Evaluation

Sustainability and Recycling Elective Evaluation

1. CONTEXT. In what ways is this piece of work sustainable?

The definition of sustainablility is to ensure that the earth's natural resources stay intact, and that we must not let the usage of renewable materials exceed the rate in which they are replenshed.

My piece of work classes as sustainable because the one materials used to make it is completely recyclable when it is no longer needed, and the other is biodegradable and much more environmentally friendly.

2. CRITERIA: What are the criteria that define your design/artwork as 'good'?

The ways in which my piece of work should be defined as 'good' is by the way that it is eye-catching and has been designed to be most eye-catching and interesting to it's target audience, and that it has a purpose. The purpose of my design is to make recycling seem like less of a chore to younger children, which will encourage them to do more of it.

3. MATERIALS: What results have you found by applying the Life Cycle Analysis to every material you have employed? Where are there still problems?

While applying the Life Cycle Analysis to the materials that I chose to use for my project, I have discovered that vinyl is not biodegradable, but it is completely recyclable, and that it is very durable and waterproof, much moreso than paper which would have required a chemical coating of some description to make it waterproof. I have also discovered the benefits of using soy ink as opposed to regular ink, because it is much more biodegradable and it is much less harmful to the environment.

4. INFLUENCE: What research/facts/statistics/knowledge have directly influenced your work?

Only 13% of all Primary Schools in the UK have recycling facilities and more than 70% of all waste produced by schools is paper and food waste.

Who is the audience for the work? In what way do you hope it will influence an audience?

My target audience for this project is Primary School age children. I hope to influence this audience by if they enjoying recycling whilst in school, they may be more interested in doing it at home, especially if no one in the household recycles, the child could be influenced to start recycling in the home too.

What 'environment' are you protecting/changing with this piece of work?

The 'environment' that I am changing with the project is schools, if that counts as an environment. In my opinion, all schools should recycle, especially when it comes to paper as the majority of school waste is paper, and the 87% of schools that do not recycle are to blame for a large chunk of the paper that goes straight into landfills instead of being recycled.

How does this design/artwork incorporate elements of your own design manifesto?

A part of my design manifesto was directly to encourage more recycling in schools, so this project directly relates to that. Design to inspire was another part of my manifesto, and with this project I hope to inspire more children to recycle both in school and out of it.

5. PURPOSE: What factors helped you decide to do the project you have chosen?

In my opinion, regular recycling bins are usually made in bright colours, one colour specific to the material such as blue for paper, but that does not make the design any more interesting than having a regular bin. By creating a more interesting, and personalised appearance to them, kids will hopefully be more eager to recycle.

6. VISUAL CULTURE: How have you made decisions regarding the visual nature/qualities/icons you have employed?

Through research, I worked out the design elements that appeal moreso to younger children than adults, such as bright colours, cartoon figures and alliteration in text, and applied all of these to my project. My research definately influenced my designs.

In what ways does your work appear 'green'? Are you satisfied by this?

I think the fact that the product is something that can be applied to a regular bin to turn it into a material specific recyling bin makes the work 'green'. The appearance of the design does not look like a typical piece of 'green' and eco-friendly design.

7. DIFFICULTIES: What problems did you face whilst working on this project?

The main problem I faced was not with my design, but with the bin that it was going to be applied to. Swing top bins often come in certain sized, but some are different shapes and sizes, so if I had more time on the project, I would have created several size options for the sticker so that it would fit a wider variety of bins. Another problem with the bin is the fact that most bins in schools are just made from regular plastic, as most schools just buy cheap, durable bins that are going to last, rather than what's more environmentally friendly. While I can't control the materials used for the bin, I can only hope that it can be used for recycling purposes. Plastic bins themselves can always be recycled at the end of their usage too, it's just up to the owner of them.

8. SYSTEMS: What system, if any, does your piece of work belong to/interfere with/improve upon? Please explain.

I do not believe that my design belongs to a particular system

9. COMMENTS: What do you think you have achieved whilst on this elective? Any additional comments?

During this project I have learnt a great deal more about sourcing the materials that I use, and being more aware of how they might be more harmful to the environment than I realised. I have not done much design aimed at children before and through my research I feel that I now know more about how to design for kids in future. Throughout the elective I have become much more aware about how important recycling really is and it has made me much more conscious about the products I buy. I have a much wider knowledge of the subject and think it will aid me in future projects.

-HJ x