Do you know the true cost of your digital footprint? Find out what you can do to make digital design more sustainable.
Digital Misconceptions
The internet allows us to speak to loved ones and colleagues from all over the world, stream films, and store vast amounts of messages, documents, and media without a second thought. As a result, there's a perception that the internet exists in an entirely different realm to the built environment. While at the same time, the internet has entered every aspect of our lives.
From shopping to socialising, and work to working out, much of our existence is now virtual.
Thanks to coronavirus, we've realised that many of the things we used to do in person can be done online. As well as saving a whole lot of time and money, the shift to online stands to benefit the environment; principally by reducing the need for transportation between places.
But that doesn't mean the internet is carbon neutral.
The Environmental Impact of Digital
The two biggest environmental benefits of the internet are:
The internet eradicates the need to print and mass-produce everything from train tickets to government reports.
Connecting virtually eliminates the need for transportation and the associated emissions.
Most of the ways digital affects the environment are widely known, but rarely acknowledged:
Every time you plug in your phone, your laptop or tablet you're using energy.
Your smartphone is probably the most environmentally-costly device you own.
Laptops, computers and gaming consoles quickly follow suit.
A massive way the internet impacts the environment is neither well-known, nor widely acknowledged: alongside the environmental costs of manufacturing, shipping and charging devices, are the effects of running and storing digital information through data centres.
The internet may transcend physical space, but it relies on physical structures to operate. Data Centres use up enormous amounts of energy, contributing to as much as 4% of global carbon emissions (The Shift Project, 2019) — on a par with the level of emissions from airline companies.
What Can We Do to Make Digital More Sustainable?
1. Optimise page weight
If a page is lagging, that's a pretty good indication that it's being weighed down by overly large files (often image or video files), convoluted styling or ill-conceived layout. You can optimise page weight by resizing images, stripping out any non-essentials and 'lazy loading' video content.
2. Choose a host that uses local servers
Ask yourself where you expect the majority of your website traffic to come from, and endeavour to match with a local web host.
3. Think about your ideal customer journey and organise around it
If you approach design from the point of view of creating a clear and efficient user experience, you're already halfway to designing sustainably.
4. Consistency is key
If a website has a logical layout, it means that there is little need to overwrite HTML with more HTML. Sticking to a limited number of typographical elements, buttons and visual motifs will make your website look more cohesive and decrease the amount of energy needed to power your site.
If you're looking for inspiration, we reckon our own website is a good example of sustainable digital design! Studio Lutalica's limited palette, sparing use of imagery, logical structure and consistent aesthetic allow it to be speedy and economical.
