JKR

“The 2011 Annual is TASCHEN’s most sustainably produced title to date. Its carbon footprint is 82% less than the 2010 edition. Both the design and production of the book aimed to push the boundaries of environmentally conscientious publishing.”

So run the opening lines of the introduction to this year’s Annual on the D&AD website. You can read the whole story here with further information from designers Pentagram here.

Last year there was a little kerfuffle over the green credentials of the Annual’s heavyweight production values. There was a rather misguided suggestion that it might be greener to ship it as an iPad, which while a rather silly thought, does give some indication of what a massive thing the Annual has become, physically speaking.

This year’s has gone to great lengths to be more sustainable. It’s compostable for example, although who would want to compost it, I am unsure. But production details such as this: “The decision was made to leave the paper uncoated, further reducing the weight. Producing the paper in Austria  - where 70% of electricity comes from Hydro power  - also had a dramatic impact on overall carbon reduction” show the depth of thinking involved.

As such, I think it’s great. It feels only slightly smaller than last year’s effort and the design is also a great deal more elegant. It is only right that a publication offering the very best of design and communication should lead the way in sustainable thinking, but I also concur with the sentiment behind producing a book at all, as voiced by D&AD president Sanky: ‘‘I grew up in a house FULL of books. Books change the sound of a room, the smell, the light and most importantly what could happen in the room. Books, we need them.” And the Annual is still something of a bible for the creative industry – it would lose something if it became digital rather than permanent and tangible (I realise this view shows my rather outmoded view of what digital is, but for me, digital still puts a layer between reader and content that books do not).

Interestingly, the lead packaging design to win an award in the Annual was the fantastic sustainable work produced by Puma. This design is also very impressive, but wears its green approach loud and proud – it’s the catalyst for the design’s look and feel. This is cool, but I think its more admirable in a way to take the approach the Annual itself has followed – the book does not feel like a compromise or ‘all about green’. It just is. And by being so shows that we can, potentially, have our cake and eat it. Inspiring stuff!

There is a great infographic with all the stats to be enjoyed here.