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| Studio Flux |
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In 1994, retro style and grunge rock was in, Pulp Fiction was out in theaters and Studio Flux, the first design concern of John Moes and Holly Robbins, was born. With the tagline, "Facing the 90s with eco-minded solutions" Studio Flux pioneered the idea that good design, by definition, needed to also be eco. Printed on recycled papers with veg oil-based inks, we designed our business system to be fun, educational and exemplary. From letterheads with pert-off mailing labels that allowed for single pass printing to business cards and project certificates created to inform clients of real-world benefits of eco-minded choices, our own system walked the talk. |
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Project:
Studio Flux Identity System |
Client:
Studio Flux |
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| Eco-design, 9os Style |
We researched and explored new printing technologies, bio-based inks and press chemicals, tree-free and recycled papers, reduction techniques, efficiency, material health and more. We operated by bikes and public transit. We built out our old warehouse space in the look of a 1930s diner using reclaimed materials like rusty metal, used low-VOC paints and vintage furnishings. We were talking about global warming in 1996. We started a public service arm called "The Modern Way for A Better World" to help promote the idea that good design was by definition sustainable design. We made a lot of tiny things with tiny type which we now need to squint to read. |
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| The System |
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We designed our business system to print on two press sheets, one for card stock and one for a lightweight 24 lb. writing stock. We filled every available inch of the press sheets with content, creating stationary, note paper (people wrote back then), certificates, product hangtags, labels, mailing labels, post cards and Rolodex cards (yes, we used those too!). We used typewriters and rubber stamps to add more dimension and craft to the pieces. We integrated the glue-on mailing labels right into the stationary and note sheets to require only one pass to print a letter and envelope. |
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| Feedback Loops |
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This was sustainability reporting at its best, for the time. We kept a running tally of the recycled and non-tree fiber paper purchased for our clients' projects and for our own use. We regularly updated the amount of air pollution avoided, landfill space not used and trees spared, using rubber stamps to update the numbers right on our business cards. We also issued our clients tiny certificates for each project, declaring the positive impacts of the choices that were made for the project. While relatively small steps today, these measures provided our clients and us with valuable, tangible feedback loops that both rewarded making the effort and spurred us on with reminders of what was at stake. |
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| Arrow-View |
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We used this vintage bakelite slide viewer to present our portfolio to potential clients. Oh how the times have changed! |
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