ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy”
– Emma Watson
As we roll into March it’s time once again to talk design. A new month means fresh inspiration, and a chance to enliven your creative energy.
This month, we are delving into the world of sustainable and ethical design. Think practical, environmentally safe campaigns combined with socially responsible marketing messages. Ethical design is shaping the present and the future and focusses on creating a positive impact on the environment and society around us. From ethical materials to accessibility in design and being brave enough to showcase your commitment to environmental and social causes, ethical design is a great way to build rapport and gain loyalty from your customers.
So, without further ado let’s get into it.
Warmly, Alysha
Owner, Wow Studios
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Exciting News – All the Highlights from the Oz Queer Hags 2025 Sydney Mardi Gras Parade.
Let’s Talk Branding – Ethical & Sustainable Design: Creating with Purpose, Impact, & Responsibility.
Brand Workshops – The results are in, what participants said about the Fairfield HQ sessions!
Past Stories – More blogs about branding.
Feel Inspired – 6 Examples of Ethical Brands who are Winning!
EXCITING NEWS
ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OZ QUEER HAGS 2025 SYDNEY MARDI GRAS PARADE
The feathers have settled, the heels have come off, and the glitter is still turning up in unexpected places—so let’s relive the magic! Jaw-dropping costumes and bedazzled joy took centre stage as the Oz Queer Hags soared their way down Oxford St in this years Sydney Mardi Gras Parade.
Wow Studios was thrilled to once again be part of such a special and inspirational day. From concept creation to prop building and managing the group on the day, Wow was there to help make it a magical event.
Taking inspiration from the 2025 Mardi Gras theme; Free to be, the Oz Queer Hags enchanted the audience as vibrant bluebirds taking flight. Celebrating freedom and joy, the float captured the exhilarating moment when caged birds are released to soar through the skies. Adorned with brilliant blues and sparkling feathers they embodied the spirit of liberation and symbolised the journey of their decades-long effort to achieve equality.
Here are a few key highlight pics from the day! Special thanks to Phil from I Don’t Wear Goggles for the beautiful shots!
LET’S TALK BRANDING
ETHICAL & SUSTAINABLE DESIGN:
CREATING WITH PURPOSE, IMPACT & RESPONSIBILITY
Ethical and sustainable design is all about creating positive impact. On an ethical front, it’s about ensuring honesty and transparency in your marketing and branding alongside taking into consideration the social and moral impact on those who view and interact with your campaigns. When it comes to sustainability, its all about ensuring your business is creating a positive benefit for your customer and the planet through the use of energy-efficiency, minimal waste and sustainable materials.
First up, let’s talk Ethical Design
When you think about ethics in graphic design, its really all about ensuring you incorporate your principles and morals into your marketing and branding strategies. Think back to your brand heart and what matters on a fundamental level; being open and honest about your products and services, respecting the IP rights of others and ensuring what you say to your consumers is truthful and based on fact rather than fiction.
Ethical Design & AI
With the fast-paced developments in AI over the last few years, ethical design has found itself clearly in the spotlight. From fact-checking data provided by ChatGPT to ensuring your visual imagery is unique and not a mishmash of creative concepts developed by artists, AI has certainly pushed the boundaries of what we can create but that comes with responsibility too.
Trust is a critical component in the process of building relationships with your consumers. By ensuring every aspect of your business including what you design, is based in strong ethical design and conduct you build positive rapport.
Alongside these key elements of truth and integrity are other key considerations like cultural sensitivities, equal accessibility/usability and impacts on society and culture.
Ethical Design Considerations
Here’s just a few things to consider when planning out your next campaign.
- Psychological impact
- Does your campaign alienate or negatively affect smaller segments of the market, lend into negative stereotypes or promote discrimination?
- Have you considered cultural sensitivities and how your campaign may be perceived by other cultures and beliefs?
- Does your campaign deal with controversial or difficult topics with empathy and sensitivity?
- Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights
- Have you got permission to use the images and visuals in your campaign?
- If necessary, have you credited the author or artist?
- If you have taken inspiration from existing work, is your design different enough to be unique and avoid any copyright disagreements or infringements?
- Honesty and Transparency
- Are you being truthful and accurately portraying the benefits of your product or service in an authentic light?
- Have you manipulated information or visuals in a way that could portray your product or service as something it isn’t?
- Are you being guided by your morals and ensuring your campaign links back to your fundamental core brand heart and what your business stands for?
- Social Impact
- Does your campaign have a constructive impact on society?
- Are you positively addressing the needs of your audience?
- Will your campaign do good in the world and make people feel good?
What about Sustainable Design?
Sustainable design is all about keeping the environment front of mind and ensuring your campaign will leave a positive impact on the world around you. From using sustainable materials to thinking about your energy and carbon footprint and the messages you send out; sustainable design is all about making a difference.
The goal is to minimise negative impacts on the environment in the creative process and it starts long before you get to any physical products; it transcends beyond the visuals and the physical. Being environmentally conscious during the concept stage and everyday design life is important too. There is so much you can do from digital proofs instead of paper, using natural lighting, walking/transport instead of driving, etc. Everything you do has an impact so choosing sustainable options, when possible, contributes positively to the environment and to your quality of life too!
How can you incorporate Sustainable Design principles?
- Minimise waste, print less, choose sustainable, natural or recycled materials.
- Consider the full product lifecycle, including reusable products and recyclable products and materials that minimise waste.
- Choose eco-friendly inks or environmentally conscious production and distribution methods.
- Prioritise digital and online distribution and print on demand options.
- Create healthy environments that promote well-being. Natural lighting, integrate the environment with nature, fresh air. Take a human-centered approach.
- Consider your energy consumption and use renewable energy sources. Consider LED lights, solar panels, insulation, and simple things like a blanket instead of a heater, etc.
When you incorporate Ethical and Sustainable Design practices you attract eco-friendly consumers and boost your brand image. And when we put our focus on doing good, great things happen! With today’s consumers being ever more focussed about what you do beyond making a profit, there has never been a more important time to jump on the Ethical and Sustainable Design bandwagon!
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & EDUCATION NEWS
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BRAND EDUCATION MASTERCLASSES!
In Australia, small business accounts for 95% of the total number of businesses in the country. (Small Business Loans Australia)
That’s a lot of competitors! If you want to stand out and catch the eye of your audience, you need to build an effective and authentic brand.
In these interactive, hands-on masterclass workshops, participants will gain an understanding of all the components that go into making a strong and well thought out brand.
Through a series of group and solo activities, participants will work together to learn the concepts and put into practice what they learn for their own individual businesses. By the end of the course, participants will walk away with the foundations necessary to bring their brand to life.
WANT TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR PAST STORIES
As a small business it can be hard to work out what makes your business different from the competition. To stand out from the crowd you need to have a point of difference, a reason for your customers to choose you. That x-factor is called a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and today we are going to look at some of the ways you can step out from the shadows and move to the top of the pack using authentic branding.
January has rolled around again, and with that flip of the calendar, its time to plan ahead and start building your brand and marketing strategies for the year to come!
To help you out, here are some of my favourite insights from The 2025 Artlist Trend Report.
These days’ consumers are bombarded with so much choice it can be hard to break through the clutter and stand out. With so much information at their fingertips consumers are also becoming savvier and often make purchase decisions not only based on the product but also what the brand behind the product stands for.
So how do you get your consumers to trust you?
FEEL INSPIRED
Ethical shoppers are changing the way Australian companies do business. Brands that dedicate themselves to the greater good instead of only their bottom lines are seeing an upsurge in customer loyalty, not to mention greater revenue.
Best Ad Campaigns to Inspire You in 2025
CREATE THE UNEXPECTED, DELIVER HAPPINESS!
WOW STUDIOS – WE BRING YOUR CREATIVE IDEAS TO LIFE
BACK TO OUR BLOG
About the Author
Alysha is a seasoned graphic designer and brand educator with over a decade of experience in marketing and design. She specializes in crafting bold, unique brand identities, and marketing collateral that gets noticed. Working primarily with small and medium-sized businesses, she partners with entrepreneurs who seek a long-term design collaborator who truly understands their brand, audience, and business goals. While she serves a wide range of industries, she has a particularly strong presence in financial services, investor relations, and the creative entrepreneurial space.
Beyond design, Alysha is passionate about educating small business owners on the power of branding. Through her blog, she shares expert insights on design, brand strategy, and proactive marketing—helping business owners stand out, build credibility, and attract their ideal customers. Her brand education work focuses primarily on guiding women entrepreneurs over 40 in understanding their competitors, defining their audience, clarifying their brand’s deeper purpose, and developing a compelling brand personality and messaging.
With a friendly, efficient, and results-driven approach, Alysha ensures her designs and branding strategies are not only visually compelling but also strategically aligned to help businesses thrive.