Insight

Publishing has an immense reliance on materials and energy. Too often little thought is given to the environmental effect of these production processes. Designers are a product of the industry and are removed from the impact their choices have.

Solution

Transparent is a publication curating research and opinions on how publishing can be more sustainable. The book itself is a manifestation of the approaches explored inside and is a tool for designers to reference before any publishing project.

Process

What started as an open brief about sustainability, took me deep into the manufacturing processes of ink, paper, and binding. My intention was to find a carbon neutral way of crafting a book (by hand) to then publish these findings for others to use. I realised instead that I needed to curate the best of the worst solutions that already exist, helping designers be sustainable in a more accessible way.

Roles

Design, editing & illustration

With Ewan Leslie
Illustrations by Daisy Tortuga

Transparent explores the five typical things that make up the production and delivering of a publication: content; paper; ink; binding; and distribution. The written pieces offer tangible actions to make each stage of production more sustainable as well as encouraging a change of perspective on using materials in general. 
    Included are interviews with practitioners and industry experts who share their insights on these topics. A fictional story and illustrations complete the content, offering light-hearted interpretations of the technical and practical information.

The publication, when physically realised, will be Risograph printed on uncoated paper, staple-bound and in a format slightly smaller than A5. These specifications create a beginning and end-of life that has the least impact on the environment.