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04. Welcome to the project

The Reuse Project was set up by three visual communication students from the University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Chris Dunlop, Jonathan Rowan and Philip Meehan.

The purpose of this book is to introduce, to designers, a new environmentally friendly way of creating advertisements. We want to change graphic design for the better and hopefully you will as well.

Throughout the book you will see examples of how this method of advertising is possible. We have created a range of dummy advertisements using a variety of sustainable materials. Some work well and some do not. Some are temporary and some are permanent. Some are for indoor use and some are for outdoor use. Whatever the occasion, sustainable advertising can work effectively and turn heads.

Hopefully this book will plant an idea that you can help spread and grow.

06. Preface

The Reuse Project is a small movement that will hopefully grow over time and shift the minds of graphic designers. We aim to inspire and provoke change in the world of graphic advertising. We want to prove that effective and engaging media can be natural and sustainable. It is not always necessary to waste paper and harm the environment to get a message across.

We create advertisements from scrap and waste materials. We give them a second life. They take the place of a fresh virgin paper poster or billboard. Although they will eventually be thrown out as waste or better yet recycled, we are trying to get as much out of the materials that we already have before we make new ones.

What the Reuse Project is all about

08. Preface Continued

We want to show that waste materials can become beautiful effective pieces of advertising. Materials such as cardboard, wood, dead leaves, plastic bags and even dirt. Creating advertisements from these sources may be temporary but they are much more unique and eye catching than the usual bus stop poster. We believe that this is another strong reason for working graphic designers to adopt sustainable advertising when they can.

Anything could become an advertisement. You just have to be creative!

Although this is only a small effort towards making graphic design more environmentally friendly as a whole, if this idea is seen, talked about and spread it could grow throughout the design community and this could amount to a massive change.

Photograph - Play Resource Centre Belfast

10. Experimenting with materials

As a group we experimented with many materials trying to find what worked and what was the most eye pleasing.

One of the bonuses of sustainable advertising is that all of the materials are free. It is simply what ever you can get your hands on. No paper or ink needed.

12. Experimenting with materials

NaturalDead leaves torn and arranged into typographyChris Dunlop

Natural DecayDead leaves stuck on a wall using yogurt and sugar, weeks 1-4Chris Dunlop

This method could be used to create any word, sentence or brand advertisement. The yogurt and sugar create a natural adhesive that is biodegradable and can be applied to almost any surface.

Depending on the weather and the decay of the leaves, this advertisement could last for up to a month.

GrassGrass and moss stuck down with yogurt and sugarChris Dunlop

14. More experimenting

TestCoffee grounds through a paper stencilJonathan Rowan

GreenPencil sharpenings through a paper stencilJonathan Rowan

Alphabet LettersReed and Dog PlantPhilip Meehan

This initial experiment required essential resources such as finding the right plant sources to work with. Every florist in the area was visited with the tight brief of finding a flexible extract to work with.

In the end Reed and Dog-Plant were used as they could be shaped into many different formats and it was durable enough without breakage. It was all delicately handmade, therefore it became a very time consuming process.

ReuseScrap paper off cuts, constructed into three dimensional letters.Chris Dunlop

Pull your finger outCardboard stencilPhilip Meehan

ReuseReverse graffiti, using a power hose to remove dirt from a surfacePhilip Meehan

16. More experimenting

Yellow Pages BirdsAn example advertisement created for the Yellow Pages. Folded paper from an old Yellow Pages book. Representing a carrier pigeon bringing you information.Chris Dunlop

Bottle Cap TypographyAn example of how an alcoholic beverage company could be advertised.Philip Meehan

To raise awareness about our project we set up a one day exhibition aimed at graphic designers. It featured all of the most successful methods of sustainable advertising that we had tried.

Our slogan is “One Man’s Trash is a Designer’s Treasure.” This is the sentence that we created from various waste materials. We think that this perfectly shows are message and our aims.

18. The Exhibition

20. The Exhibition

One90cm high, plastic bags rolled and inserted into a wire mesh Chris Dunlop

All of the plastic bags were sourced from rubbish bins. This technique could be applied to any outdoor fence and almost any image can be created on a grid.

MansScrap wood collected from our university and cut using a laser cutter.Jonathan Rowan

22. The Exhibition

TrashNatural leaf typographyPhilip Meehan

Completely handmade using real leaves collected after some gardening. It just goes to show how a simple natural material can be manipulated and designed to portray such a strong message.

Is a designers90cm high three dimensional cardboard letters. Chris Dunlop

The card was sourced from local businesses who had discarded it. Such as Ikea and Tesco.

24. The Exhibition

TreasureReverse GraffitiPhilip Meehan

Reverse Graffiti is also known as clean tagging or clean advertising. It is a temporary form of advertising on walls or pavements by removing dirt or dust from a particular surface. It is a method that has been used for years, where the simplest form of this type would be the classic ‘Clean Me’ on a dirty vehicle. The commercial use of clean advertising has grown in popularity as well and has been featured in many modern commercial advertisements, such as the Miller Genuine Draft clean streets TV commercial.

Because the work is temporary, biodegradable and does not use any form of hard materials such as ink or paper, we as a group considered reverse graffiti to be an environmentally friendly way of advertising. This is the Reuse Project’s primary aim throughout our work ethic.Luckily, a Pressure Washer was available to begin the experiment on a dirty panel of wood. The hose immediately acted like a pen tool and drew, with precision, exactly what we wanted.

Thank YouIf you are inspired by any of the ideas from the book, please spread the word or even create some of your own sustainable advertising. We want to get designers from around the world on board to help reduce the planets waste.

What to find out more about the Reuse Project?Why not drop us an e-mail? Leave us a message on facebook. Check out our blogs or find the latest on our website.

reuseproject.co.ukinfo@reuseproject.co.uktwitter.com/thereuseproject

26. Spread the word

The Reuse Project was set up by three students from the University of Ulster who want to change graphic design for the better. We hope to introduce designers, working and student, to an alternative, environmentally safe way of advertising. We want to prove that effective and engaging media can be natural and sustainable. It is not always necessary to waste paper and harm the environment to get a message across.

It’s only a small effort towards helping reduce a graphic designers environmental impact, but if the idea is seen, talked about and adopted, it will grow and this could amount to a massive change.