Graphic design – is it green?

I'm at uni again. It's absolutely excellent. The thing about uni is that it makes you think, you take time out to ponder bigger questions than "matt or gloss?". Of course there's more to graphic design than that, but I started to wonder about whether graphic design was just adding to the wasting our planet's finite resources by creating a brand and personality for a product or company, fuelling desire for that product and in turn, increasing waste of resources. Maybe you didn't want that jam, but you loved the packaging and so you bought it. And what about things like the iPhone with minute changes to product which just add obsolete stuff to the junk pile way too soon. 
Within many design professions there is change happening. Think upcycling – eBay and Gumtree have made it cool to reuse and recycle products. Items that would have gone to the tip are now sold second and even third-hand or made into something completely new. The building industry and the architecture profession also have sustainable approaches/products that the general public are aware of.
But what about graphic design? I did quite a bit of research for my uni assignment on this topic and sadly, there isn't much evidence of graphic designers understanding the end-of-life for the packaging, brochure or direct marketing piece etc. These are pretty transient pieces which require new thinking.
Kunara on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland is doing a great job (see image). This is thoughtful graphic design: Kunara is a huge organic supermarket which only offers paper bags. The paper bags for  holding things like rice and nuts are transparent (because the tannins and lignins have been removed) so you can see your product and 100% compostable. The bag, firstly, is necessary, secondly, has come from sustainable sources and thirdly, can go into your compost. Finally, the bag tells us this story so that we, as consumers, are being educated along the way. Love it.

You know you need a designer but think you can't afford it.

A client recently told me that she knew she had needed a graphic designer for her young business but thought it was unaffordable.

We are many months into our working relationship now and we have completed a number of small to medium-sized jobs together. At first I quoted on each job but now she is happy to pay per hour as she feels comfortable with the end price – she's no longer worried that she can't afford it.

Design costs differ per project of course but a good graphic designer with plenty of experience understands the value of the service. For example, something with a single use and probably low returns may only require an hour's work, whereas an e-commerce website has ongoing financial returns and warrants more design time and thought.

Apparently, (trawling the internet) the national average for graphic design freelance rates are $65-$75/hr (+GST) which is interesting as Sarah Heath Design charges $75. And less for straight typesetting.

As a guide, most small businesses require a logo, business card, website and Facebook images to get started. This averages around the $2,000 mark and most small business will take a few months to get all this done so that their sometimes sporadic cash flow is managed.

Each project is different and is quoted so that the client is comfortable and knows what to expect. Any possible extras will be outlined upfront. 

A good graphic designer understands business, has experience within your industry group and has lots to share. You will be asked questions you haven't considered and start to feel really excited as your brand unfolds.

So can you afford a designer? Can your precious business afford not to have a designer?

Every brief starts with a blank page

Design in Spring

Brisbane is at its best in Spring. Fabulous clear blue skies, warm weather and… festivals.
Festivals, pretty much my favourite thing.
Right now in Brisbane we have the Brisbane Writers Festival and The Brisbane Arts Festival. Despite Campbell Newman's apparent lack of interest in The Arts, Brisbane has managed to look great and be full of inspiring stuff right now: visually, musically and intellectually.
Closer to home, The Hub continues to do a great job, curating interesting exhibitions with really high quality pieces.
In the smaller gallery right now is an exhibition by John A Robinson and Malcolm Cassidy – I loved these pieces by John.
So what does being surrounded by all this creativity mean to a graphic designer? I start thinking about collaborations, how to create projects to include people like John. How to create projects to include the student I'm now mentoring from QUT Creative Industries, Taylah Elliott.
And I feel grateful to live in a place where creativity is valued.

Do you like me? Are you following me?

I have been on a very steep learning curve for the past year. This time, a year ago on a family holiday in Greece, four over-40s had a very funny conversation about social networking. It was revealed that we really knew very little. Guy did seem to be the most knowledgeable of us all but the conversation ended in peels of laughter and a mutual vow to learn this stuff when, to Guy's horror, he logged on to read us his company's tweets, only to find that the 23 year-old in charge of this important side of company marketing, was tweeting about his weekends!

I have kept my promise: I have been working with a fabulous woman Tanja Perl of The Perl Project who advises business, small and large, of which social networks to use and how to use them. (And yes, I designed her identity and website.)
And just last week I went to a workshop with Sam Shazzam, principal of Brisbane-based social media company, Good Funny Smart who practices what she preaches by having created and continuing to run  Aldi Mum (43,000+ likes) and School Mum (22,000+ likes) which are both a source of income.
This new knowledge is not only good for my business but crucial for being a great designer for other business.

And what about you. Are you using social networking for your business and has it earned you any money yet? Are you curious about what else you can do and have the quality of tweets improved? Tell me.

I'm on Linked In, I have a Pinterest Board, I love my Facebook page.
And I have 56 likes today. I'm aiming for 100 by next blogpost! Please like me – I'm curious what can happen.