Rachel Cifarelli
Climate Designer exploring how visual design can disrupt the status-quo
As designers, we have a bigger role to play throughout all phases of the design processes – not just the beginning. I’m a graphic designer by trade; creating narratives and evoking emotion through visuals is my jam, but I’m working my way into post-production practices too.
My passion is working with organizations that have our earth’s goals in mind – not as an afterthought, but from the get-go. I’ve worked with Sierra Club and local restaurants, connecting businesses with sustainable solutions that align with their goals.
I’m also currently working with student designers to inform a new wave of design education that brings climate action into classrooms. If we can educate students to be climate designers, that’s one massive step closer to a greener, more just world.
Projects
I wanted to design and develop a booklet that makes plant-based eating more approachable and appealing. But how to tackle this when there’s such a negative stereotype that vegans only eat grass? Well, that got me thinking about the other extreme: the alpha male who takes a lot of pride in eating meat. This booklet plays heavily off of dad jokes and humor, giving the content a lighthearted and approachable feel. For this project I created the color scheme and typographical elements, designed the booklet, and pulled illustrations from Envato elements. The copy itself is from an article written by Sarah Chodosh for Popsci.
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I find that people are often consumed with apprehension and trepidation when it comes to being more environmentally-friendly. Most don’t realize how easy it can be, but I wanted to change that. I created this poster series, Go Sustainable, to reflect the many simple ways to be more sustainable in everyday life. I chose to use bright colors to differentiate it from the traditional messages that encompass the climate change movement – bright purples, greens and yellows are meant to give the audience a sense of excitement and urgency. To give the piece a bit more weight, I added small informational blurbs of why each action is so beneficial to the environment. The goal for this poster series was not to make the reader feel attacked or bombarded; rather, I wanted to plant a seed, pushing the audience to consider their everyday actions and think about how they can change those actions for the better.
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