Eye Magazine

Topics include de-inking, recycling, clients, waste, paper choice, renewable energy, transport, ‘greenwashing’, the ‘circular economy’ and the circumstances in which digital design is more (or less) sustainable than print.

Annette Clayton is Global Account Manager for paper company Fedrigoni, and is acutely aware of the issues and challenges that inform the choice of paper for a print project, and paper’s importance as a renewable resource. You can read more about Fedrigoni’s approach to sustainability in this interview with Isabella Bussi, from the 22^nd edition of Pulp, the magazine that Eye magazine makes for the Italian manufacturer.

In addition to talking about paper, recycling, de-inking and other technical issues, Annette will bring along paper swatch books, including the acclaimed Paper Box (designed by GTF) and some copies of the Fedrigoni 365 2022 calendar, which attendees can take home. There will also be some copies of Pulp 22.

Richard Owers is a director of Pureprint, Eye’s printers since 2008, and a long-time advocate of sustainable printing. Pureprint is a CarbonNeutral®Company and guarantees a low-waste environment for its print jobs. Richard will be talking about achieving sustainability in the various print processes and post-press finishing, and the role of the printer – alongside that of the paper supplier, designer and client – in achieving a sustainable outcome.

Simon Esterson is co-owner and art director of Eye and principal of editorial designers Esterson Associates, whose clients include The Sunday Times, History Today, Art Quarterly, RSHP and Museums Journal.

Jon Hill is Creative Director and partner at Tortoise. Prior to joining Tortoise, Jon was creative director at The Telegraph newspaper and design editor for The Times of London. Tortoise, launched in April 2019 (after the biggest Kickstarter journalism project ever) describes itself as a ‘slow news organisation that doesn’t focus on breaking news, but what’s driving it, an ‘audio-first’ newsroom, creating narrative podcasts and open our newsroom up to unheard voices and unseen stories’.

In addition to the individual presentations, there will be a panel discussion that covers many burning issues, including the choice between virgin fibre and recycled papers; the role of paper vs. energy-hungry online communication; how luxury brands are responding to sustainability; the need for environmental action in the medium and long term; and the perils of ‘greenwashing’ as everyone tries to do the sustainable thing.

‘We are looking forward to talking to an audience of engaged designers whose primary thought is “How green is my printing?”,’ says Simon Esterson. ‘It’s what their clients ask, and as good citizens it’s what most of us want to be doing. Graphic designers need to unite aesthetics with social responsibility.’

So if you have any interest in print and sustainability, and you live within easy access to St Bride Library (Bride Lane, London EC4Y 8EQ), please come on Tuesday 6 September and book your place in good time by clicking on this link.

Tickets cost £12.50, £10 SBF members/concessions, £8 students, all proceeds go to support St Bride Foundation and we expect to sell out soon.

Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.