herself” [7]. As designers, we need not take a passive role in our
consumption-driven world; we can actively create content and take
ownership of our work.

PROCESS

As acommunication designer, I want to influence consumers to
rethink the single use water bottle. I especially want to reach them
at the point of sale, before they make the decision to buy bottled
water. I also want this project to be spread freely by other people.
I decided to use stickers because they are easy to disseminate, and
anyone can print them out. I created 10 stickers, each displaying
a fact about plastic bottles in the shape and size of an actual bot-
tle (see figure 1). There is a (mock) website at the bottom of these
stickers, which people can visit for more information and to get
involved by creating and printing their own stickers. These stick-
ers can be handed out at events, spread through social media and
word-of-mouth, and noticed wherever they are placed. The project
uses a black and white palette to keep the aesthetic minimal, with
pops of red to give it a sense of urgency and to contrast with the
abundance of blue in current bottled water packaging. The text is
in a bold, black, sans-serif font on a white background to create
further contrast and to attract a younger demographic. The min-
imalism in the design is also intended to differentiate the stickers
from colourful bottled water packaging.

In the last stage of my project, I went to stores and vending
machines and placed my stickers where plastic bottles are sold, as
seen in figure 2.

Figure 1. Ditch the Bottle stickers, each displaying a specific fact about plastic
bottles, can be downloaded and printed off from its corresponding website.

BOTTLED
WATER IS NOT MULTIPLE THE ENERGY
SUBJECTED MORE THAN STUDIES SHOW WE WASTE
TO THE SAME 75% OF THAT BOTTLED USING IT TAKES
STRICT HEALTH PLASTIC WATER IS HOT BOTTLED 500-1,000
, GUIDELINES AS ¢ , WATER Q S ANYCLEANER ¢ , WATER WOULD , YEARS FOR
TAP WATER, 4 BOTTLES = C aR SAFER  BEENOUGH 9 t PLASTIC TO
S WHICHIS S ARENEVER © S THANTAP = , TOPOWER = | DEGRADE.
S REGULATED © 2 C RECYCLED. 2 S WATER ‘190,000 2 § 2
> BYHEALTH  ¢ , Q , Q > HOMES. Q , Q
CANADA. © , , ,
ONE MILLION ONE TENTH OF
SEA BIRDS 27 OUT OF TE TANTS ALL PLASTIC
BOTTLED AND 100,000 49 BOTTLED CREATED
WATER MARINE WATER SUCH AS EVERY YEAR
PRODUCES MAMMALS PRODUCTS ARSENIE, EVENTUALLY
UP TO15 ARE KILLED HAVE BEEN BROMIDE, ENDS UP IN
> MILLION TONS 4 > ANNUALLY § > RECALLED BY | ¢ » BACTERIA AND « > ONEOFOUR  §
> OF PLASTIC > FROM PLASTIC > THE CANADIAN LEAD HAVE > OCEANS,
> WASTE PER — § p INQUR OCEANS, 5 > FOOD 4 @ BEEN FOUND = ¢ INCLUDING = §
§ Q S olastic S AGENCY SINCE 2 S WATER ? S OFPLASTIC. 9
1G vreriauressa vey) G vrerauresca em) 1G vrorauresca

Although challenging the status quo, this project uses main-
stream design tactics and principles in order to be easily
understood. Julier argues that design activism is not a boycott,
demonstration or protest—it is a “designerly” way of intervention,
still situated within its specific context [5]. He says, “as interven-
tion, it moves within the challenges of pre-existing circumstances,
while also attempting to reorientate these” [5]. This project uses
typical corporate standards, having a website, logo and social
media presence, and employs design principles in its branding in
order to appeal to its primary target audience, the 18-30 year old
youth/young adult demographic.

OTHER PROJECTS

Comparing the Ditch the Bottle project to Shepard Fairey’s Obey
Giant graphic campaign, we can see that both criticize corporate
control, while “employing the same strategies of global branding
schemes” [7]. Fairey’s campaign was spread locally, and then even-
tually worldwide, by a public who took it upon themselves to post
the image freely, sometimes illegally, and without central plan-
ning [7]. Similarly, the Ditch the Bottle project engages the public
and gives them the option of spreading the message themselves.
As such, the visuals must look appealing, “manipulat[e] the envi-
ronment graphically, [and] harness the modes and media of visual
communication” [7].

Similar phenomena have appeared globally, such as the Arabic
pamphlet “How to Revolt Intelligently,” circulated during the

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SUSTAINABILITY & SOCIAL INNOVATION