GREEN design
language
How does a product look and feel like
when it is designed with the consideration
toward sustainability and our impacts on
the environment?
In this series of two presentations, the
meaning of GREEN is investigated through
the lens of design trends and its physical
manifestations in today’s products.
GREEN design language by Wakako Takagi

7
DESIGN TRENDS
part 1:
1. PURE
2. EXPOSED
3. AWARE
part 2:
4. MINIMIZE
5. FLAT
6. L(U)ST
7. MIX&MATCH

PURE: Mono-Materialistic
Renkasa by Kam Liang
Umbrella made of recycled PET
reducing the number of material
used from sixteen to one.
Why it matters:
Using a material that can be fully recycled makes the cradle-to-cradle model
possible. Using only one material that can be fully recycled is even better.
Design Principles:
✻ Physically manipulate (fold, mold, layer, etc.) one material to create a diverse
spectrum of properties.
✻ Keep it monochromatic to make the reincarnation process more efficient.

PURE: Naked Why it matters:
When material is coated with layers of paints
and finishes, it loses an integrity of the original
property. It is challenging to separate these
coatings from the material during the
reincarnation process.
Design Principles:
✻ Select materials that hold a beauty within.
✻ Don’t rely on adhesives to combine multiple
materials. Think of ways to physically integrate
wasara them.
Disposable paper ware
made of reed pulp, bamboo ✻ Think of ways to apply graphics physically
and sugarcane waste (emboss, deboss, perforation etc.)
Pit-Stop Café by Homer Mendoza
Coffee cup holder Made with a single piece of recycled
post-consumer board

PURE:
Transparent
Why it matters:
The easier it is to identify how each element of
the product functions and is made out of, the
more obvious it is for users to know about
what to do with it during and after the
product’s life.
Design Principles:
✻ Be truthful about what each component of
the product is supposed to do for the user.
✻ Make the various parts of the product
visually accessible.
✻ Celebrate each material used on the
product for what it is.
✻ Visually integrate knots and bolts as a part
of the design expression.
environ by Daniel Huang
Flat pack iron made out of recycled PET designed with
consideration of easy disassembly.

EXPOSED: Skin+Bone
Why it matters:
By eliminating the mid-layer of “cushioning” and by stretching a thin
skin over structural bones, the product reduces the number of harmful
materials used as well as its overall weight.
Design Principles:
✻ Rethink the “hidden layer” of cushioning, insulating and massing.
✻ Take an advantage of a unique aesthetic expression of “bones”.
Spirit by Magdalena
Paluch
Car seat that reduces an
overall weight, optimizes
material usage and
eliminates toxins.

EXPOSED: Expressive
Structure
Why it matters:
With new technology and materials available, it is
possible to create structural elements that are lighter,
less burdening to the environment and aesthetically
pleasing. Bicycle helmet by
Mark Huang
Bicycle helmet which
Design Principles: replaced foam
cushioning with
✻ Visually celebrate the pattern and textures of the honeycomb
structure. structure.
✻ Think of the “functional criteria” which the material
needs to meet then innovate to achieve it using
alternative materials, new material processes and/or
fabrication methodologies.

AWARE: Nudge
Why it matters:
Design can gently push users’ behaviors to be more
environmentally conscious.
Design Principles:
✻ Think outside of the box to create small shifts in people’s
behaviors.
✻ Identify opportunities by closely investigating user’s
unconscious usage patterns.
✻ Don’t over-nudge it and make the product inconvenient to use.
Not a paper cup by
James Burgess
Reusable, dishwasher-
able cup made of
porcelain mug.
Square toilet paper by Shigeru Ban
The toilet paper stops excessive
rolling, thus saving paper.

AWARE: Visual
Consumption
Why it matters:
Creating tangible connection between consumption and its
influence on resources heighten’s people’s awareness
towards their environmental impacts.
Design Principles:
✻ Make consumption tangible to users. Speak their
language that makes sense to them.
✻ Translate invisible into visible.
✻ Turn abstract number of consumption into measurable
scale.
Poor LIttle Fish by Yan Lu
Users are prompted into
thinking about consumption
when the water level in the
fishbowl goes down.