Finding Green in a City of Gold A Thesis by Lamis Harib Recieved and Approved A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Communication Design) School of Art and Design Pratt Institute May 2012
Eric O’Toole, Major Advisor
Date
Jeff Bellantoni, Chairperson
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Index Introduction
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Creation of a Green Platform: 25 A Conclusion
A Brief History:Dubai meets
5 Moving Forward From Here:
Green
Pushing The Boundaries of Creating The Designer’s Role Introducing Green to a Capitalist World
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Design as a Discipline Branding The Revolution: “Numü” Resources
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1990
2003
2010
2012
*Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
I was lucky to meet Elizabeth Monoian
at the 2009 Pecha Kucha night in Dubai, whom I had a deeper talk with regarding green design in a city it had no significant emerging application in the design field.
Intro..
Elizabeth is the founding director of the Land Art Generator Initiative (1), along with Robert Ferry; a US based and UAE collaborative architectural exchange. Their strategic objective is to “advance the successful implementation of sustainable design solutions by integrating art and and interdisciplinary creative processes into the conception of renewable energy infrastructure.”(2), which refers to their installing of beautiful large scale energy generating installations that double as public art. Their well thought out projects, collaborations, and submitted solutions were eye opening to me as I wondered how I can in turn make a similar contribution within my own field. As a communication designer, I wanted to find a niche for myself in the field of ‘green’.
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The planet has always been an article of fascination to me, one I greatly respect and feel impassioned to work for. Finding a way to merge that with design, the way Elizabeth had in her own way, felt like a strong calling to me and was a big component of me leaving Dubai to seek it in a part of the globe where environmentalism was raised to a new level of collaboration between creative disciplines. In my thesis project, I sought to take on a similar role of finding where that place is for me as a communication designer. I started by taking on an extensive research and surveying a problem I wanted to apply myself in; that problem is responding to the gap in green environmental awareness and integration within the Dubai lifestyle.
The city has been notoriously known as environmentally appalling with the ramifications of many of its urban projects and famously energy consuming extravagances. I took it as a mission statement to find a better alternative through the hard work of visionaries in many fields, and deliver my alternative to Dubai’s current state through means of branding the green revolution it currently lacks.
My thesis statement is to use communication design as a facilitating bridge between progressive green solutions and the residents of Dubai; providing them with an integrated alternative to current environmentally afflicting lifestyle choices. All in a form that benefits them in return through various incentives, while being aligned with the high end brand image of Dubai itself.
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A Brief History
Dubai has established itself as a leading
city in haute lifestyle, high end architecture, and futuristically perceived projects from manmade islands to cloud seeding ventures, indoor snow slopes and ski resorts... the list really goes on to how a village on the pirate coast of the Arabian Peninsula boomed to a mind boggling phenomenon of its own. In 1971, the United Arab Emirates was literally born from a truce between all the Emirs (or sheikhs) of the 7 Emirates (or federations, as a ruler translates to the term “Emir” in the local Arabic dialect) after years of interspersed European colonialism. In the 16th century, its location being in Vasco da Gama’s exploration route made it a Portuguese settlement for 150 years. The British later gained an upper hand and turned it into a protectorate during the Cold War. (Perhaps to spite the Portuguese, the British were actually favored by the local Emirs who had a trucial bond with their colonial occupants.) In 1962, oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi (the UAE capital) and Britain sided with the Emirs over the neighboring Arabs, and a call for unity between the Emirs came up as a result to protect what was now also a British investment.
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Emirs came up as a result to protect what was now also a British investment. Taking it up to this year in 2012, not much has changed aside the country’s more established independence from Britain, yet the resident population of the UAE is still largely international even more so than it’s trading port days, with an 80% of its population being composed of expatriates rising up to 90% in 2011. WIth it’s flamboyant escalation into its current state, the UAE has not reached it totally unscathed. In 2008, the finger pointing was initiated by the World Wildlife Fund as they declared in their Living Planet 2008 report that “UAE residents are still consuming more natural resources than anybody else on earth, ahead of the United States and Kuwait”(3), the other two runner ups. Putting that into perspective, that meant that if everyone on the planet lived like a UAE resident, we would need 6 planet Earths.(4) The action that was spurred, hinting a sense of seeing it coming anyway, as a reaction to the global disapproval of the UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi being
the main culprits of the 7 Emirates) was mixed with an explosion of attempts at green washing, green branding, and then eventually a turn to actual full fledged, well planned out legislations and alternative projects. All of which, after reaching this part of my thesis research, allows me to confidently state that the UAE will be the world’s top green country one day. Till then, this project targets its current state in 2012 and fits in with the direction it’s heading as a facilitator through design.
On the topic of reaction, the UAE being the richer developing country was also not too different from persons socially classified as ‘new money’ in urban terms.
those islands were living just fine, he had no interest in what country the islands were named under. With this brief surveying of the UAE’s general mindset and rapid growth, it’s safe to say that
In fact, the UAE’s development meant a rapid influx of mistakes along with the successes - labor rights have only been rewritten recently for the humane treatment of construction workers, and governing parliament with democratic elections (including women voting and joining the elections) was instigated only in 2006, with the second elections recently in 2011.
it’s no surprise that all design attempts and the level of thought involved in campaigns remained lacking when compared to the grand efforts focusing on growing its major cities to what they’ve reached today.
Throughout world history, nations beginning with non democratic rule often go through a longer period of time, in some cases centuries, to reach a consensually accepted governing entity - But this is a country that does things differently. For a country in a region torn by years of occupation and war, the UAE has proven to opt for peace and problem solving every time conflict arises. The country’s first ruler Sheikh Zayed (described as “every inch the great Arab patriarch” by The Economist and the original overseer of Dubai’s economic boom)(5) stating that as long the people on
The discovery of oil was viewed as an investment in the country’s future profit points, and not an end to itself - a view no other gulf country had adopted at the time. With that regard, Dubai especially turned 7
profit from being a tax-free business hub in the most rewarding city to be living in - and not only by Middle East standards , but on a global understanding of what high standard of living is. Most international businesses that wanted to operate in the Middle East would favor Dubai as their main location of operation, and thus was born the corporate machine that became the city’s biggest priority.
Capitalism became and still is a very defining aspect of the current Dubaian ‘culture’, and as the city turns into a bigger urban money making machine with every year - this outlook is simply part
of the existing social values and not going anywhere. Unlike America, people in Dubai do not find shame in others having a lot of money, or wanting to make more regardless of their flowing bank accounts and excess property. I’ve concluded thatNot incorporating that mindset in environmental campaign attempts in Dubai, in combination with confusing (bad?) communication design attempts, lead to failure in getting Dubai residents to put forth any environmental efforts. The half hearted environmental campaigns in Dubai started in the 90s, as a knee jerk integration with other general public service announcements, and really had no obvious thought process behind them. Nor were they in line with the great context of architectural design and urban landscape it was being showcased in, and therefore literally looked like visual litter:
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) magazine campaign of ‘Don’t Let it go’, attempting to illustrate the consequences of keeping a light on or letting the tap run.
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The annual ‘Clean Up’ UAE campaign was started by the The Emirates Environmental Group, a government department in social environmental involvement. This was their ‘new and improved’ campaign in attempt to get more people involved in 2008.
The event is a gathering to pick up litter on beaches , mountains, and cities. The biggest effect it’s had was a moment of reflection by the volunteers on how much trash ends up in these areas. However, those volunteers are usually not the target audience inclined to litter so irresponsibly anyway.
This more recent public service print ad was put out by the Government of Dubai as a call to actively save energy during peak hours. A lack of editing is apparent with both the infographic and the different calls for action (“You Have The Power To Save Power” and “For generations to come”). It also fails to empathize with high energy usage being utmost survivalist in Dubai, with the intense heat and large villas needing a lot to keep them constantly cool. Therefore the audience needs an incentive to counter the obvious solution of cranking up the AC for example to stay cool.
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This is a screenshot from the 2010 version of the “Heroes of The UAE” website, a collaborative effort between the environmental government sector of Abu Dhabi and the World Wildlife Fund donating it’s information directory to help the project. The inititative targets school kids, seeking to heighten their interest and involvement in environmental activities.
This website now includes corporations as of their 2011 update, which is odd as both target audiences don’t have a lot in common to overlap. The design is very typical to web design in Dubai, which I’ve dubbed as “the insurance layout” as it was a common layout with insurance websites in Dubai that buy a specific frame to develop their website with. The graphics are not very child friendly in terms of being as visually engaging as other websites that target children and have therefore set a bar for what children find stimulating (ie Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon..)
In addition to the issues that arise with these examples, it’s important to note that Dubai residents are in a very unique situation where most public spaces in the city are privatized. Malls in the Dubai are the size of what would be considered villages in some places around the world, and many include ‘outdoor’ activities within the malls themselves. The Mall of the Emirates, which isn’t even the largest mall in Dubai, spans 6,500,000 square feet (600,000 m2), and asides the luxury stores and movie theaters, the mall houses an entire ski resort and snow area with an indoor snow slope measuring 400 meters and using 6000 tons of snow.(6)
The desert climate has shaped an indoor culture, and lack of commercial-free public spaces also means that Dubai residents are also significantly numb to a lot of the advertising that surrounds them on a daily basis.
Imagine New York City entirely becoming similar to Times Square in it’s overstimulating commercial frenzy. Such overstimulation on a daily basis over the years gets you complacent to such a backdrop, and as a Dubai resident myself, I can admit firsthand that you learn to filter it out. It’s partially why Dubai puts so much effort in the next attention grabbing project - because it’s constantly competing with itself and what’s already out there. With the amazing architecture and mind blowing concepts present in its urban landscape, the comparable attention to making environmental advances with Dubai residents’ lifestyles seem meek compared to the amount of well thought out campaigns to make them shop, or even non-Dubai residents to come and tour Dubai (i.e shop).
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Dubai tourism efforts have succeeded in making Dubai a widely sought out tourist destination, regardless of it being in one of the world’s most unsettled regions politically. Even the extreme weather associated with being, well, in the desert is no problem unsolved. In fact, Dubai has managed to control its own weather with cloud seeding technology as of 2008(7).
So with all this capability of achieving what seems impossible, and when a city in the middle of the desert manages to fill up the sky with clouds like so, all of its environmental campaigns are no match for the ‘market’ that is Dubai , coming off as arbitrary and unengaging in both design and concept.
Creating The Designer’s Role Now that a design survey and social analysis has been placed, another part of the equation to ‘greening’ Dubai remains. When I first got interested in the topic of applying green practices in Dubai, I was immersed in the belief that commercial design was the only possible career I could seek within my city. I had gradually started having a hard time accepting that I would be taking part of what is essentially the act of enabling excess consumerism. Traditional productcentric advertising, as great as the design work that comes out of them is and as much as I’ll always admire the agencies and passion that goes into them, just doesn’t sit well with me as a career on moral grounds.
I started out in pursuing this whole ‘green design thing’ with ‘no game’, as some would put it. I took Elizabeth’s advice and started with one book that set my standards straight and to this day remains my green design bible; the holy grail of what green could be in its most ideal. The truest standard to shoot for. That book was Cradle 2 Cradle, and it was the start of me viewing green issues as design problems. The author William McDonough - although an architect by profession - is able to apply design
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thinking to come up with green systemic solutions , all starting with taking the time to understand the subject matter that he as an architect may not be an expert in per discipline. His entire point of view is that the Industrial Revolution itself is a design problem,
“The industrial revolution of 150 years ago was not designed. It evolved over decades as captains of industry and their technologists learned how to overpower nature and forge great machines to make standardized items of consumption. If you look at the first industrial revolution as a retroactive design assignment, it would be to design a system that puts billions of pounds of toxic waste into the air and the water, depletes our soils and washes toxins into the ocean or into the air, produces endocrine disrupters to affect our hormonal systems, creates and distributes carcinogens, causes climate change,and dumps plastics in the oceans.
If this was the design assignment, we’re doing great. If it’s not the design assignment, then what is? And so instead of seeing what goes on today as inevitable, what we have to recognize is that it’s not possible any longer to say that it’s not part of our plan, because it’s part of our de facto plan. It’s the thing that’s happening because we have no other design. We need a new industrial revolution.” (8)
His new industrial revolution involves three principles: 1. Waste Equals Food: Eliminating the concept of waste that we know. Understanding all byproducts of a production cycle should be utilized after as a bionutrient (fully go back into the earth, nourishing and adding to the system) or a technical nutrient (it goes into the production of something else and therefore the life cycle continues). 2. Use Current Solar Income: Rely on natural energy flows - also geothermal and wind. 3. Celebrate Diversity: “by modeling human designs on nature’s operating system-generating materials that are “food” for biological or industrial systems, tapping the energy of sun, celebrating diversity-cradle-to-cradle design creates a new paradigm for industry, one in which human activity generates a wide spectrum of ecological, social and economic value.”
To wrap up his practical philosophy, he frames it to his designer following in this statement:
“If we understand that design leads to the manifestation of human intention, and if what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that gives us life, then the things we make must not only rise from the ground but return to it, soil to soil, water to water, so everything that is received from the earth can be freely given back without causing harm to any living system. This is ecology. This is good design. It is of this we must now speak.” 17
His company MDBC has such practices measurable through different levels of criteria that would certify(9) a product or service as aligned with C2C principles. This criteria is on a bronze, silver, or gold level (gold being entirely C2C aligned) to encourage C2C attempts. Products starting at a bronze level upgraded to silver and so on while trying to perfect their products and services. That leeway of a metaphorical ‘bronze’ level and not expecting perfection is an encouraging prospect that I’d take into my own project’s account in the realm of not overwhelming the user with a pursuit of perfection right off the bat.
In a way, I’d turned his “Don’t be less bad, be good” to “You can be less bad as long as you’re actively moving towards being good.” A customizable encouraging experience for beginners to anything green is a guiding principle in my conceptualization for what the final product came to be for me in this project. The idea of living in line
with the planet turned me onto reading more into Biomimicry. McDonough’s ideal standard of C2C design generally goes under that biomimetic principles, with his progression to adding that being ‘less bad’ is no longer enough period. McDonough completely rejects what he calls 70s solutions to problems we’re facing today (i.e. recycling). The concept that we can actually thrive beyond the idea of sustainability through solving design problems drew me deeper into researching how these systems work in different cases.
It became evident to me that it is imperative for environmental issues to be framed and approached with a system building mindset, and not a one stop solution to effect an especially continuous change. The planet itself has made that evident by being its own organism if you will, a mass of many systems that ebb and flow together.
Introducing Green to a Capitalist
Understanding Dubai as a materialist consumer built economy was integral in defining my approach. This is not a population of people that would, in good heart, turn to an environmental lifestyle accepting the inconveniences that comes with it. I’d think most developed nations would be hard pressed to create a large shift relying on people’s virtue alone. Like any design targeting an audience, I had to find a way to integrate selling ‘Green’ while providing a benefit other than this ‘being good for the planet’. Immediate tangible returns are what works, and my target audiences are of the larger effecting users in Dubai: Families: Dubai is more based on familial structure than individuals, due to the large spaces and somewhat ‘suburban sprawl’ that juxtaposes the city. Large villas and luxury rentals are integrated with metro stations and roads, in a tax free (unless it’s VAT from imports) environment that encourages 19
building families due to the easy life. Most people moving to Dubai to work end up bringing their families or moving for the purpose of starting a family with Dubai’s safety and ‘family friendly’ status on the rise. Those expats make 90% of Dubai’s population.(10) Businesses: Corporations make up the lifeblood of Dubai, as it’s largely maintained through investments and companies wanting to do business in a tax free zone. Mainly, larger international corporations use Dubai as their regional headquarters in the Middle East, due to the rarity of political stability that marks this location and simultaneously being integrated with the regional market. Indicating my audience, the next step I took on was to identify at least 5 issues I could target that include and/or overlap those target audiences, while finding alternative solutions that would a) be greener on a level that works with C2C and biomimetic principles, b) provide an incentive (convenience, monetary returns, etc), and c) be feasible in Dubai. After surveying the many environmental issues from species loss by extensive building into the desert and
gulf, to high energy consumption per capita; I narrowed down my target issues/solutions to these and went by the following reasoning: 1. Accessible Mass Solarization: as a solution to utilizing the (almost) all year round sunny skies in Dubai, while being a high energy consuming city. This major renewable energy source has been utilized in some government projects, but the idea of mass use has still not dawned on the majority of residents that pay outstanding energy bills out of sheer survival. In the words of one of those that have, and happens to be an engineer as well (i.e. not the average UAE resident), Haidar Talib Erabeh invented the world’s first solar wheelchair for his own use.(11) His invention saves him the hours of charging the wheelchair batteries, as it can run immediately as it rolls into a sunlight. Most indoor areas in Dubai are also architecturally open to sunlight (to save on lighting during the day), so they work with the indoor schematic life in Dubai.
The inventor adds in an interview that “..This is a highly feasible machine here as the UAE has clear skies most of the year – perhaps that’s why they did not think about one in the West.” , This point is why accessible solarization to Dubai residents is prioritized in my own project. The next point was seeking the sources of accessible solarization in Dubai, and with further research I looked into the reasons why more people were not using solar power in order to counter them. Obscurity was definitely a big reason, as most companies were either subsidized under the government and came off as unaccessible, or people simply didn’t know they had that as a valid alternative to powering their homes. Those that have thought about it brought up the issues of customer support as outage problems are time sensitive; people don’t want to stay without power for a longer period than they otherwise would being signed up with DEWA (Dubai’s main electric company).
Lack of community and the uncommonality of solar powered homes also contributed to hesitation breaking it down to what I found out: Noone wants to be the first to do something in a mostly collective society. Fear of failure doubles when failing on your own is added to the equation. 2. Atmospheric Water Generators: “The tap-water in Dubai is safe to drink, most people prefer to drink bottled water as the taste of tap-water is rather metallic. Local companies provide home delivery (eg. Oasis Water Ph.04 8845656). It is essential to drink large amounts of water in this climate 2.5 litres/day, needs may increase up to 2-3 times this if playing sport or gardening”(12). as read from this health quote directed by a governmental source for new expats coming to Dubai (in this case for incoming professors at a college, but is a standard protocol for educating those new to Dubai). Water is even more of a necessity to consume in such a climate, and although deemed safe from desalinated tap sources, it is rarely ever used for drinking. Plastic bottled home delivery coolers and regular bottled mineral water are the main available options, and the excessive reliance on them has 21
racked up its own cons from financial costs to excessive plastic waste. Recycling grey water has been the only other alternative renewable water practice, but not for drinking - only irrigation of the extensive green landscaping in Dubai.
such as home use or office use. These products exist, but are simply not known of in both markets. Some talk has referenced the technology being modified and used in Abu Dhabi in Masdar City, but exists in no form in Dubai.
Humidity in Dubai, an existing issue natural with any coastal city in such a high heat climate, was my source of inspiration for the provided solution for this dilemma. Water condensation is a standard source of water for many desert reptiles and insects through the collection of dew.
Internationally, many distributors of high end to lower end models depending on usage needs exist, and I’ve listed the many types of machines in my resources for a more detailed view of the types of generators available (from larger outside use to in home cooler format). The verdict in general on why their use is so limited is due to their higher energy consumption, and initial cost than a regular watercooler. But initial expense is not an issue to the majority of the target market in Dubai, that also ends up spending so much on what is their primary source of drinking water is as that outweighs the initial cost in expense. Also, solarized options are available which Dubai is ideal for, and therefore benefit and overlap with my push for mass solarization.
So taking a hint from nature, I researched the green methods and available technologies that mimic that process, and came to surveying options in the field of atmospheric water generation (AWG) and finding ways to make that technology accessible in the forms that exists for my different target markets,
3. Energy saving programs: For those not on a solarized energy program or just wanting to save energy and money in their typical heavy energy consumption homes, I’ve surveyed energy saving programs (products and services such as EnergyJoule(15)) that can help educate the given household or business on its energy level consumption, as well as including ways to get free energy or money off of saving on peak hours with the local electric authority. There are various way that these programs have attempted this, for example to target a younger demographic apps like Joulebug(16) - that can save up to $200 a year in energy savings - can provide a gaming element to keep them engaged. One of the things I’ve picked up from looking at apps in the energy saving field and reading user reviews on usability is that the more it’s not actually about saving energy and more about an alternate mission (i.e. a game with a competing point system, a direct reward program of seeing how much money you’ve saved compared to a prior month, etc) the more the program or app is utilized in the longterm and not just as a fad that ends in a month or so. The idea of factual numbers being motivating,
whether through a game or some kind of visualized incentive of achieving something (especially if it’s saved money), was my main pick up from the success that came with those programs. 5. “2 bag maximum” legislation: A spin off of the traditional ‘2 drink maximum’ of social etiquette; I wanted to apply a legislative angle to the project to exemplify how the platform can be involved with lawmakers to facilitate their environmentally driven legislations. As I’ve stated earlier on, Dubai public spaces are really privatized - and malls make up a big part of where you go to do practically anything. This leads to a lot of shopping. A lot. Which also means that in this culture of excessive consumerism, an excessive consumption of disposable shopping bags is also part of the deal. Stores also seem to want to give away more bags than actually needed to carry a certain amount of bought goods knowing those customers will be walking around with their logos among others in the mall, utilizing this as advertising to their exact target audience (shoppers in a mall they’re located at). Also, the Western trend of tote bags really hasn’t caught on in Dubai, mostly due to the trend starting out as iconic street fashion that spurred a tie in with environmentalism. 23
‘Street fashion’ is ironic in Dubai as there is close to no namely street culture - It’s just too hot to spend enough time out in the streets and create that sort of phenomenon. The influences of imported culture within the malls and culture of brands has also had a contributing overpowering effect to emergence of an alternative culture in general.
Another side goal of this legislation is to make Dubai residents face their own culture of overconsumption and realize how much they shop for ‘stuff’, most of which they don’t need. Shopping is so much a ridiculous part of the Dubai lifestyle that it’s come to the point of an annual Shopping Festival (think a semi-Black Friday extended for a whole season).
Due to this information, I’ve came up with a legislation to drastically minimize the amount of bags being handed out in malls. The gist of it would state that only 2 shopping bags would be allowed per person in a mall. If they plan to shop more, they should fill up and use their existing bags or get their own totes - which can also be purchased in the malls at a relatively higher price than what totes would cost for example here in America. The higher price is because I want to be careful about Dubai residents not ending up just purchasing a tote every time they go overboard with their shopping- which is what many currently do at certain supermarkets that sell cheap totes since they prefer their sturdiness to plastic bags. This can be a safeguard against contributing to the already emerging issue of textile pollution as well.
I believe that major reflection is due. Aiming for responsible consumerism as a default lifestyle is the goal here and right now many of those consumers are simply too enabled by how easy it is to shop than to really practice any restraint in the first place.
Creation of a Green Platform
Putting all the distinguishing factors of Dubai residents together, the platform’s format narrowed down to being ideally digital, due to a very tech savvy and high technology user population.
Dubai is identified as a city of heavy smart phone and app usage.The fact that most Dubai residents own smart phones and tablets - with it not being uncommon to see 8 year olds with their own iPads , and in my personal experience having my 13 year old cousin go to a friend’s birthday party where the party favors were Blackberry devices! This seems strange and excessive but oh so Dubai.. (may I add my cousin already owned a blackberry prior to this party anyway.) This provides the opportunity to reach a wide audience that is also connected to each other, mirroring the concept of interdependence that I’ve stated earlier as key to a successful green design system, while also providing peer to peer potential and an healthy bonus of a competitive edge. As Dubai is a bilingual country with an equal use of 25
both Arabic and English, as well as the conventional inclusion of both Arabic and English logos. An example of that would be the following Woolworths storefront logo:
This meant that I would also be providing a bilingual brand, and after going though some duds I settled on the name NUMÜ which is Arabic for growth. Having an umlaut in the english version will aid with proper pronunciation, and also provided a common matching to the Arabic logotype version with the dotted element. I conceptualized that the main hub of this platform would be a website integrated with the different applications that focus on my different issues. The website will also attempt to package the grander ideas and science in a simplified form, explaining my alternative solutions and benefits in a pragmatic format for a wide demographic versus greenwashing and preaching environmental morals. SunRun, a solar company in California, does a good job of simplifying the idea of going solar in a cartoon format that goes through a very simple storyboard type of walkthrough of the benefits.(17) It’s not necessarily in line with the high end aspect of my platform brand, but it does a good job of proving that the concept of going solar can be explained simplistically while still effecting change. It’s not about how much people know, but letting them
know enough while providing an immediate launchpad for change.
I’ve concluded that overinforming and underproviding a venue for action is why most ‘awareness’ campaigns go wrong in. Let alone the rarity of providing solutions with environmental integrity that affect ‘real change’. For example, a beach clean up once a year is well intentioned, but is not enough to solve the actual problem and more than ever, people know it.
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The platform will also provide a customizable experience, versus a one-size-fitsall approach to a greener lifestyle. There are different programs for different areas of one’s lifestyle, and the tech integration aspect provides the opportunity of providing the latest in smart phone technology; Using location to target close platform endorsed green products/services, immediate updates, peer to peer support, getting their questions answered via different service providers faster, etc... In addition as a longterm vision for what this platform could involve, I wanted to include a separate informant source downloadable from the main hub, possibly in the form an iPad e-mag similarly to The Daily’s(18) format. This will provide
the other side of the story of how progressing projects in Dubai are impacting the environment. The few times such information had been leaked, the public outlash has always been in favor of the environment over another real estate project. This can also put a light on green developments in the region, as so many amazing green projects in the Middle East never make the news due to the unstable political situation that tends to grab headlines more. The only (not so known) source that is comprehensive about this topic is Carboun. com, which reads as a directory and lacks mass accessibility at the moment.
This wide ranged systemic approach to education and integration is the essence of the ‘product’ I want to prototype and provide a comprehensive proof of concept for.
Moving Forward From Here
In conclusion, environmental issues are finally being recognized as less about being ‘good’ in one fraction of the problem, and rather about targeting it’s entirety through systematic design thinking:
In a basic understanding, truly effective change with sustainable momentum only happens through a larger model - and not through the heroic individual separating his paper and plastic in the kitchen. It is a bold statement to make, but it’s what’s been tried and tested through time. My thesis finds a way to integrate that change within Dubai residents’ lifestyle by permeating their individual bubbles with their own personal handheld devices and existing web presence. The provided alternative solutions also come with instant and longterm incentives that appeal to the current cultural mindset of capitalism,
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and encourages their usage of this platform and its programs. The higher end ‘techie’ feel of it appeals to Dubai’s higher end brand and market, and communicating the cutting edge nature of the solutions presented. I hope by it to exemplify the communication designer’s role in today’s ‘green’ movement, by emphasizing how important it is to take the time to understand sustainable practices as they really are the main framework for any research or design that follows. As a moral responsibilitiy in today’s greenwashed world, I hope the biggest message here is to really understand what you’re communicating.
Through my process, I’ve questioned ‘what makes an expert’ on any topic, and I’ve realized that with much of the people that were namely not titled as an environmentalanything professionally,
their contribution in green practices has been down to a large foundation laid on personal interest and an evolution that led from that point on the way they approached problems and projects. I find my role as a ‘green’ graphic designer in line with that as I’ve taken the time and interest to understand so much of what makes green practices effective, and can now approach them from the problem solving designer role with the extensive knowledge that some designers may shy away from - That reaction is largely due to it seeming too overwhelming to understand the nitty gritty of a scientifically colored niche. With the ability to understand these topics comes the ability to create in the realm of that understanding, and anyone who would make this their niche comes with the expectancy to be able to keep a discussion with those in other disciplines also creating under those same standards (i.e. engineers, architects, industrial designers etc...). My goal with the following project is to prove my understanding of it and exhibit the role of communication design in being so critical in branding the green revolution, as my project is only an example of that for a
particular chosen locale with it’s own individual issues to target and unique market. The same process can be applied anywhere when approached in the same way with the same integrity of choosing green solutions that are both viable and feasable within the scope of targeted environmental issues and target audiences. The use of branding to ‘package’ the solutions (or lack of branding) also depends on the targeted audience - in this case a heavily branded platform became the system that acts as bridge between green solutions and Dubai residents.
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Branding the Revolution
After rounding up and laying out the framework for what would make this platform ‘green’, it was time for the equally important chunk of the puzzle: Design and production. Creating a brand here was critical and a depart from campaigning environmental solutions under the guise of public service announcement-type media (as previous attempts in Dubai were). I viewed the lack of a green niche in Dubai as this ‘virtuous’ capitalist venture: the negative connotations that come with ‘working for the man’ don’t have to be so. In this case, working with the man and not against Dubai’s capitalist ideals was the way to go. If there’s money to be made, the cooperation of companies and resources that would be needed for a project like this would easily resolve the inevitable question of “Why do we care?”. Not surprisingly, environmental answers alone are not enough in a world of business, and this project attempts to create value for green in the economy. 33
Having a brand is also a method of ‘packaging’ green solutions into a launchpad and community of action. The fact that Dubai residents have no negative associations with highly commercialized brands makes this approach more successful than with a more grassroots burlap-loving cut of society; context is everything.
The green standards used in the selection of solutions also had a hand in the brand’s visual inspiration; Biomimicry’s ‘return to nature’ was a large driving element of the brand stylistically. It got me considering Islamic art relevant to the region’s historic material culture as it was both heavily geometric and entirely insired from nature.
Branding it under the futuristic aspiring extravagance that is the essence of Dubai (once described as “the Middle East meets The Jetsons”) was a guiding principle in the design overview to appeal to the 90% of it’s residents that chose to move and build lives in there.
I took this as an opportunity to revive some inspired patterns that symbolized different aspects of nature in Islamic art as a guide to designing the different marks used in this project.
Dubai’s architecture is possibly what’s most iconic about the city, and drawing from that overlap of classic Arabia and tech-futurism, the visual setting of the brand and its specifications came together.
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conducive
high-end
“sci fi� esque
accessible
practical
connected
dynamic
glossy
architectural
futuristic glossy Bucky Fuller hybrid
BRAND WORDS
patterned
distinct
vibrant
luminous
geometric
tranquil
Arabesque
techie
MOOD BOARD
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After looking through and tracing many Islamic patterns to experiment with, this tessellation particularly caught my attention. I was looking for a main logo for the platform, and I wanted it to encompass the brand’s mission of providing cutting edge green solutions. Cradle To Cradle, one of my main green standards, specifies abandoning 70’s solutions for today’s problems as they are ineffective in the long run and create their own new problems. The 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) model is one of those, and the famous green triangle made up of 3 arrows is the most widely known ‘green’ symbol that defines that model.
LOGO
The polygon that makes this tesselation is also made of three arrows, yet they are protruding outwards versus creating a triangular cycle. I chose to adopt this polygon as the main logo mark, with the outwardness in direction of the arrows befitting the name’s original meaning of growth. This new symbol with these ‘new’ arrows, are here with the intent of redefining and breaking older green practices, opting to thrive versus being stuck in a vicious cycle of waste and downcycling materials straight to landfills (you can only recycle a material so many times).
LOGO
39
For the final logo, I created a bilingual typographic matching of the Arabic and English brand names. I went for typefaces that complemented each other in having a geometric and architectural aesthetic. The Arabic typeface used in the mark is ACS Almass, the English is Hooge0656.
LOGO
LOGO
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INDEX
SITEMAP
ABOUT
SOLAR
PROG.s
WATER
CERT.
ENERGY
IMAG
OFFICE
CONTACT
LIFESTYLE
Numu’s main website acts as the main hub of the platform, it provides all the information one would need regarding getting started or understanding the issues themselves. It navigates to different programs for different green solutions, which can be expanded upon through the programs drop down menu as the platform grows. Directories in the program pages provide users with an array of different products or services already approved by Numü and reviewed by others. Apps take a second step of bringing even more convenience and sometimes incentives to keep using these solutions, simultaneously connecting users with an integrated support system from the companies themselves to other users. The following is a quick breakdown of the pages that are presented after:
MAIN PAGE The index page includes a brief news update on 2 main green stories, as well as a ‘New to Numü’ portal which takes you directly to the About page’s issue by issue breakdown. The top navigation on this page is present on all webpages. ABOUT Includes an overview of the platform as well as a ‘New to Numü’ breakdown of all the issues and what Numu provides to counter them. PROGRAMS A drop down of 5 (thus far) select programs that provide solutions to go green. So far a Solar, Water, Energy, Office, and Lifestyle segment has been put together to provide a proof of concept of the platform’s potential. Each program differs in solutions and therefore the media presenting it differs: Solar: A directory of all solar companies in the UAE approved under the brand, with a collapsable filter users can choose to narrow down their search. This program includes an app for further integration in terms of updated customer support, solar home
WEBSITE
43
system remote control, latest news on all things Solar, a live peer-to-peer community feed, and an energy summary with calculated savings. The program page also includes an assessment tab that provides a potential quiz to assess your needs and suggest directory items, as well as a dynamic panel that calculates data off of the downloaded app to provide an overview of what Numü users have achieved so far.
an app as an option for those who are not on any of the programs and want to start saving energy and money with what they already have, mimicking EnergyJoule programs in the sense of getting free energy and rewards when saving during peak hours. The program page also includes a dynamic information panel reflecting the total of energy costs by these users and how much they would’ve saved had they gone Solar.
Water: A directory of all approved atmospheric water generators sold either in Dubai or available for order, includes a filter to narrow down the search as well. This program includes an app for further integration with customer support, latest news on all things Water, a live peer-to-peer community feed, and a water generation summary with a reflected estimate of how many standard sized plastic bottles were saved. This program also includes an assessment quiz and dynamic information panel similar to the Solar program.
Office: This paperless office program categorizes different approved products and services for various office needs, while also providing encouraging testimonials and paperless business news to further inform businesses and individuals on new tools and the benefits that come with such a switch. All benefits mentioned are actual corporate benefits.
Energy: As this program is integrated with Dubai’s main electric authority (DEWA), there is no directory of products or services. The program includes an
WEBSITE
Lifestyle: This page gathers different day to day lifestyle changes one could take in Dubai, from flying greener to being more aware of buying local options from farmer’s markets. It also includes articles on legislative action influenced by Numü, such as the example of a ‘2 bag minimum’ in Dubai’s annual Shopping Festival where shoppers would
not be given an additional disposable bag from participating stores if they were already using two. CERTIFICATION Explaining the value of being part of Numu’s directory and how to get approved. iMAG A potential future addition to the platform’s expansion as the iPad grosses a highly increasing rate of purchase and usage in Dubai. CONTACT Contact information of the various extensions and addresses for inquiries.
WEBSITE
45
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Main
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
47
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
49
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
51
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
http://numu.org
WEBSITE /Solar
53
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Solar
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Water
55
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Water
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Energy
57
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Office
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Lifestyle
59
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Certification
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / iMag
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http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Contact
The following are the apps designed in conjunction with several of the programs. Their aim is to take customer and community support to a round-the-clock portable level as well as added conveniences such as remote functions that work with smart energy systems. All the functions in the following apps actually exist in the current app market, and tactics of visualizing one’s efforts or effect to influence behavior is not breaking new psychology. In terms of app content, I am not reinventing the wheel by any means, the key to these apps is ‘packaging’ all the functions I’ve researched and find suitable per program under one app. I’ve also created a consistency of the main components for the applications for both brand purposes and facilitation of use.
The app symbols themselves are all derived from combining the Numü mark with different universal glyphs of both the sun, water, and the electricity symbol. This reasoning behind the mark’s visual language also lays down a framework for future apps to follow within the brand as a subset of marks. The Solar app mark is inspired by concentric circles symbolizing the sun, the Water app utilizes an upside down triangle which represents water. Electricity does not have a glyph used in art history as it was invented much later in time, so I utilized its universal symbol instead.
IPHONE APPLICATION
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IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar
IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar
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IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water
67
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water
69
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
71
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
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On a final note One of the most common questions that get asked after a thesis project is “where does this project go from here?”. Points on the relevance of branding and visual communication playing a role in creating a green lifestyle of economic value have already been made in my conclusion, so asides this project being an ‘example’, what happens to it now? I’d mentioned that such a specific green niche requires being created versus targeted, as it does not exist in a form that is sufficiently established in the UAE. I have hopes of pitching this society integrated model to establishments in Dubai that have green interests, but may not have had right ways to execute them. Another thing I’d realized is that the dialogue for sustainability is not a wide spanning topic, and tends to be a conversation amidst more specialized individuals. I believe living in line with our planet should be a natural part of any conversation in any field, and not a ‘special topic’. This has lead me to consider having my next project target
the awareness aspect strictly through an educational method, one that rounds up everything that I’ve learned across the past two years from my research to have the confidence in attempting targeting environmental issues at all. This is in its early stages and can take on different forms from here on. While researching the issues and their various solutions for Numu’s programs, I was naturally obliged to edit down what I actually wanted to target for this particular project. This left me with other particular issues that I still feel strongly about, and would at least want to find ways to bring awareness to in some form in my future work. One example would be campaigning the environmental and economic value of using mycelium to substitute petroleum products such as styrofoam disposables. These disposables have had hazardous effects with desert animals in the UAE that ingest them from neglected camp sites, as well as polluting our beaches and waters from being so highly used in street/cafeteria food, and outdoor activities such as camping or picnicking.
I hope to find an actual establishment that I can ‘co create’ with as I position myself specifically as a green designer - a big but timely step, I feel - and will pursue that including if it eventually involves me creating my own in time.This thesis is a clear proof I can hand to anyone wanting to understand my philosophy as a green designer, and how I view brand and value working together with design to deliver change. Anyone interested in my work or having any requests of further process not included in this final compilation, please reach me at lamis.harib@gmail.com
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Resources Directly quoted/used:
13 http://communication.howstuffworks.com/ convergence/how-paperless-offices-work1.htm
1 http://www.landartgenerator.org
14 http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/testdrive/
2 http://www.landartgenerator.org/project.html
article.php/3703131/Paperless-Office-Get-Real.htm
3 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/uae-
15 http://www.ambientdevices.com/products/
tops-world-on-per-capita-carbon-footprint-1.139335
energyjoule.html
4 http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/uploads/
16 http://www.joulebug.com/
UAE_LPR_supplement_EN.pdf
17 http://www.sunrunhome.com/solar-for-your-home/
5 http://www.economist.com/node/3398394
guide/solar-video/home-solar-simplified
6 http://www.skidubai.com/
18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHILJBw-104
7 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/ cloud-seeding-experiment-has-thunderingsuccess-1.104086 8 http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/05/
General books, websites, and designers that have been highly relevant in guiding my thesis:
mcdonough200805 9 http://www.mbdc.com/detail.aspx?linkid=2&sublink=8
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine M
10 http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article342321.ece
Benyus, Harper Perennial (September 17, 2002)
11 http://www.emirates247.com/eb247/companies-
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,
markets/energy-utilities/uae-national-rolls-out-world-s-
Michael Braungart, North Point Press; 1st edition (April
first-solar-wheelchair-2010-01-25-1.7232
22, 2002)
12 http://dwc.hct.ac.ae/expatinfo/dubaihealthissues.htm
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial
http://www.eco-advantage.com/
Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter
http://womenofgreen.com/2011/02/nature-as-mentor-
Lovins, Back Bay Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2008)
and-other-lessons-from-biomimicry/
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_
Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and
in_action.html
Build Competitive Advantage,Daniel Esty,
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_shares_
Andrew Winston, Wiley; Rev Upd edition (January 9,
nature_s_designs.html
2009)
http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/
Green Graphic Design, Brian Dougherty (Author),
project/greenpix-zero-energy-media-wall
Celery Design Collaborative (Author), Allworth Press
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/building-for-green-
(October 14, 2008)
future-157878.html
The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools,
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/uae-welcomes-
and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding, Jacquelyn
environmental-initiatives-196714.html
Ottman (Author), Berrett-Koehler Publishers (February
http://green.tmcnet.com/topics/green/articles/34029-
14, 2011)
cyber-gear-launches-go-green-initiative-uae.htm
Designing the Green Economy: The Postindustrial
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
Alternative to Corporate Globalization, Brian Milani
http://www.thrivesustainability.com/
(Author), Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (August 2000)
http://www.metrohippie.com/
http://www.carboun.com
http://inhabitat.com/ecokiosk/
http://www.usgbc.org/
http://inhabitat.com/energy-joule-get-paid-for-your-
http://c2c.mbdc.com/c2c/list.php?order=type
energy-reduction/
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http://www.celerydesign.com/eco-tools/
AWG
http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog/books-every-social-
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/the-low-
entrepreneur-should-read
down-on-home-water-makers-and-7-to-choose-from.
http://inventorspot.com/articles/green_inventive_
php?page=2
marketing_6092
http://www.aws-h2o.com/
http://www.ideo.com/work/ethical-consumerism-
http://www.watermakerindia.com
concepts-for-oxfam-gb http://.www.asknature.org
Solar
http://www.clownfish.co.uk/
http://www.harvestpower.net/?gclid=CKGx5_7bx6sCFVN
http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-
35QodWQtQ7A
toolkit/
http://www.sungevity.com/?gclid=CJnKup6wxasCFSE95
http://www.ideo.com/work/design-for-social-impact-
QodYCUO4w
workbook-and-toolkit
http://www.shouldigosolar.com/?v=2&gclid=CM_
Data sources on the solutions explored in my target issues
R44GwxasCFUt_5Qodt3fH5w http://www.ontility.com/training?gclid=CPeg_ Krcx6sCFYiC5QodOyiD5A
Energy saving example
Paperless offices
http://www.ambientdevices.com/products/energyjoule.
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/convergence/
html
how-paperless-offices-work1.htm http://www.paperfreesolutions.net/ http://mashable.com/2010/05/01/small-businesspaperless/