Date post: | 22-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | lamis-harib |
View: | 215 times |
Download: | 1 times |
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 DesignPratt Institute
May 2012
Eric O’Toole, Major Advisor
Jeff Bellantoni, Chairperson
Date
Date
Finding Green in a City of GoldA Thesis by Lamis Harib
5
IndexIntroduction
A Brief History:Dubai meets
Green
Creating The Designer’s Role
Introducing Green to a
Capitalist World
15
1 Creation of a Green Platform:
A Conclusion
Moving Forward From Here:
Pushing The Boundaries of
Design as a Discipline
Branding The Revolution:
“Numü”
Resources
19
25
33
29
77
1990
2003
*Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
2010
2012
Intro..
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.
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’.
1
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.
3
ABriefHistory
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.5
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.
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.
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
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
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. 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.
9
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.
11
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)
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). 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.
13
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.
CreatingThe 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 product-
centric 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
15
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 World
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.
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.
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
on the name NUMÜ which is Arabic for on the name NUMÜ which is Arabic for
27
The platform will also provide a customizable experience, versus a one-size-fits-all 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 ForwardFrom 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,
29
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 environmental-anything 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.
31
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
35
BRAND WORDS
architectural
glossyvibrant
tranquilgeometric
distinct
dynamicpatternedconnected
luminous
conducive
practical
accessible
high-end
glossy
Bucky Fuller hybrid
futuristic
“sci fi” esque
Arabesque techie
MOOD BOARD37
LOGO
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).
39
LOGO
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.
LOGO41
SITEMAP
INDEX
ABOUT
PROG.s
CERT.
IMAG
CONTACT
SOLAR
WATER
ENERGY
OFFICE
LIFESTYLE
WEBSITE
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
WEBSITE
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.
WEBSITE45
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Main
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About47
WEBSITE / About
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About49
http://numu.org
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About51
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / About
WEBSITE /Solar53
http://numu.org
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Solar
WEBSITE / Water55
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Water
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Energy57
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Office
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Lifestyle59
http://numu.org
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / Certification
http://numu.org
WEBSITE / iMag61
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 APPLICATION63
IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar
IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar65
IPHONE APPLICATION / Solar
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water67
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water
IPHONE APPLICATION / Water69
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy71
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy
IPHONE APPLICATION / Energy73
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
75
ResourcesDirectly quoted/used:
1 http://www.landartgenerator.org
2 http://www.landartgenerator.org/project.html
3 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/uae-
tops-world-on-per-capita-carbon-footprint-1.139335
4 http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/uploads/
UAE_LPR_supplement_EN.pdf
5 http://www.economist.com/node/3398394
6 http://www.skidubai.com/
7 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/
cloud-seeding-experiment-has-thundering-
success-1.104086
8 http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/05/
mcdonough200805
9 http://www.mbdc.com/detail.aspx?linkid=2&sublink=8
10 http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article342321.ece
11 http://www.emirates247.com/eb247/companies-
markets/energy-utilities/uae-national-rolls-out-world-s-
first-solar-wheelchair-2010-01-25-1.7232
12 http://dwc.hct.ac.ae/expatinfo/dubaihealthissues.htm
13 http://communication.howstuffworks.com/
convergence/how-paperless-offices-work1.htm
14 http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/testdrive/
article.php/3703131/Paperless-Office-Get-Real.htm
15 http://www.ambientdevices.com/products/
energyjoule.html
16 http://www.joulebug.com/
17 http://www.sunrunhome.com/solar-for-your-home/
guide/solar-video/home-solar-simplified
18 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHILJBw-104
General books, websites, and designers that have been highly relevant in guiding my thesis:
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine M
Benyus, Harper Perennial (September 17, 2002)
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things,
Michael Braungart, North Point Press; 1st edition (April
22, 2002)
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial
Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter
Lovins, Back Bay Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2008)
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use
Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and
Build Competitive Advantage,Daniel Esty,
Andrew Winston, Wiley; Rev Upd edition (January 9,
2009)
Green Graphic Design, Brian Dougherty (Author),
Celery Design Collaborative (Author), Allworth Press
(October 14, 2008)
The New Rules of Green Marketing: Strategies, Tools,
and Inspiration for Sustainable Branding, Jacquelyn
Ottman (Author), Berrett-Koehler Publishers (February
14, 2011)
Designing the Green Economy: The Postindustrial
Alternative to Corporate Globalization, Brian Milani
(Author), Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (August 2000)
http://www.carboun.com
http://www.usgbc.org/
http://c2c.mbdc.com/c2c/list.php?order=type
http://www.eco-advantage.com/
http://womenofgreen.com/2011/02/nature-as-mentor-
and-other-lessons-from-biomimicry/
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_
in_action.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_shares_
nature_s_designs.html
http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/
project/greenpix-zero-energy-media-wall
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/building-for-green-
future-157878.html
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/uae-welcomes-
environmental-initiatives-196714.html
http://green.tmcnet.com/topics/green/articles/34029-
cyber-gear-launches-go-green-initiative-uae.htm
http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles
http://www.thrivesustainability.com/
http://www.metrohippie.com/
http://inhabitat.com/ecokiosk/
http://inhabitat.com/energy-joule-get-paid-for-your-
energy-reduction/
77
http://www.celerydesign.com/eco-tools/
http://www.echoinggreen.org/blog/books-every-social-
entrepreneur-should-read
http://inventorspot.com/articles/green_inventive_
marketing_6092
http://www.ideo.com/work/ethical-consumerism-
concepts-for-oxfam-gb
http://.www.asknature.org
http://www.clownfish.co.uk/
http://www.ideo.com/work/human-centered-design-
toolkit/
http://www.ideo.com/work/design-for-social-impact-
workbook-and-toolkit
Data sources on the solutions explored in my target issues
Energy saving example
http://www.ambientdevices.com/products/energyjoule.
html
AWG
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/the-low-
down-on-home-water-makers-and-7-to-choose-from.
php?page=2
http://www.aws-h2o.com/
http://www.watermakerindia.com
Solar
http://www.harvestpower.net/?gclid=CKGx5_7bx6sCFVN
35QodWQtQ7A
http://www.sungevity.com/?gclid=CJnKup6wxasCFSE95
QodYCUO4w
http://www.shouldigosolar.com/?v=2&gclid=CM_
R44GwxasCFUt_5Qodt3fH5w
http://www.ontility.com/training?gclid=CPeg_
Krcx6sCFYiC5QodOyiD5A
Paperless offices
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/convergence/
how-paperless-offices-work1.htm
http://www.paperfreesolutions.net/
http://mashable.com/2010/05/01/small-business-
paperless/