upstream (relating to business strategy and marketing plans) and downstream (relating to materials, manufacturing, and distribution) from the traditional designer’s area of expertise. The major goal of engaging upstream from the traditional designer’s role is to shift the focus of “green” design from a battle over cost to a strategic conversation about value. By collaborating with our clients and reframing projects in this way, we find that many roadblocks simply disappear. Rather than fight with every little element of the status quo, we try to change the context so that the status quo no longer holds sway. Green design can often perform well on the cost side of the equation, but adding value is the most effective strategy for green designers.

BEAM: London

BEAM London

BEAM is a Graphic design consultancy based in London who pride themselves in their design and their environmental commitment. When I first came across this company, I thought that this is the kind of place I would really like to work. They seem to know what they are talking about and really do care about the environment. Their commitment is shown through their company's website. They comply with all relevant environmental legislation and codes of practice and keep themselves up to date with environmental news. Another reason why I was really interested in this company is that they also produce a lot of publications. In this econimic crisis, one of The problem with sustainable design is that many clients still believe this to be a more expensive option and some may be out off. On the other hand, more and more people are becoming more aware of the impact their companies may have on the environment and therefore are becoming more environmentally responsible. Clients who need something branded or designed have their own clients and if they can say that their company is 'green' then that provides them with an extra 'point' for loving the environment which will boost their financial situation. Technology has evolved so much that its becoming cheaper for a designer to be sustainable. With the government becoming more and more supportive of solving these environmental challenges, designers , who are seen as one of the largest contributors to global warming and 'ruining' the environment, I think it is important for one to take responsibility.

EcoCreative: Austrlia

approach.

At Ecocreative we talk about 'communicating sustainability'. What this means to us is difficult to clearly define in this small space, though it's safe to say that our approach considers that the way we operate is at least as important as our work.

We choose to work with people that share our simple values. And although there's no reason not to have fun on the way, we regard the responsibility given to us by clients very seriously.

Clients entrust us with their projects, knowing that we will consider the challenges presented and actively seek a better way of communicating the message so that the process, the products and, hopefully, the resulting change in people's behaviours all support a more just, sustainable world.

people.

Our view is that effective communications consulting requires a collaborative approach. Regardless of the client or medium, all projects benefit from the input of our multi-disciplinary team.

Our in-house creatives provide the capacity to deliver results for any client, unlike many studios that regularly outsource consulting tasks such as graphic design, illustration or editing. Along the way, you can be assured that our management and administration team will keep things running smoothly.

And because we all work for Ecocreative, you can be assured that what's important to you is also important to us - and that your project will proceed with the highest commitment to quality, sustainability and integrity.

policy.

Sustainability is a big part of the way our business operates, so it makes sense that our growth can also be good for the environment.

During many years of establishing a sustainable process, we've developed the belief that nothing matters more than why we do something (except perhaps the way we do it). To this end, Ecocreative's policy every day is to conserve resources, consume ethically and responsibly (favouring recycled and recyclable materials), send no waste to landfill, and uphold a sustainable approach to doing business.

We pledge to continuously improve our performance as a business and we hope to learn from and inspire others to make good on this commitment.

If you would like to know more about aspects of our sustainability policy, explore the links on the left.

ALR. Another Limited Rebellion : Virginia, USA

• sustainable graphic design
• multi disciplinary
• I really like their branding work
• also lots of printed media using lots of photography.
• not quite my type fo illustration but still really really nice

I think what I like most about them is their philosophy and all the extra curricula they do. ( workshops, lectures etc. )

Task 5: Proposed Position Statement

1. At this moment in time, I am still familiarising myself with all the different areas of Graphic Design and I don't want to close off any opportunity to better myself in those other areas. While keeping those options open, there are two areas that I am especially committed to becoming an expert in. These areas are editorial design and design for sustainability.

2. The very main value I have and would like to keep within my design practice is sustainable graphic design. Its not so much an area of Graphic design but more like a principle. I would still like to be able to apply this 'principle' to all my other work, whether its editorial, typographic, print or web-based.

3. In these past years I feel that I have gained knowledge in many different fields of graphic design becoming a more versatile designer. And I would like to continue to improve myself in those areas. Even though there are certain aspects of graphics in which I would like to specialise in more than others I would still like to be able to advertise myself as a diverse designer to clients.

4. After looking at the different design studios and agencies. I have decided that I have no preference in the size of the company I would like to work for. As long as they have the same kind of values as I do. I would really like to work for a design company that is environmentally and socially conscious.

5. The need to stand out is important as I will competing against so many other designers graduating from all over the country. Therefore when I graduate I would like to have a portfolio that shows my commitment to my beliefs and that I have become an expert in my fields of interest.

6. Although a smaller firm would be more close knitted and perhaps a friendlier working environment. I feel that as a designer starting out I would like to work for a company that is full of experienced designers and resources who will be able to help me develop into a well informed and inspired designer. For example ,Celery Design with offices in London and Paris, they are fully committed in designing for sustainability and educating others to help the environment.

7. After Graduating from this course I will be enrolling to do a masters degree in business and marketing. I believe that having both knowledge relating to the practical part of this profession and the business part would benefit me and my future employers. I hope that I will be able to apply my business skills in order to help improve my practice.

8. I'm a great believer in simplicity and that is shown through my designs. I like simple and minimalistic work that can effectively communicate my message without all the superfluousness. However, I would still like be able to show clients that I can be a diverse and flexible designer in terms of style and therefore would like to be able to show this through my portfolio.

9. So far, I have acquired skills in many of the adobe software . I am fully competent with Adobe Illustrator having worked with it on a daily basis throughout my studies, and previous internship. I am also familiar with Adobe Photoshop and Indesign and can work comfortably with these programmes. And I have started learning to use Adobe After Effects and designing for digital media and becoming more interested in design for screen.

10. I would like to gain a better understanding in editorial design and of the design publishing process, from idea generation to print production, as well as other aspects of magazine publishing house. I hope to observe and learn about the different processes designers go through before producing work for clients.