Design for the Environment

I've been a bit preoccupied lately with work and side projects. I am happy to report that in addition to my signage projects, I've been working on some print projects, as well. It has been a nice reprieve. Not only have I been working with a paper medium, I've been dabbling with canvas in an effort to be more 'environmentally' aware.

For some time now I have been setting aside time for my own crafty projects. I love to spend time getting dirty with paint, ink, etc. and channeling my inner artist. Sometimes Environmental Design can be very 'left-brained' work. It is nice to massage my creativity with other forms of art. A few summers ago, some friends of mine started printing their designs on reusable bags. Their message and design was pretty bold. I thought it was a great DIY project idea.

Grocery store chains have been catching on to the trend of reusable bags and I've seen many people buying the bags that the grocery stores sell. I definitely didn't want to spend my money on bags with some grocery store logo on the side or one with produce photos printed on it. The best part about my friend's bag was that it could be toted anywhere. Grant it, the message was targeted against the use of plastic grocery bags, but I started taking it to the book store, Ikea, and Target.

Then I got to thinking. Why not print a design that is low-key enough that I could take the bag to any store that I would typically need a bag for purchases? So, I came up with a few designs that I could make myself and that were subtle enough to take anywhere. Below are two of the patterns that I've designed. I designed several patterns, but have yet to print them. Most have an environmentally friendly theme. I will post more photos when I have printed more designs. The patterns below are called Sustainable Forest and Windfarm. So far, these designs have been the most popular. My sister-in-law takes hers everywhere. It makes me smile everytime I see it.