Hi everyone! Today I'm happy to share an interview with Roger Vaughn, the creative behind Bugeyefly Design. In this interview Roger and I talk about a new initiative he's been working on - #designersforfuture. In the interview Roger shares his thoughts on how the design community can take steps to support action on climate change and push for a sustainable future. I think you will see that Roger is quite passionate about this work. Hopefully we will all be inspired to create and run businesses that support respect our one planet.Enjoy the interview, and make sure you join us next week as we continue our conversation with Roger. We'll discuss the relationship between sustainability and POD sites and touch on organizations doing good work.

Hi Roger! It has been a few years since I interviewed you for the blog. What have you been up to since then?

Well, I've been putting in time at my studio lately, working on further developing my skills (a task that never ends, but a particular focus of late). I've also been trying to figure out the best way to tackle the challenge of establishing a personal product line. I've dipped in and out of a number of areas trying to figure out which ones suit me.

And you've been working on the #designersforfuture initiative. Tell us about that.

#designersforfuture is an outgrowth of the #fridaysforfuture movement, which was started by young activist Greta Thunberg here in Sweden. I'm sure most people have heard of her by now. She recognized that something had to be done to force concrete action on climate change and the movement sprang up around her sit-down protests and other organizing efforts. I've seen other groups in which I'm involved (in particular, #vegansforfuture) rallying around to show their support of her using hashtags, so I just took it upon myself to establish #designersforfuture for all of us designers. There are plenty of other groups out there showing support, from nurses and parents to artists and so on. I decided to take the initiative and hoped that other designers would get involved and spread the word. I hoped they would express their solidarity for what has become a singular and crucial effort to tackle the most significant crisis of our time.I don't say those words lightly, by the way.More than anything else, I hoped it would be a show of solidarity with the young people who are actively rebelling. I'm not in charge of anything, just a volunteer administrator of an account. Other folks don't need to ask for permission to join in or show up every week or whatever it may be. Every expression of support counts for something. No contribution is too small.

How has it gone so far? Are people engaged?

A handful of people have been consistently engaged and quite a number of others have popped up with occasional support when they have the time and feel they have something to say. I'm not an experienced organizer, but I felt I had to do something. More than anything else, I'd like to encourage others to take the initiative and do something of their own, whether connected to #designersforfuture or not.I'm relatively new to the design world and have approached this initiative as a student of sorts. I wanted to hear how other people are bringing these concerns into their careers. And I was happy to discover that these issues are on the minds of many, and that many designers have already taken steps to address issues of sustainability and climate change on their own.There was a wave of sharing at the start, but that's petered out. My impression is that people are generally quite wary about expressing themselves on these topics in public. I think engagement in private far, far exceeds what we see in public.

Why do you care about establishing a sustainable future?

It's a matter of conscience really. Can I sit by and send all of the kids of today into such an uncertain and dangerous future? Or no future at all? What about people who are already being affected today by the lifestyle choices we've all made? Somehow we have to start righting this colossal injustice. And then there's the rest of the creatures we share the planet with too, who have as much right as we do to thrive.

What advice do you give to people who want to do something but don't know where to start?

Jump in with both feet. We all have limitations as to the time and energy we can devote to this, and for some of us taking action feels uncomfortable. I saw a sign at a recent rally that said "So bad even the introverts are on the streets" or something like that. I feel the same way! I'm an introvert, very shy. I don't enjoy conflict at all. You might not believe that if you've seen my social media of late, but it's true! I figured these kids like Greta probably weren't expecting their lives to start out this way. If they have to make those sacrifices the least I can do is show them a little solidarity. What's a little discomfort when we're tackling something this important?So, if you have something to share, or an idea you want to run with, just do it. You don't need permission from anyone. Just say what you need to say however you want to say it. There are lots of campaigns out there doing good work already, so if you're unsure about starting something yourself just join one of them. Or maybe share some content that you think is relevant every so often. If you want some pep talk, get in touch with me directly!

What are your plans for the future?

I'm shifting into a new planning phase now and am working to construct a business that reflects my needs. I'm narrowing down my options on POD - I've cut back to just Spoonflower and Etsy. And I'm trying to branch out into new areas, including illustraion.The activist side of things is something I've always known I would eventually focus on. Now with the state of the world, it's been forced to the surface. To some degree I think my path will be led by that current, but I'm still not clear on what that will look like.

Roger's headshot

Want to see more of Roger’s work? You can visit his website

or find him on Pinterest.

Designing for a sustainable future with Roger Vaughn