Category Archives: rants…

creating business from Kornflake

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Recycling and reusing can come in many forms, from the obvious to the subtle and every shade in between. On our travels finding lovely things for our clients, we often find stuff that might not be what we were looking for but gets filed in the ‘this is pretty great’ folder of inspirational stuff.

Many of you will also know that we have a bit of a passion for letterpress styled prints – so much so that we have our own monthly eco print subscription service for fellow adorers – www.ecopickprints.co.uk , where we release one special A-Z print each month on a seasonal subject.

Putting these two features together – eco and letterpress – in another way is the truly fantastic Kornflake – an Urban Cottage Industry business where old cereal packets are rescued, cut and after a letterpress treatment, are turned into wonderful greetings cards and business cards.

We think they are lovely and really creative – imagine giving people a business card and seeing their expression when they realise it used to be an actual cornflake packet?

Brilliant.

It is the detail, honesty and that ‘ooh, nice’ effect that all business cards should have.

So – check out Kornflake for your next batch of business cards or greetings cards – recycling and a traditional craft with great design thrown in too. What’s not to like?

(image via Kornflake)

our sustainable design manifesto poem

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Last week we were at the brilliant South Coast Design Forum’s Brighton Designers Showcase, where our work was being exhibited along with other members to a gathered audience of fellow designers and business people from the south.

We also were given one of the speaking slots, where I had one minute to speak about something compelling in our industry, with no hard self promotional sell.

One minute. Not long to be interesting and compelling, whilst remembering each point you wanted to cover.

So, we decided to write a poem about parts of our studio’s sustainable design manifesto. It will never win any awards, but it seemed to go down well, so here it is.

 

Hello, my name’s Claire Potter

I’m going to talk about sustainability

Due to time, I’m going to do this

In the form of poetry

 

Great spaces are engaging

Should make souls and hearts sing

Exciting and inspiring

Without excessive bling

 

Small actions can feel tiny

But they’re powerful when combined

So did you help or hinder

With the element you designed?

 

Design for disassembly

Should be factored at the start

So ending creates new beginnings

When something’s taken apart

 

Reduce reuse recyle? But

Responsibility

Respectful and Repair it

Should be added to the three

 

Minimise your waste stream

So lots of things are saved

Mileage, money, resources

And responsible paths are paved

 

Collaborate with others

Many brains better than one

For thinking WAY outside the box –

Essential. (and it’s fun)

 

Design should be disruptive

It should challenge then create

For how are we to progress

If we don’t innovate?

 

So this is our studio focus

To design spaces ethically

And we assure you we’re far better at it

Than we are at poetry!

 

(by Claire Potter, Jan 2012)

pop up people

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Last week we had a very busy time indeed.

On Tuesday we attended the Eco Innovation event run in conjunction with the Centre for Sustainable Design, then on Wednesday we were at the South Coast Design Forum’s Brighton Design Showcase where I took part in the one minute Pecha Kucha style challenge (where I read a poem, which will be published here tomorrow) and lastly on Thursday we were at the launch of the pop up people report in Worthing at the lovely Fresh Egg offices.

The report has been compiled by Dan Thompson from Artists and Makers, and examines who the people are who create pop up events, what they can be, where they can be locate, and most importantly, how they can combine to create a re-enlivened High Street culture.

The front page of the report, which was supported by the Arts Council and Lottery Funding amongst others, begins with a brilliant phrase – ‘We can do much more together – it’s not so impossible’, which sets the direction for the rest of the document. This is not just supposed to be a list of what has been done and a few scattered statistics – this is a call to arms to those who want to resurrect the empty spaces within our towns and cities.

A few towns are highlighted in the report – Margate, Coventry, Leeds and Rotterdam are examined with We Are Bedford and The Brick Box in Brixton being used as case studies for what can be achieved.

It really is quite compelling reading – the realisation of exactly the state our Town Centres are in and the knock on effect from closure to closure yet inspiring at the same time – the fact that people have actually got up and done something about the issues.

The last section looks at how both we as consumers, potential pop-up creators and government can support those willing to re-open empty shops with new creative projects, listing a series of useful pieces of further reading on town centres and urbanism, empty shops and ideas and inspiration.

We thoroughly enjoyed reading the report, and having completed a pop up design studio ourselves (and designed pop up shops for others), we can testify to the fact that pop up events do assist in the rejuvenation of an otherwise empty, sad and depressing location. They do not have to cost the earth, can be completed and implemented effectively and have huge impact.

Let’s just get out there and do something about it.

plan your storage for a decluttered life

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We all know that space is at a real premium – especially to those who live in cities, sharing increasingly smaller flats.

Having a decluttered life obviously begins with having less stuff (hence the appeal of MP3 over CDs, which you have to store) – we want things which we own invisibly, or share, so we do not have to find a home for it at all.

But inevitably we all own things. One of the most frequent things we have on a client wish list is the appeal for more and better organised storage option. And really, these are the key elements – have less stuff and ensuring that the storage you have is completely suitable for what you need to store. A drawer unit is no use to me if I need a place for my snowboard.

And recently, IKEA, one of the kings of marketing showcased how they can provide the solution for compact yet comfortable living.

For one whole week, IKEA installed two identical 54sqm apartments onto the concourse of the Auber Metro station in Paris. One was empty and you could wander around and the other was filled with five ‘room mates’, which lived in Big Brother style in the fake apartment for the week.

As well as being a huge marketing ploy, IKEA were trying to demonstrate, in real time, exactly how you can live in a small space if you plan it well – which they have done in these examples.

But this is something that we can all do – using and adapting our existing spaces to suit what we have. It is a very personal journey as my storage needs will be very different to yours. Make a list of your belongings and ensure that everything you want to store has a home. Get boxes if you need them, or more hanging rails, or segment up an existing cupboard.

It will not be a short journey and you will twist along the way, but space and storage planning is possibly the most rewarding and calming interior trips you can take.

Trust us.

(image from Grist)

the people’s supermarket…

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Staying with the foodie theme from my last post, I thought I would talk a little about what could be the future of shopping.

Independant shops? Hopefully. Farmers Markets? I should hope so. Growing your own? Practical for some, but not others. Urban farms? They are coming, but not just yet.
So, what could be the immediate future from our food shopping experiences?
Supermarkets.
Yep. You heard me right. Supermarkets, but not as we know it.
We have become conditioned to shop for everything at one place – cramming our little cages on wheels with essentials every week before we drive home to consume (or throw away…but that is another post). The supermarket is just the way most of us do our shopping. Fact.
Even though many of us try to grow our own, support our local producers and frequent our farmers markets, many of us still use the supermarket model as our main shopping experience.
So if you can’t beat the supermarkets, why not join them.
And this is what a few enterprising souls have begun.
Park Slope in New York is a 25yr old co-operative with around 6000 members, who give up 2hrs 45mins per month to work in the supermarket (cashier, cleaner, shelf replenishment etc) in return for wonderfully sourced, local, often organic produce at hugely reduced rates. With (little) wages to pay, the community are actively pocketing the mark-up savings in the lower prices available. If you do not do your shift, you have to make up with double the time next shift, and if you continue to flaunt the rules, sorry, you are out.
This can sound a little harsh, but this kind of model can ONLY work with full communication and trust between all members. Sounds great to me.
It also looked great to Arthur Potts Dawson (who also set up the London eco restaurant Acorn House), who has taken this seed idea and translated it into London’s first version of the American model, in Holborn, called The People’s Supermarket.
The basic premise is the same – pay your £25 membership, sign up to your 4 hour shift and you are a member – AND part owner – of the People’s Supermarket. This entitles you to hugely reduced core produce (large lovely loaf £1.85 to ‘regular’ shoppers, £1 to members) and 10% reduction on your overall bill.
But being a part owner of the supermarket also means that you are entitled to a say in what is stocked, where from, and how the whole kit and caboodle is run. An ideal situation really – cheaper stuff, a nod to the ‘big society’ and a say in keeping that local raspberry yoghurt you have come to love as well as the larger decisions.
Not everyone will like the idea of working four hours to qualify for the benefits, but (having worked for a big supermarket to pay my way through university) it can be fun.
And in a time of gloom, surely a few more pennies in the bank, a few more local bits in your belly and a few new friends in your phone can only be a good thing?

Hugh’s Fish Fight…

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I tend to not watch much TV – usually too busy to watch things live so catch up via iplayer / 4OD and the like, but on occasions, I do pencil in some goggle box time for things I feel passionate about.

And this is why I spent 9-10 last night watching Hugh’s Fish Fight on channel 4.
Even though I know about the EU fish allocation system and the ‘discard’ element, it was very, very hard watching indeed. The sheer amount of perfectly good fish thrown, dead, overboard from our fishing fleet was absolutely disgusting. The poor fishermen were understandably upset – seeing all that food (and money) wash back into the sea due to a ridiculous EU law is truly maddening.
The allocation system was created to help preserve fish stocks and ensure that over fishing does not take place. On the face? Well, sounds good. But whilst watching, it became brutally obvious that this system purely does not work. If anything, it will compound the issue it seeks to resolve.
How? Well, each species has a certain ‘catch’ allocation which fishermen are legally not allowed to go over, so, if you catch all your cod allocation in a couple of net castings then sorry, any other cod has to go back into the sea – it cannot be landed. But fishermen need to make money, so they continue to fish to fulfil their other species allocation to make a wage. If the next nets hold 90% cod and only 10% say, monkfish, guess what? Yep, the cod go back – dead. And the nets are cast again to try and catch more of the still vacant allocation species, usually with similar results. How can this be preserving fish stocks?
So what is the answer? Many fishermen suggested an allocation free system, where they are legally limited by the TIME they are out rather than the kg of each species. Whatever the answer is, Hugh’s campaign needs our help to try and convince the Government to act to change this ludicrous system, so either click on the fishy film clip on the side, or visit www.fishfight.net and sign up.

welcome back….

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It seems as though a lot of us seem to go awol around this time of year, with various visits to relatives, illnesses and general rushing about for the seasonal activities.We were no exception, as we have really only just got back to grips at the studio after the mini break.

But we are now back and raring to go, and we are now thinking about what 2011 may have in store, eco wise?
Well, there are many people out there willing to put forward their two penneth worth, so here are a few bits we have found on the web…
The rise of service design - where items are REPAIRED instead of discarded and thrown away – I think this is due to the economic downturn as well as the elements of perceived greenness. The throw away culture of excess that we have grown to take as the norm is now being questioned by many who may not have considered their position before.
The rise of the amateur – again – craft has been enjoying a newly found and well deserved resurgence in popularity as people appreciate the skills and human qualities of hand made design. Perhaps this is another revolt against the large scale industries which we are starting to distrust as we hanker for the nostalgic and simpler may of life? I am all for this prediction and I hope that craft will continue to become a major player in the small scale retail industry. Remember peeps – quality over quantity.
Urban farming is another trend that seems to be popping up all over the shop, and with money belts still tight and a continuing distrust of large manufacturers and the dreaded supermarkets, I reckon this is one which is here to stay for 2011. Will we get back to the war time front and back garden allotments? Perhaps not, but look out for more edibles popping up in your street, and fantastical proposals for mobile, skyscraper and city centre farming utopias. I thought that cutting gardens would also enjoy a resurgence in 2010 as people get used to growing their own and become more aware of where their weekly bunch of flowers come from (we designed two gardens in 2010 for cutting), but maybe I was a little too keen. Maybe this is another one for 2011.
Sharing seems to be another big hitter in the prediction fronts – from skills sharing to bike sharing, car sharing and food sharing. I suppose this sort of goes back to the sort of medieval barter systems which have been resurrected in a time where cash is short. This could be in a ‘you can have some of my chicken eggs in exchange for some of your apples’ sort of way, or larger scale, involving skills exchange between companies. Our studio has signed up to a skills share programme in Brighton where we offer our expertise and time to design needy charities and social enterprise projects, so again, this is one to stay for 2011.
I think local food and farmers markets will also continue to grow, along with small scale foraging (I spent all of Christmas engrossed in John Wright’s fantastic River Cottage Mushroom, Hedgerow and Sea Edibles handbooks) and home preserving.
Green design in general will become more accessible (heard a lot of people asking for eco bits whilst out shopping for pressies) especially now people are questioning the throw away / landfill fodder purchases of old.
Lastly, I am quite optimistic about the design industry in general. The last two years have made it hard to sell something essentially ‘invisible’ but I think things are on the shift. People and businesses are realising that quality of life is more important that the amount of things you have, and so are looking to designers to maximise their opportunities available and create them spaces to enjoy being in at home and at work. Business are realising that consumers are examining them as well as their products before making a purchase, and are responding accordingly.
Check back next year to see if I am right.

the pull of the Dark Side…

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There are lots of thing which seem to remain how they are because we get used to them and there is no real reason to change. Small things – things which we do not even notice.

One such constant in my life is my computer. I occasionally change the desktop image, do a crap clean, defrag and virus check every now and then, but mostly, it remains the same.

I turn on the Internet, and there is the glowing, pristine white of Google, ready to send me to the far flung corners of the Earth to find the solutions to my queries.

And so it has been for an age. Internet, Google, Search, Find. Happy Days.

But then a little report in 2009 tried to quantify the amount of energy every Google search used. The text cried tales of woe, relating every two Google searches to approximately 7g of carbon, or in plain old English, the amount used to boil a kettle for a cuppa.

As you can imagine, the report was littered with selected data, which was disputed left, right and centre by Google and its supporters. On the flip side, the anti Google brigade grabbed hold.

There did not seem, however, to be a definitive answer (it was dependant on searches, servers involved etc etc), and I stuck with Google. Better the devil you know, right?

But then someone introduced me to Blackle.

What I like about this search engine is that the science is simple. It does not baffle with figures, response times and the like. It is based on, and works on a very clear premise.

Black. The screen is predominantly black, with all text grey / white. Serene and slick looking, it is the sophisticated sister to the Google white and multicoloured logo.

So how does a colour save energy? Well, white or light screens use more energy to appear on your very screens than black or dark screens. And if you think how many PCs have a Google or other white based screen as a home page throughout the day, the little bits can really add up. I would love to say that the ecospot is dark blue because of this fact, but I am afraid it is pure coincidence.

The search itself is powered by Google, and for the purists, the above arguments about the big G will still be valid, but Blackle will save you (and ultimately the world) energy, purely on the screen colour. And for those who love numbers, a small counter on the home page tells you approximately how many Watt hours have been saved by Blackle.

So take a look, spread the word and test the inky waters.

Come and join me on the Dark Side…

resolution realisation…

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Well, the crimbo limbo is over. New Year has been and gone.

(organic) chicken was eaten, along with unhealthy amounts of venison, duck, pheasant, roast parsnips and home made mince pies. Our elderflower tipple was duly uncorked and consumed.

But now the resolution realisation has kicked in. And with the beginning of a new decade, it sort if feels even more important to look at how I live my life, what I do, why, when and how much – both for my benefit, of those around me and the really big picture which makes my head spin just a bit too fast.

Of course, it does not help that every magazine, supplement, paper and glossy is filled with the ‘get yourself thin, young and beautiful for 2010′ articles, campaigns and ‘buy lists’ to aid you along the way. Health, is of course something on many minds after the recent bingeathon, but surely there are other things to add to the resolutions list?

So, when I was pondering the content of this, my 100th post on the ecospot, I thought about what I am going to aim for for 2010 – what are my aims and aspirations?

Firstly I have realised that any huge and massive changes will probably not last much past January 15th. This is something that most people realise but never take on board. Consequently, you feel even worse when the resolution sails past you like a feather on the breeze. Start small and work upwards.

So I begin with my health. I will aim to continue with building up my running which is 1. free, 2. pretty green and 3. will reconnect me with what is going on in the outside world when I am mainly stuck inside. It will also, eventually, 4. take me to places I haven’t seen for a while or at all and 5. hopefully make me fitter.

Next, I pledge to streamline what I do. It was not until I was speaking to someone who asked what I did in my free time that I realised that I have none. I seem to run around, head down bum up at such a pace that I am constantly on the go. I forced myself to sit down and read the other day and it was bliss. And I learnt something and felt relaxed for the first time in eons. I also realised that without being centred myself, I cannot effectively do anything for others.

The School of Life is wonderful for looking at these little ideas and how to work them into your everyday ( more on this gem in another post)

As far as pledging for the planet, well, that it a very big ask and one of those head spinny moments. But, as I have said again and again, a little action by each person adds to be a big thing.

So, I am pledging to:

1. ALWAYS have a bag with me when I shop (I have ended up buying approximately 10 reusable bags due to my cotton bag sitting at home) a good option is this little wonder

2. make the most of my local farmers market.

3. throw away as little food as I can (a real wake up call was illustrated in my last post)

4. Smile to people in the street. This will either spread a little happiness about, or I will be sectioned. I am hoping for the former.

So there you go – 2010 here we come. Here’s hoping for a better one than 2009 eh?

Iconic Monday…

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‘Design icon’ is a phrase that is bantered about far too often for my liking, but tends to relate to items that stand out for a particular reason – be it representative of a time, a place, a successful solution to a problem or even a particular feeling prevalent at a point in history.

The London Routemaster bus, a phone box, the Le Courbusier lounger, Katherine Hamnett logo T-shirts, the Olympic Rings…..

All of these items, in their own way were created in response to a problem or an issue, and as history has worn on, they have been adopted as stylised logos which represent the foundation of the design itself. This is what an ‘icon’ is – it is iconic of a time and a place and can be recognised across the world as being itself and as a logo which represents related issues.

So all design is about communication – whether internal and external spaces, graphics, fashion, photography etc etc etc.

The very best design can communicate on many different levels – some obvious and some subtle, yet be accessible to people across different lifestyles and cultures – this is part of what ‘iconic design’ really is.

Plus, successful modern design also takes the wider issues of sustainability into account – a design can no longer be labelled ‘iconic’ lightly. Form does not need to follow function, but surely in times of responsibility and frugal thinking, functional design takes priority lest an object be frivolous and surplus to creation?

So – if a design is sustainable, can be read across cultures and lifestyles, communicates loud and clear, is functional and beautiful, can it be labelled as ‘iconic’?

Well – today I found this, and it ticks many boxes. Would this be a (tiny) iconic design? It has my vote…