Design - Marketing and Communications

Here's a link from a colleague regarding considerations for graphic designers
Design - Marketing and Communications

Dust barrier - Core77

Contraption for quickly setting up a dust barrier - Core77
Looks like a great way to minimise risk, when working in public places.
Though it'd be even better if the guy in there had a mask on!!!

LED replacement for fluro battens

My jaw dropped at the price of these replacement LED tubes, however there is a return on investment calculator which allows you to compare LED and standard tube lifecycle costs and indicates some quite surprising results. Worth looking at.
From the site:
EverLED
Green for your pocket and the environment.

The EverLED-TR™ brings to you the many advantages of LED Technology, in the simplest way possible, wrapped into a light tube that is compatible with existing standard fluorescent fixtures.

• No Glass
• No toxic phosphor, mercury, or lead
• Recyclable
• 10 year life (typical)
• Typical power reduction of 30% or more
• No "burn out" failure
• Cold temperature compatible
• Flicker Free
• T8 model works in T10 and T12 applications
• No light wasted on reflector
• Light output comparable to popular, similar sized fluorescent tubes
• No electrical work required for installation
• Compatible with existing:
• Lenses
• Magnetic and electronic ballasts
• Programmed/instant/rapid/trigger start
• Eliminates need for starter can

Australian (Vic) retailer:
Cutter Electronics

OMSI Green Exhibits Guide.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Downloadable checklist and rating scorecard to help set benchmarks
OMSI Green Exhibits Guide.pdf (application/pdf Object)

NAME: National Association for Museum Exhibition - Issues and Online Archives

NAME: National Association for Museum Exhibition - Issues and Online Archives

The California Academy of Sciences Delivers a Sustainable Message With Sustainable Exhibition Design | Designerati | Fast Company

from the site:"For text and images the designers used a direct-to-plywood printing process that saved a step of printing on other substrates or plastic and using excessive adhesives to attach to display panels.
To ensure that the exhibits could be easily updated, the team created a self-contained, modular system that integrates seamlessly with the architecture. Panels and kiosks can be easily removed, and all signage is on easily-replaceable panels, not painted on walls as is common in most museums. All elements were designed to be free-standing and easily moved, each containing its own electrical, lighting, AV and climate control systems. "We found that there were not a lot of choices in the one-off exhibition realm that are super-sustainable" says Heiman. The choice to have a system that didn't create excessive waste helped to make up for the lack of options.
The openness of the exhibits themselves gives visitors opportunities to interact with each other. "You're also engaging with other people," says Brodsley. "You're looking through walls and starting dialogues with people."
"Like every industry they're going have to rethink how they do things," says Heiman. "Our results came from the fact that we don't work in the industry that often, so we came to it with fresh eyes."
The California Academy of Sciences Delivers a Sustainable Message With Sustainable Exhibition Design | Designerati | Fast Company

esute Flip Book

ESute: A traveling exhibit system of 'flip top boxes' from Exhibition Studios in Adelaide that transforms from a travel container/road case to a display plinth. Tough, durable and potentially easily adaptable for other areas. Looks great for outreach programs, touch trolleys etc. Worth a look. Very re usable

www.esute.com.au

Water based timber finishes

This is the timber finish we usually use that has been approved by our Conservators as suitable for use inside object showcases.
Its great and dries back to a nice finish however is very clear and tends not to bring out the warmth of the natural timber like an oil, hence the search for a natural zero VOC oil... see post below.

Natural oil finish for timber

We're using some recycled timber in an upcoming exhibition and whilst searching for suitable finishes came across this VOC free oil finish which is a by product of wood pulp... looks interesting.
synteko_natural_eco.pdf (application/pdf Object)

OLED Light - NYTimes.com

OLED... not quite ready yet but worth keeping an eye on. Article from NY Times
For Effect and Energy, Designers Are Intrigued by OLED Light - NYTimes.com

DTAC Product stewardship program

With current building & OH&S regs, tactiles are are popping out absolutely everywhere. I received this update from DTAC introducing their recycling/refurbishing program and new business policies (.pdf here) worth reading if your about to spec tactiles in your new exhibit
From the DTAC site:
a DTAC product will not complete its life cycle until DTAC collects and remanufactures.

"Our clients don't believe we actually recycle until they experience this service", says Dean Alexander Homicki, CEO of DTAC. "The end client will at some point have to refurbish a floor or surface. It's nonsense for any designers to omit this from their thought process."

Through DTAC's Customer Care program they keep detailed records of all project particulars. This documentation is given to the client at the end of a project which allows for transparent accountability of DTAC to the end client. When the end client realises how much they save by recycling and refurbishing they cannot believe it. So many clients remark, "Why don't others do what DTAC does?."
DTAC.

LG Energy Efficient Monitor

LG Wide LCD Monitor - LG Global Site

- Low Power Consumption (Typical): Normal 20W, Sleep 0.3W

- Reduce energy consumption up to 50% compared to sames class of LCD monitor

- Winner of 2008 IF Product Design Award

Definitely not the highest spec monitor around but could be worth investigating for simple exhibition applications.
From CNET review (link here): It might sound like some sort of futuristic tank, but the W2252TE, which we first told you about in June, is reportedly the world's most eco-friendly monitor. LG reckons it sucks just 22W in use and as little as 0.3W in standby mode.

We tested these claims, and to our delight, it drew just 18.8W in use and less than 0.1W in standby mode. To put things in perspective, other 22-inch monitors tend to draw somewhere in the region of 40W.

So it's genuinely green, but is it any good? Well, yes. The 22-inch panel runs at 1,680x1,050 pixels, the screen isn't horribly glossy, it has a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 2ms response time, an HDCP-compliant DVI port, and the image reproduction is very, very good.

Don't think for a second that LG is simply scaling back the brightness of the backlight to save power--the W2252TE beams very solidly despite its claimed maximum of 250cd/m2.

LED/LCD monitor

LED backlight cuts LCD TV power consumption
via EE Times India:
Mao Yu-Hai, chief scientist at Power Analog Microelectronics (PAM). explains:
In LCD panels and LCD TVs, most of the power is consumed by the backlight source. These days, almost all desktop LCD monitor and LCD TV utilise CCFL lamps that consume a lot of electric power since they have to be driven by high voltage inverter.
'When using LED backlight, the power consumption can be reduced by 50 per cent. In Samsung's 40inch LCD TV, it consumed 170W. After it changed to LED backlight, it only consumed 100W,' Mao said.
Besides the power saving advantage, LED backlight is capable of realising colour saturation beyond NTSC ratio of 100 per cent and can replace colour filter."

Paint recovery: Resene

This looks like a great program established in NZ by Resene... details here
Whilst Resene Paints are definitely sold in Aus I'm not sure if there is a similar program here, but definitely something to follow up: Paint recovery/Recyling. If anyone know more please let me know.
From the Resne Paints site:
Be PaintWise!
Bring unwanted paint and paint containers into your local Resene ColorShop and let us recycle or dispose of them responsibly. Resene will offer good quality Resene paint to community groups for reuse, recycle packaging materials that are recyclable, send solventborne paints to solvent recovery, find alternative uses for waterborne paints, such as graffiti abatement, and dispose of the rest for you.
Resene PaintWise Recycling of Unused Paint

HowStuffWorks "Paint Components: Dissecting the Grass Green Paint on Your Walls"

Here's a good intro to Low VOC paints and what to look out for:
HowStuffWorks "Paint Components: Dissecting the Grass Green Paint on Your Walls"

OLED lighting

Worth keeping an eye on development of these
Inhabitat � Interiors

Allan Chochinov's 10 Steps for Sustainable Design : TreeHugger

10 simple but important ideas to easily put into practice now.
Allan Chochinov's 10 Steps for Sustainable Design : TreeHugger

SierraPine - Sustainable MDF!

SUSTAINABLE MDF
Found this via the last article no idea if its available in Aust but looks like its worth chasing up further info.
SierraPine - Composite Solutions
Just did a bit of checkng and these guys seem to be the exclusive Aust. stockists: Simmonds Lumber (Melb, Syd, Bris) however they only carry the Arreis version & it looks like it's imported from the States!!! Needs further research but looks very interesting.

• Formaldehyde free adhesive system
• Physical properties similar to, or better than standard MDF
• 100% recycled wood fiber
• FSC mixed credit certified - available option
• LEED® credit support: MRc 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 7 & EQc 4.4
• Meets CARB ATCM Phase 2 emission limits - CARB NAF Exempt
• Third party certification - SCS & EPP
• CHPS compliant - California section 01350 approved
• Developed and manufactured with pride in Medford, OR

Design Blog | “Green” Exhibition�Design | Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

An appraisal of an exhibit designed by Pentagram for Cooper Hewitt, worth a read with some practicle info...
from the site:
The photos are printed on aluminum panels that magically reflect light. Museums usually print photographic enlargements on paper or vinyl and mount them to foamcore or Sintra (a hard plastic). These materials are not biodegradable, and they can’t be recycled or reused. Pentagram used a process called direct-to-substrate dye-sublimation printing: when the ink is heated and transferred to the material, the ink embeds into the surface of the metal. The resulting print is durable and scratch-resistant, and each panel can be recycled (like a soda can).
Design Blog | “Green” Exhibition�Design | Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum:

Green museums & green exhibits: Communicating sustainability through content and design

Haven't read this yet but will when I get a chance...
Byers_fall2008_project.pdf (application/pdf Object)