Ecobranding

Ecobranding is an eco-designed graphic and artistic movement. It is based on low consumption of resources such as paper, ink and energy in order to create a visually impactful design with a low ecological and economic impact.
Definition
Born from the desire to create a multidisciplinary graphic movement that is more eco-friendly, Ecobranding is intended to be ecological through limiting its use of resources. Ecobranding can be used for printed media (Billboards, Publishing, Brand Identity) as well as in digital format such as graphic web interfaces and mobile applications. It aims for economy of style both through its resource consumption and through the shapes and lines it uses. The Ecobranding style retains only the essential; it places itself on the frontier between abstraction and figurative art.
The word Ecobranding combines and abbreviates the words ecodesign and branding. The name Ecobranding also embodies the notion of Economy, the intention being for it to be visually impactful, but ecologically and economically low impact.
Ecobranding is an artistic movement that is principally concerned with design, specifically graphic design with the creation of eco-logotype, eco-typography, eco-user interface and eco-illustrations.
Origins
Near the end of 2010, the Parisian designer Sylvain Boyer envisioned a more ecological method of creating visual identities. In October 2017 he launched Ecobranding, an eco-designed brand design methodology. In 2018, Sylvain Boyer co-created the Ecobranding company with his mentors Oliver Bontemps and David Jobin, co-founders of . In parallel with the company, the three partners are also launching the Ecobranding Foundation, an Endowment Fund that will share its brand eco-design tools and methods with all voluntary contributors who want to act for the environmental transformation of brands.
Influences
Its influences are varied and diverse. Borrowing from several artistic styles, Ecobranding reuses art deco's geometric forms, draws inspiration from minimalism and the impact of the International Typographic Style, known as Swiss Style, and it is part of the Flat design. Furthermore, Ecobranding often borrows central themes from Art Nouveau such as the woman and nature. However, Ecobranding's greatest influence comes from the world of children's illustrations with their simple designs and pastel colours such as the works of Dick Bruna, Fredun Shapur or Bruno Munari.
Characteristics
Ecobranding is characterised by different graphic processes of ecodesign.
• Eco-logo: the logo and symbols are designed to be ecological while also having a maximum visual impact. The colours of the logotypes have a limited total ink coverage, the printable surface of the symbols is reduced, shapes are simple, producing light digital files that occupy little server space and reduce the energy consumption of the logotypes when displayed on web and mobile applications.

• Eco-colours: colours with a maximum total ink coverage of 100%, minimising the quantity of ink used.
• Eco-typo: fonts designed to save ink and paper and the use of variable fonts technology to reduce the weight of Internet files and to limit energy consumption.
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• Eco-graphics: templates, editorials, signage which use up less ink, less paper and less energy while maintaining a strong visual impact.
• Eco-imagery: photos and illustrations that use less ink, less digital server space and less energy.
• Eco-interface: all user interface which reduces server space and limits energy consumption, owing notably to the use of dark mode and a simplified website architecture.
• Eco-packaging: all packaging designed to limit environmental costs: manufacturing, transport, recycling.
Dark mode
Not long after the launch of Ecobranding at the end of 2017, the theory was criticised for its absence of digital solutions. At the start of 2018, Sylvain Boyer decided to conceptualise an Interface operating system (OS) that reduces energy consumption by using an interface design that is mainly dark. Sylvain Boyer noticed that many new smartphones were designed with OLED display. One of whose features is to consume less energy in order to display a black pixel, however the majority of user interfaces had white backgrounds that use over 50% more energy than dark colours. He therefore decided to create a user interface which is mostly dark and is both eco-friendly and user-friendly which he called 'FriendlUi'. The concept was quickly spread by design and innovation magazines which popularised the concept. About one year after the release of the dark Ecobranding interface, Google announced a dark mode version of its operating systems and publicly acknowledged that dark mode is both ecological but also provides a more pleasant user experience. Dark mode has now been adopted by numerous digital businesses such as Apple Inc., Twitter, Slack and Firefox.
Measurements
The measurements of the environmental impact of Ecobranding solutions are compared with references figures. This is done either by comparing figures from before and after the Ecobranding process has occurred or by making a comparative measurement from the sector in question.
These measures enable Ecobranding solutions to be tracked and improved. There are various measurement tools, such as software programs which calculate the ink consumption in printing, or even calculators which measure digital energy performance.
Circular Economy
Ecobranding theories estimate that the branding and communications industry, which includes advertising, packaging, the conception of mobile and web applications
and the creation of visual identities to be one of the most polluting industries in the world. This is because today, brand imagery and communications are everywhere. The extent to which it is all encompassing makes its ecological impact almost impossible to measure. From pop-up ads to packaging from shops, and mobile apps, the use of brand imagery is huge and consumes enormous amounts of resources. By creating communication media that use very little paper, energy, ink, and that do not use lamination or spot UV coating, they become more easily recyclable and integrate themselves better into the circular economy.

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