Technology Review: Blogs: John Maeda's blog: Bigfoot Greetings

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John Maeda is a world-renowned graphic designer, visual artist, and computer scientist and is a founding voice for “simplicity” in the digital age. From June 2008 he becomes the 16th President of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

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Bigfoot Greetings

Creating and ordering my greeting cards online was easy, but the layers of packaging make me wonder if I've damaged the earth in the process.

Monday, April 21, 2008

With a simple flick of the wrist and click of a button, I ordered my custom-printed cards from Apple. Not very many, really--only 50 total. A few days later, they arrived in two cardboard boxes. I opened one of the boxes, and inside there was another box. I opened that box, and found yet another box. Finally, after opening the last box, I found a bundle of cards. I felt as though I was playing with a Matryoshka doll. The sad part of it, however, was that all the layers of packaging were going to end up in the recycling bin. Did there have to be so many?

On the right is the pile of printed cards and envelopes; on the left is the pile of packaging material. I'm fearful of calculating the carbon footprint of my greeting cards ...

Comments

	The experience of Apple packaging Erica Naone on 04/23/2008 at 9:28 AM		TR Staff Assistant Editor
Posts: 24 Avg Rating:	In my experience, the packaging around an Apple product is designed to make opening that product feel like opening jewelry. This seems to require a certain quantity of packaging. It'd be interesting to think about how to create that same feeling of unveiling a very precious object with a minimum of materials. Rate this comment: (Reply)

	Ecards 2.0 johnalphonse on 04/23/2008 at 11:46 AM
Posts: 66 Avg Rating:	...which is why e-cards will not be an option but a necessity quite soon at this rate. web-enabled smart devices should be handed out for free to help save our planet from us, but somehow the word "money" gets in the way of doing the right thing and the "sugar cube" diminishes as its occupants consume their own habitat. just think, Christmas cards wified to the wall/desk frame, scrolling thru the collection and leaving no tape marks around the threshold! you want the physical memento, print it out and have it autographed! otherwise, my bet is you (plural) throw away 90% of cards received within a month or two tops. sorry, happy holidays, but this is unacceptable waste under any conditions, let alone our current ones, and nostalgia is no excuse for extinction. are you telling me we can't find a way to fund and engender this change yet we continue to pour billions into antiquated and toxic fuels and technologies? answers! i want answers! you know they exist! =;) Rate this comment: (Reply)