The Designers Accord

In 1993, two graphic designers, the brothers Markus and Daniel Freitag, looked for a functional, watertight, and robust bag for their designs. Inspired by the multicolored heavy traffic that hummed through the Zurich transit intersection in front of their flat, they designed a Messenger Bag made of old truck tarpaulins, used cycle inner tubes and car seat belts. This is how the first FREITAG bags took shape in the lounge of their shared flat – each one a unique item. Unintentionally, the brothers set off a new wave in the bag world. Yesterday, today and tomorrow: FREITAG bags are designed, cut and packaged in Zurich.

Learn more on the site, and check out the new FREITAG styles

Designed by Bainbridge Island, WA-based Grain, Spool is a build-it-yourself modular system that can be assembled into a variety of freestanding structures such as screens, table bases or partitions. To fabricate, Grain partnered with a non-profit that sources used materials from various production facilities in Southern California. Made from used thread spools upcycled from the Los Angeles apparel industry and connectors die-cut from 100% post-consumer chipboard, each spool has a random graphic pattern that indicates which type of fiber they once held.

Check out the awesome Spool animation!

Philadelphia-based Bresslergroup recently re-imagined that workhorse of the industrial manufacturing sector– the wire/cable reel. High shipping costs make old-school spools impractical to send back for re-use. By contrast, Bresslergroup’s elegant Evolution shipping reel is designed specifically for re-use in a closed-loop supply chain system. The 100% recyclable core is made of two interlocking half-circles that is easy to dis-assemble and store. Evolution reels require 70% less storage space than comparable rigid spools and their multi-use cuts down on landfill waste by about 10x.

Learn more about the project here

Pentagram partner Harry Pearce and his team have designed the 2011 D&AD Annual, the organization’s most sustainably produced annual to date. From the outer carton and the cover that celebrates the wonderful graphic illusion and quality of the original D&AD mark, to the exquise detailing in the book, the D&AD Annual is a pure study in impeccable design, high quality, and environmental consciousness.

Read more about the D&AD Annual on the Pentagram site

The new School of Rock website is a great example of how Chicago’s Mightybytes work to complete each project as sustainably as possible. From building on the powerful brand to choosing an eco-friendly hosting provider and then streamlining the code, content, and design elements used across 75+ franchise locations within a single domain, the sleek site showcases MightyBytes commitment to extending sustainable practices across all facets of their work.

Read more about the project

DH Studios is making a difference with its Gaggle of Tees line, donating 10% of all proceeds from its stylish t-shirts to non-profits that enable positive change. The designs are based on fun names for different groups of animals – a business of ferrets, a parliament of owls, etc – and the non-profits correspond with each group name. “Good things come in groups,” says Gaggle. “Give to groups that do good.”

Check out the shirts at gaggleoftees.com!

After taking stock of a month’s worth of trash and recycling, our friends at Altitude realized they didn’t need to recycle more…they needed to use less. To up waste awareness they held Trash Month when communal trash and recycling bins were removed and staffers were forced to hold onto their garbage. At the end of the month some were surprised at how much trash piled up, while others thought the amount was relatively small. More telling: after regular pickup resumed, many returned to their old wasteful ways. Trash Month highlighted the challenge of affecting long-term behavior change in a very visceral way.

Read more about the initiative

The Kaleidoscope Project examines how the values of Balance, Meaning, Innovation and Culture are seen and practised today, and how they should be practiced in order to move towards a better future.

Check out the second and third installments in The Kaleidoscope Project videos: Meaning and Culture.

Australia’s usethings continue exploring sustainable design with the Alien, a cool new stool made of plywood derived from the Aussie native Hoop Pine. Designed for efficient use of materials–ply converts more of the log to usable timber than sawing for boards–10.5 Aliens are nested and cut from one sheet of low-formaldehyde ply with minimal waste. The stools can be flat-packed for transport and are finished in either natural wax or low-VOC paint in three out-of-this-world colors.

Check out the stools on usethings site