Project 3

Web Project 3: Design for Earth

Challenge:

How can you design in a way that supports the living systems of Earth that sustain all life? How can you incorporate ecological design principles into your creative and technical practice?

Project:

Project 3 is a web project in Adobe Express Web Page, similar to Projects 1 & 2.  For Project 3, you should focus on one of the themes in Part 3 that you have explored in videos, readings, websites and quizzes, for example: the economic context that shapes digital production (capitalism, story of stuff, e-waste),  digital and physical commons, greening electronics, right to repair, circular economies, life cycle assessment, etc.

You should also do a bit more independent research about your topic beyond the class materials. List all sources in your Credits section at the end of your project.

This is an individual project with a scope of 500-1000 words (2-4 full pages), and 10+ images.  For a team of two the scope is 1250-2000 words(5-8 full pages), and 15 + images.  For a team of three the scope is 1750-2750 words (7-11 full pages), and 20+ images–preferably a project divided into 2-3 sections.

Some possible group topics include (but are not limited to):

1. Do an estimated  life cycle assessment of a common and relatively simple product using these resources  Lifecycle Assessment Life Cycle Activity. in order to come up with a better design.  The assessment should include options for decreasing harms and/or increasing benefits.  eg Apple iPhone Tear-down
2. Describe an app or website that can help people create local shareable resources that reduce the need for money and consumerism. eg Shareable
3. Create a resource that helps people gain more control over their health, eg EWGs Website has a database to help consumers avoid toxics in skin care products.
4. Choose one of the Humane Tech Free course videos, like “Centering Values” or “Helping People Thrive” and summarize the issues for a high school audience using engaging media and visuals, including ways to make designs more responsive to values or thriving people.  Specific examples and visuals make this easier to understand.

Some possible individual topics:

1. Strategies New Media students can adopt to reduce e-waste during college years. eg adapt this online guide to be more specific to college environments
2. Tell a fictional story looking back on your ideal lifetime technology career, and the benefits your work has had in creating a better world. See this prompt for guidance.
3. What kind of commons would most benefit you at this point in your life? Consider a resource that you would be willing to both contribute to and support, as well as draw from.  What New Media skills would you use to help generate this commons? eg Github is a code-based sharing commons, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia commons, more locally Black Bear Mutual Aid is also a commons.
4. The Open Source Ecology Project creates low cost, crowd-sourced, and open source designs for building an  EcoHome.  If you designed your own low-cost eco-home, what features would it have? Which common home features would you leave out? What tech would you include (or leave out)? Would this change if you had toddlers around?

Using the above or related topics, create a web page using Adobe Express  that describes the key issues of concern, and your recommendations about how to use some New Media application or approach that could improve, communicate or help generate the design.

At minimum, follow the Intro, Body (3-5 paragraphs), Conclusion format for the text where applicable (clearly a story would have a different form). Also add information via images, charts, and media; making a textual AND visual argument.

In sum, your resources can be text, images, charts, video, audio etc in this multimedia portal.  More visuals can make an easier and more compelling case. But make sure that your “visual argument” is parallel to your textual argument–use visuals to make your case in an orderly way, just as you do with your text. Font, color, design, layout, and style are all part of your message.

In a final credits page, cite ALL your sources, class, professor, music etc.  For your post, use category: Project 3, a relevant featured image, a brief 1-2 sentence summary/abstract in text  and your Adobe Express Page URL–as a clickable link (using either text link or image link).

Evaluation rubric:

1. Interesting idea and approach
2. Robust and well organized text that clearly explains your issue, approach and recommendations–basic 5 paragraph structure at minimum.
3. Good logical and visual layout
4.  Appealing visuals
5. Visuals work in parallel to your text enriching and clarifying it
6. Good featured image
7. Clear credits