Green Poster Competitions

Two great poster competitions you can join in on!

Toronto Society of Architects

“This competition is based on the idea that sustainable design is an integrated process that is fundamentally about: improving the quality of life; maintaining a unique sense of place; supporting the cultural and economic vitality of our communities; and, improving the health and sustainability of the environments we inhabit,” says Susan Spencer Lewin, Vice Chair of the TSA. “The posters created through this competition will be used to generate public awareness of sustainable design through exhibits, promotions, and printed materials.”

Competition Details:
* Competition is open to everyone, including students and professional artists
* Participants must register by May 1, 2009
* Submissions are due by May 15, 2009 (only electronic submissions will be accepted)
* Designs may use any form of photography, illustration, collage, or typography, provided no copyrights are violated in the design
* Intellectual property rights (copyright and moral rights) of the poster design submissions will remain with the designers
* Posters must be A1 size (594 x 841 mm / 23.4 x 33.1 inches)
* Judging is scheduled for May 22, 2009

Green Patriot Posters

"(We're) interested in designs that produce an image of strength, optimism and unity for the sustainability movement. The highest rated designs will be among those we select for distribution in a book, exhibition and other highly visible channels like bus ads and billboards."

EcoFont

What is Ecofont?
Ecofont is a FREE typeface developed by Spranq with a vision to increase environmental awareness. Spranq boasts that ecofont would decrease ink usage by 20%. The typeface is influenced by Verdana and based off Vera Sans. By theory, cutting holes in the font would allow for less ink to be used when printing. Download it and try it for free here.

The question has been raised "How much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability?" On the ecofont website it recommends using it at a size of 9 or 10pt. However, they also state that "The actual savings (the results of printing) depend on two factors: 1) the tonal-value increase (TVI) causes a decrease of saving results. In short: the smaller the fontsize, the lower the saving. Paper choice (substrate) also effects TVI. 2) the type and age of the used printer"

At headline sizes, 14pt or higher, we found the holes very unsightly and distracting. Smaller sizes do help its aesthetic, and legibility was good at 8-10pt. However, the font tends to fall apart at certain bends; loss of font-integrity at certain areas of certain letters.

Nevertheless, ecofont is a great free download for quick drafts, low-end print outs, stylized headlines, or regular everyday use at small sizes (8-10pt). Spranq should be applauded for venturing into new eco-typographic grounds. Feel free to visit their site: www.spranq.eu