HMXNW —
Playing Cards
Consumer Goods
Herman Miller joined the NextWave Plastics consortium as a founding member in 2018. NextWave Plastics is a group of companies committed to developing an ocean bound plastic supply chain and reducing single use plastic within products and packaging.
HM’s Sustainability Resource Team (SRT) tasked my internship team to develop a covetable sales giveaway item utilizing ocean bound plastic. The sales giveaway should be something people want, made of ocean bound plastic and help tell the story to customers.
Prelude
An Ocean Bound Plastic Covetable Giveaway
Ocean Bound Plastic ︎︎︎(OBP)
n. Any mismanaged waste found within 50 kilometers of a coastline. Each year approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean from land.
Expanding upon our giveaways ︎︎︎
Giveaway items are given to visitors and guests of the HM Greenhouse and Design Yard facilities by our customer experience team.
A few examples of our current giveaway items consist of reusable glass straws, greenhouse honey, and totes. Our goal is to expand upon the giveaways to create an offering thats not only unique but highly valued and relevant to the HM brand.
Our Solution ︎︎︎
HM X NW Playing Cards
Why Cards?
Creating a product that lasts
Quality playing cards can last through years of play, and when stored in their own specialized container, that longevity can multiply.
Quality playing cards can last through years of play, and when stored in their own specialized container, that longevity can multiply.
Bridging our past to our future
Herman Miller’s history of working with genre defining designers and producing products of unmatched quality fall in line with HM X NextWave playing cards.
Herman Miller’s history of working with genre defining designers and producing products of unmatched quality fall in line with HM X NextWave playing cards.
Communicating through play
With HM X NextWave Playing Cards, Herman Miller will be able to intertwine its rich history with the likes of joy itself.
With HM X NextWave Playing Cards, Herman Miller will be able to intertwine its rich history with the likes of joy itself.
Having fun!
Cards are communal. By creating an experiential system, we invite others to join in ideating.
Cards are communal. By creating an experiential system, we invite others to join in ideating.
/ Your Travel Companion
/ For Game Night
/ A Stunning Collectible
Using design as a tool to tell our sustainability story ︎︎︎
Visualizing OBP initiatives
Each card was carefully crafted to relay Herman Miller’s sustainability initiatives which was made possible through the collaboration with NextWave plastics.
Keeping in-line with the ocean bound plastic theme, the cards design is centered around images that depict the pollution of our waterways.
Each card was carefully crafted to relay Herman Miller’s sustainability initiatives which was made possible through the collaboration with NextWave plastics.
Keeping in-line with the ocean bound plastic theme, the cards design is centered around images that depict the pollution of our waterways.
Visual Inspiration - From the HM Archives︎︎︎
Charles and Ray Eames [House of Cards]
Stephen Frykholm
[Picnic Posters]
Don Ervin
[Ad 61’]
Alexander Girard
[Environmental Enrichment Panels]
The Cards
The Case
Ocean bound themed graphics
Wave split design
HM branding and material statments
Card Case
The card case is made from 100% Ocean Bound PET with MoldTech’s MT 11010 texture. The tag is made from Revenio textile.
The card case is made from 100% Ocean Bound PET with MoldTech’s MT 11010 texture. The tag is made from Revenio textile.
Cards
The Playing cards are made from 100% recyclable paper.
The Playing cards are made from 100% recyclable paper.
A Sustainable Approach ︎︎︎
Herman Miller became a founding member of Nextwave Plastics to advance its sustainability mission and encourage other companies to do so as well. Both the card case and the Scatter textile used for the tag are made from OBP materials - this allows us to divert discarded plastic from landfills and water ways and instead give it new life. My team estimates that for every 5000 cases produced, more than 1500 lbs of diverted plastic will be used.
