Low Energy Digital Design

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed - but only converted from one form to another.” - first law of thermodynamics

As humans, we have a fraught relationship with the laws of thermodynamics. We’re extremely good at shifting states of energy and matter into a wide and enviable selection of, say, shiny new teaspoons - but we’re pretty bad at noticing that our cutlery drawer is already full.

Perhaps it’s because we’re not creatures of logic - and evolving the capacity to make vibes-based value judgements has had questionable outcomes for us as a species. We tend not to take the path of least resistance, we’re wasteful, and so we end up not only with drawers but entire dressers crammed with silverware when (to paraphrase Bruno Munari), a pair of chopsticks would probably do just fine.

The question of being sustainable in design is therefore an interesting one. Aesthetic differences are not terribly efficient. Sharks and crocodiles have been doing pretty well without art and branding for millions of years. But we love our visuals. We are excited by them, they make us feel that life is worth living. We’re wasteful, but we’re also creative - and we love to express ourselves. Our capacity for creativity could quite possibly be infinite - but unfortunately we do happen to live in a finite system. Our planetary resources cannot support exponential growth, and sooner or later we will have to ask ourselves: just how many teaspoons do we really need?

A truly efficient, sustainable design is going to be one that does only what is needful, and only what cannot be done in any other way. In other words - we are going to have to start setting some limitations.

Here’s the good news - creativity thrives within limitations.

Our brains are good at finding workarounds. We all know the scene in Apollo 13 where they cobble together a CO2 filter from duct tape and plastic - our creativity is the capacity to accomplish task A with the tools and materials that were meant for task B.

Sustainable digital design is that paradox. How can we create a digital design - something that consumes energy - in a way that ultimately serves the conservation of energy? Code efficiency will ultimately do a lot of the work here - but speaking visually - how can I design a look and feel for a website that is ‘low energy’?

Using fewer fonts

A font is always an asset that must be loaded - the fewer you use, the better. If these can be system fonts, even better. If treated with curious eyes, typography alone has the potential to be immensely sculptural. If you’re stuck, take a look at the poetry of E.E. Cummings.