This research lead me to discovering the work of a Finnish designer called Aleksi Hautamaki. He is the founder of a company called Character, which specialises in recycling discarded company signs and logos and transforming them into unique pieces of decorative interior lighting (lasting up to 30,000 hours!). This innovative and original design does not only emphasise the importance and beauty of typography but it is also an eco friendly and sustainable form of design.
“We choose the letters that have character, take them, replace the old neon tubes with LED’s, check that they are ok and put them on our website. These pieces of typography are all unique design objects, why should they be demolished?” -Aleksi Hautamäki
“Sustainability of this product is not superimposed, but in the very essence of it. The second life cycle creates new value for everybody involved, the sign maker, the producer, the retailer and the customer.” – Aleksi Hautamäki
As graphic designers, we primarily focus on introducing a defining concept of a company to the public eye. A significant amount of the work we do is to do with the representation of a company, gathering all the resources we need in order to successfully advertise the brand. Being so focused on the development of a company- we don't tend to think of what happens after they relocate, redesign or renovate their headquarters. The concept of Character made me consider the ways I can improve my practise to be a more eco-friendly designer in a creative and interesting way.
Date found:
5th April 2013
Designers:
Aleksi Hautamaki
Sources:
Yanko Design
The Slowear Journal
Recycling Typography
I thought the projects that the company ‘Character’ were involved in quite interesting. I appreciate the way in which they take something that has been discarded and reuse it to turn it into something beautiful. It inspires me as well to create something that is eco-friendly. I came across this website titled ‘Creative Recycled Art, Architecture, and Design,’ and thought that it could inspired you further.
ReplyDeleteThe website has a range of different artists all working in a similar manner. The artworks shown use materials such as, bottles, shipping containers, shopping trolleys, cans, and other recycled materials. It has examples of ‘green projects,’ where the artists are commenting on the environment and trying to portray a message. After looking at the work I tend to reflect on how the environment is treated, the different artworks bring me to some realizations on the nature of waste in our society.
“Why not try something a bit out of the ordinary that is also good for the environment?”
Website:
http://weburbanist.com/creative-recycled-art-architecture-and-design/
- Tash Gate