Ben Pawsey: Importance of Sustainable Design

We’ll get straight to the point. With the looming ecological impact of climate change, designers who have sustainability in mind are more important than ever. It’s easy to see that design can have an impact on the whole process of many businesses and even industries. After all, everything starts with a design. A designer chooses projects, materials, and the overall image of a product or a service. And we can go on and on about just how important sustainable design is. But, instead let us introduce Ben Pawsey, a designer who is adamant about creating space for sustainable design.

The Story Behind Pawsey

Ben Pawsey is a designer who saw a career in design as an opportunity to implement sustainable practices and focus on environmentally friendly projects. As a creative designer, he has worked on many projects in many design roles, but he’s most at home doing the “big picture” projects like brand development.

Originally from the UK, Ben Pawsey is now based in the US, and his commitment to sustainability and building a better world has only increased with time. With over a decade of experience, he’s been able to develop sustainable products and help brands put their best foot forward. This was true since he founded Agouti Design in 2007. Since then, he’s been taking on bigger and bigger challenges.

Working for Sustainable Brands for three years has put him in contact with some of the top minds in the industry. The aim of the organization is to create business practices that will tackle social and environmental challenges. During his time there, Ben has worked as a design manager and later as the head of the digital business unit. Since the best ideas come from young minds, he founded the SB internship program and mentored students who applied.

After that, he moved on to work independently and work with brands to design solutions to help solve huge problems.

How Pawsey Blends Sustainable Design and Creativity

Brands have the potential to inspire people and change minds. By focusing on sustainable design and creating projects people love, Pawsey hopes to ensure a brighter and greener future for everyone.

PECT Consultancy

PECT is an environmental consultancy company in the UK that hired Ben to manage the development of a green energy comparison website. Despite the low budget, Pawsey and a local web design company put together a streamlined and easy-to-use website. It allowed people to compare the benefits of switching to green electricity by typing in their zip code.

During the project, Pawsey made contacts among environmental NGOs, businesses, and the local council. The ensuing workload allowed him to create his own independent consultancy company that became profitable in less than two years.

Faraday Bicycles

Ben Pawsey joined the Faraday team in 2017 in order to take ownership of the brand and digital marketing. As electric bicycles make an excellent substitute for cars, it fits well into Pawsey’s ethical framework. He redesigned the company website and focused on the video promotion of the product. In just a few months since the relaunch, it recorded the highest traffic on record. It also skyrocketed multiple pages of search results for key search terms.

As Faraday’s aesthetic focuses on vintage blending with modern, Ben’s minimalist style was an ideal match. Clean, modern lines and plenty of white space is eye-catching and distinctive. Also, since bicycles are products that move, videos are the best advertising medium. Pawsey designed a strategy that was low cost and effective, with simple shoots and a clear message.

Thread

Thread is a waste cleaning company that uses trash from the poorest communities to create useful products. Pawsey’s role was to tell that story to as many people as possible. He managed the marketing department and was responsible for almost all of Thread’s public-facing interactions.

In 2016, he designed an interactive, shareable, and accessible digital report that caught the attention of the sustainability industry. As a result, he was invited to speak about visual storytelling and design at the Sustainable Brands conference.

Thread’s partnership with Timberland was a resounding success, with over a billion media impressions in 2016. In addition, it increased its social media following tenfold. Multiple celebrities sported Thread-designed Timberland products, including Brad Pitt and Edward Norton.

Pawsey’s Online Presence

As an all-around creative design expert, Ben Pawsey knows how important simple and clear branding is.

His website is simple and easy to navigate, with just enough content to tell you what he’s about and what you can expect. Nevertheless, short stories accompanied by pictures and videos are more than enough to tell you his whole story and showcase his creative vision.

Since this is Ben Pawsey’s personal brand, it made perfect sense to use the .ME domain. Pawsey.me showcases that personal touch and highlights the personal responsibility aspect of the business. It’s creative, conscientious and, we cannot emphasize this enough – personal.

Wrapping Up

Ben Pawsey is an excellent example of the growing trend of green entrepreneurs. He has a clear vision and goals, and he chooses to partner with companies that match his values. Now that we’re facing climate change consequences, the importance of the green chain of production is incredibly important. So how are you contributing towards sustainable design?

Socially and ecologically conscious businesses are not only the future, but they’re also the present, and we wholeheartedly support them.