Paula Scher—the 2013 National Design Award winner for Communication Design—along with Marion Bantjes and Christopher Niemann have produced the first three in a series of twelve posters promoting the concept of Sustainability. The series, commissioned and art directed by William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand of Winterhouse Publications, features the interpretation of sustainability into conceptual graphic design. Produced in collaboration with international paper manufacturing firm Stora Enso, the posters are presented in two formats: as the folded brochure advertising Stora Enso's commitment to reforestation projects while manufacturing a superior paper product, and as a stand-alone horizontal poster.
The three graphic designers selected by Drenttel and Helfand—Scher, Bantjes, and Niemann—are major figures in contemporary graphic design. In this poster, Scher, known for her innovative uses of typography, and one of the principles of the design firm Pentagram, has constructed an image based on the word Sustainability. She reconstructs the word as the infinity symbol, with no beginning and no end, constantly renewing itself. In this poster resembling a blueprint, the architect's primary tool for constructing a new building project, Scher has presented the word sustainability in plan, section and elevation. The white letters on a blue ground provide maximum legibility while the reference to architectural plans allows for an intense scrutiny of the word itself.