What is Sustainable Design?

Discover the true meaning of sustainable design, and find out how considering sustainability is beneficial for everyone, with Núria Vila

Sustainability is something people think about on a daily basis, now more than ever. But if you’re a product designer, your environmental commitment needs to be much more significant. The principle of sustainability, which means meeting our current needs without damaging our future prospects, should always be something you consider.

Creative director and designer, Núria Vila (@nuriavilapunzano), shares her thoughts on sustainable design and analyzes how taking it into consideration when designing products for your own or other brands, benefits us all.

Listen to her advice in this video:

What is Sustainable Design?

About 70% of any product’s environmental impact is defined in the initial design or concept phase. Which is why designers need to think about and for everyone else. We have to try and minimize the impact of our designs and, where possible, extend the lifespan of our creations.

What’s the best way to go about it? By considering every option to make the product more sustainable from the outset. Which materials are you going to use? Where do they come from? What energy will be used in production? Can the material be re-used? Remember that materials like plastic, which take thousands of years to break down, are often ‘single use,’ which is a contradiction we can avoid.

What can I do to be more sustainable?

From re-using the plants needed to make skincare products in order to save on protective plastics (like Nuria Vila), to campaigning on reusing plastic (like international brand Lush), to designing your work in sustainable formats... There are countless ways to be careful with your designs and care for the planet. You just have to find and use them in your work.

Enjoy this blog post? Remember you can learn how to reduce your project’s environmental impact and take a step further in Núria Vila’s online course: Introduction to Sustainable Graphic Design.

You may be interested in:

- What is Upcycling?
- Creative Ways to Reduce Climate Change.
- 5 Sustainable Graphic Designers You Should Know.

English version by @studiogaunt