The final versions of the postcards designed and produced for Sponge. Click any postcard to view a larger PDF.
Some of the sketches leading up to the prototype.
The first prototypes of the postcards.
The original postcard design submitted to Sponge.
The postcard design originally submitted to Sponge, demonstrating how the postcards can be strung together to create a mobile.
Designed and produced in just two days, String Me Along went on to win this sustainable design competition.
Information about sustainability tends to focus on what you should do, but comparatively little information exists about how to achieve these results.
String Me Along focuses on specific, simple steps recipients can perform to cultivate a more sustainable lifestyle.
Brief Develop a set of four A6 postcards, four colour on one side, one colour on the other, with each card presenting a challenging aspect of sustainable lifestyles in an amusing, fresh and attention-grabbing way.
Complete Brief sponge_brief.pdf
Design for reuse The String Me Along postcards begin as marketing tools for Sponge, but ultimately embody sustainability through reuse in a mobile.
Each postcard has a list of steps you can take as an individual to effect change. By stringing the postcards together, marking each step as something you need to do or are currently doing, you interactively create a visual, public reminder of your contribution towards sustainability. As you integrate more steps into your lifestyle, changing the path of the string through the steps becomes a ritual.
Original suggestions for change The suggestions on the prototypes (later changed for the production versions) included the following actions:
- Use a coffee mug instead of disposable cups.
- Use reusable containers to store and transport food, such as your lunch.
- Print on both sides of paper.
- Use public transportation, car pool, or walk to work.
- Use a cloth instead of paper towels.
- Purchase locally-grown, pesticide-free, organic food and/or shop at a farmer's market.
- Start composting kitchen scraps and yard waste.
- Eat less meat.
- Install a low-flow shower head.
- Clean the dryer's lint filter after every laundry load.
- Place a plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank. Saves ~11 gal. (~41 l) of water a day.
- Air-dry your laundry on a clothesline.
- Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
- Lower your water-heater's temperature to 120°F (49°C).
- Use motion sensors or timers with security lights.
- Install a programmable thermostat to reduce energy use during the day when your house is unoccupied.