Why the creative industry needs to redefine ‘good’ for a more sustainable future
Jo Barnard is a designer and problem solver. She is founder of London-based industrial design consultancy Morrama and co-instigator of Design Declares, a global movement of creative practitioners committed to harnessing their skills to address our climate crisis. Signatories of the declaration are guided by the Eight Acts: stepping stones on a path that leads creative businesses towards a more planet-centred practice.
It is Act 05 ‘Redefine Good’ that was on Barnard’s mind when judging this year on the D&AD Awards Product Design jury. For the 2023 D&AD Annual, Barnard reflects on the positive steps D&AD has made over the past few years to better champion positive environmental impact-driven creativity, and asks the question: How can we accelerate the perception shift in what we consider ‘good design’ in the wider context of community and planet?
Looking back to 2019 when I was invited to judge the D&AD Awards for the first time, there was little – if any – discussion on the environmental impact of entrants' design work in the product design category. Other than in one specific Sustainable subcategory – of which only a pack of edible chopsticks got a mention – there was no requirement for applicants to give details on the sustainability considerations of their products or packaging. A lot has changed in four years.
We’ve had three of the hottest years on record. Scientists have confirmed that we will reach 1.5C of global warming around 2035, and there has been a visceral shift in the design industry. Whether it’s being faced with our own vulnerability during the Covid-19 pandemic, the increasing threat to supply chains caused by political instability, or the famous words of a 16-year-old addressing the UN Climate Action Summit – something has woken us up.
In 2020 there was a wave of new businesses setting environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets, and D&AD moved to align its Impact Awards with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Since then, the Awards has celebrated more climate and ecological innovations year on year.
A Yellow Pencil went to We Believers New York for Plastic Fishing Tournament, its community activation for Corona; an example of a brand not just using words but instigating action in the efforts to clean up the plastic pollution in our oceans. And this is what it’s about: taking action. Emotional storytelling has only got us so far. Real, tangible, measurable impact requires us to act. Which brings me to my favourite project this year and winner of Pencils in both the Impact and Product Design categories, the Cloudneo running shoe by On Running.
What excited me most about Cloudneo – the first fully recyclable high-performance running shoe, created exclusively for the brand’s Cyclon subscription service – is that last year it was awarded as a Prototype; within 12 months we’ve seen it leave the lab and make it onto the consumer market. On Running is pushing the boundaries of innovation in material and manufacture and proving to the footwear industry that truly circular design is possible.
“Emotional storytelling has only got us so far. Real, tangible, measurable impact requires us to act.”
Considerations about the sustainability of an entry have entered the jury discussions beyond the designated categories; for example, in Packaging Design this year, design agency Gander received a Graphite Pencil for its packaging design for olive oil brand Graza. They took a beautifully simple, low-cost, low-impact recycled plastic bottle and used playful and creative brand application without any extra bells and whistles to redefine what we think of as premium.
It’s great to see the question: “How was sustainability considered in the design and selection of materials and manufacture?” asked of entrants into the Product Design and Packaging Design award categories for the first time. Yet, I believe we can do more. And we need to start by reframing the way we think about what ‘good’ design is.
The media pushes skin-deep beautiful looking products out to us every day in articles that do little, if anything, to critique or question their materials, carbon impact or end-of-life. Design award organisations, including D&AD, award design work without necessarily challenging the products’ use of resources. I mentioned above there is now a box for entrants to fill in explaining the considerations made in the design process – well, it’s not compulsory. In fact, having judged the work, I can report that most of the time it’s just left blank.
We need to start asking ourselves whether there is clearly sufficient reason for that product, service or campaign to exist in the first place. In the case of any physical object: does the positive impact it has justify the inevitable environmental impact of producing it, its use and its end-of-life? In the case of an advert or campaign: will this accelerate our transition to net-zero by inspiring action or behaviour change? And perhaps most importantly of all: does the world need more work like this?
We have a responsibility as creatives, journalists and awards organisations to redefine what we mean by ‘good’, not just as good for people but also good for the planet. This means asking more questions, digging deeper, being more critical and not just going on first impressions. Now that’s a very easy thing to write down, but what might it look like in practice?
The judging criteria of D&AD Awards is reviewed yearly, but has been broadly based on similar core principles since the 1960s, including: Is the idea inspiring? Is it brilliantly executed? Is it fit for purpose?
“We need to start asking ourselves whether there is clearly sufficient reason for that product, service or campaign to exist in the first place.”
The judging criteria of D&AD Awards is reviewed yearly, but has been broadly based on similar core principles since the 1960s, including: Is the idea inspiring? Is it brilliantly executed? Is it fit for purpose?
This year, the judging criteria included some additional questions such as “Is it responsible?” asked of a few subcategories, we actually need to be asking a much more existential question. A question to be asked, not just between judges on awards juries, but by designers working on every design brief: Should this work exist at all?
By our nature, humans are inclined towards simplicity. However, asking the big questions, understanding the impact of the things we create and evaluating the resources we use is hard. Making such considerations a requirement for winning a D&AD Pencil, coveted by creatives all around the world, will encourage designers to think more carefully about the wider context of their work. Because if we want to live in a climate-safe and fair planet tomorrow, we have no choice but to do better today.
