Sustainability needs to be properly represented in design briefs to make it a more systematic part of the design process. Some clients now include sustainability in briefs, showing increasing commitment. However, sustainability is not always included and clients sometimes drop related goals. For sustainability to be effective in briefs, clients must clearly define what they mean by sustainability and align any goals with their corporate targets. Designers can also help by explaining the business value of sustainability measures and considering sustainability even if not formally required in the brief.

1. Sustainability
in brief

2. Sustainability and
the design brief...
CHRIS SHERWIN
Head of Sustainability at
Seymourpowell
discusses some of the big
issues and challenges when
tackling the design brief.
Anyone working in design understands the commitment to the issues, showing that
sanctity of the design brief. It’s the rules to work corporate targets are filtering down effectively
to and the set of client requirements to check to the product-level.
your designs against. You can exceed the
You can
brief, but certainly never under deliver. To The less-good news is that sustainability is not
get this right from the outset, one of our in all briefs, which it needs to be. There are also
client’s even runs detailed ‘briefing the brief’ stories of clients dropping sustainability goals,
sessions at the start of every project. previously written into the brief, half way through a
project, when faced with a hard business decision exceed the
So if the brief represents the all-powerful blueprint
for a successful project, it seems logical to get
of paying extra for a more sustainable option.
That’s hard to condone, but it’s unhelpful to wag
brief but
certainly never
sustainability properly represented within design
briefs, as an essential step to making it more the finger at clients or designers on this, as in the
systematic. end, it’s about where we go from here. This then
SUSTAINABILITY IN BRIEF
Though relatively new to Seymourpowell, a
begs the question of what a design consultancy
is to do about all this? Sustainability is a non-
negotiable imperative now requiring us to consider
under deliver.
couple of things have immediately struck me the environmental and social impacts of everything
about the design briefs I’ve been exposed to. we design from now onwards. At the same time,
The good news is that clients are now including design provides a service in which we have no
sustainability in design briefs. That’s a really direct control over clients’ decisions, so cannot
encouraging step that shows increasing business strictly dictate what clients put in the brief.
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

3. 4 TIPS FOR 1.DEMYSTIFY SUSTAINABILITY
Just writing the word ‘sustainability’ into design
identified in 3, but clients may be thankful for
you over delivering afterwards. Slightly risky
SUSTAINABILITY AND briefs probably won’t cut it, as the term is not admittedly but worth considering if all else fails.
DESIGN BRIEFS: detailed enough to work to when designing.
Clients need to be clear on what they mean
What you do is get going by sustainability in design briefs. Is it less waste,
on this and recognise that lower carbon, renewable material use, designing
for the poor or disabled? Also try to be specific
sustainability is a journey - about targets, i.e. ask for a 20% weight reduction
which is exactly how we are in packaging. This will give you a far clearer set of
sustainability requirements in your design process. Clients need
tackling it at Seymourpowell.
Whilst it’s early days, here 2. JOIN UP THE SUSTAINABILITY DOTS to be clear on
what they mean
Linked to above, make sure your clients align
are four tips for integrating any sustainable design requirements to their
sustainability into design
by sustainability
corporate sustainability goals in the brief. They
often have waste, manufacturing or carbon
briefs based on our
in design briefs...
targets for their business, and these need to
experiences and plans: be reflected in their design and their product
work too. Joining up your clients corporate
product story will be more convincing to
external stakeholders too.
3.DEFINE VALUE FROM SUSTAINABILITY In truth, I don’t think we, or the broader industry
CO2 reductions; lower toxicity; less waste; will get sustainability into every design brief
renewable materials; can be often abstract to overnight; it’s a longer term goal. But it is the sort
clients, not linked to traditional business drivers. of systematic step that is crucial for the design
But less energy consumption, better health and community to ‘up-its-game’ on sustainability, to
safety, less landfill tax, lower costs or a more match some of the progressive work
secure material supply – now that’s business businesses
speak! Sustainability goals often transfers are doing at the moment. In the end though,
directly into business and monetary goals i.e. this may take a bit of design leadership.
using less can cost less; ecology = economy,
which certainly motivates clients if you do it! Clients come to designers to ‘add value’, to bring
different, external perspectives, to challenge their
4. SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH STEALTH thinking, to make them better through and beyond
A final approach is to ‘do sustainability and the design briefs they write.
don’t tell’. This effectively means not getting
formal agreement with clients via the design Why not on sustainability?
brief, but designing to a set of ‘virtual’ set of
sustainability requirements anyway. Obviously To find out more please contact:
it’s smart to focus on the business benefits design@seymourpowell.com
Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.