Sustainability in the KVS Studio
Smart studio practice is about responsibility in design and transparency in communication.
At KVS, sustainability is built into the design process itself. The studio is guided by ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) principles: environmental responsibility, social inclusion and transparent communication. While I don’t track hard ESG metrics directly, my practice is grounded in these principles and supports clients who need to measure and report them, ensuring their sustainability commitments are communicated clearly, credibly, and accessibly.
But first, a quick explainer:
ESG = Environmental, Social & Governance
A framework companies use to measure and report their environmental footprint, social impact, and governance practices. It’s often tied to investor expectations and long-term business accountability.CSR = Corporate Social Responsibility
A company’s voluntary commitment to ethical practices and community impact; things like charitable initiatives, local hiring, diversity programs, or sustainability projects.
Simply put: CSR is about what companies choose to do for good, while ESG is how they’re measured and held accountable for it.
So how does KVS incorporate ESG?
Let’s look at some examples of practical + actionable ESG principles for my design studio:
Environmental
Digital-first by default → Prioritizing digital-first proofs and deliverables. Delivering annual reports as interactive PDFs instead of mass print runs and encouraging digital pitch deck downloads. Today’s investor is changing, and it’s rare someone requests a printed version these days.
Intentional print only → When physical copies or packaging is needed, I recommend conscious options, like FSC-certified recycled stock and soy inks, local printers and smaller targeted runs or print-on-demand solutions. Large volume printing can lower unit costs, but often leads to overages and inventory that sits unused. Being intentional avoids waste and ensures what’s printed is truly needed.
Efficient workflows → Using reusable design systems and templates reduces excess revisions and digital waste.
Social
Accessibility built in → Incorporating or working with web developers to apply website accessible standards: high-contrast text, readable font sizes, alt text for charts and captions for video.
Free Course: The AccessAbility Course by RGD (Registered Graphic Designers of Canada) is a free online course that helps designers and communications professionals understand and apply accessible design practices. Learn more ›
Web Standards: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2 AA) set the international benchmark for digital accessibility and are the baseline standard I work toward. Read guidelines ›
Cultural sensitivity → Ensuring imagery, language and tone reflect diverse audiences and stakeholders. This can mean designing investor decks for different audiences, adapting packaging or campaigns for global markets, or working with translators and cultural reviewers to ensure accuracy and respect.
Community support → Donating design and communications services to non-for-profits. Investing in communities and supporting in local suppliers and businesses.
Governance
Accuracy in Design → Every chart, label or report page is designed to reflect sourced and verifiable information. From ESG data to beauty ingredient claims, visuals are crafted so that what’s presented is accurate, clear and credible.
Transparent Communication → Design bridges the gap between technical detail and human understanding. Using plain-language summaries, intuitive layouts and clear hierarchy ensures complex information can be understood by board members, regulators and everyday customers or investors alike.
Credible Storytelling → Good design shapes disclosures into narratives people can trust. Consistent typography, structured layouts and visual cues help transform raw data into communications that feel professional, trustworthy, and reliable.
ESG Project Spotlight
NINE MILES OF SMILES is a non-for-profit Canadian charity that provides dental care to under serviced rural areas in Jamaica. I worked with the team and donated design services for a re-brand a new website.
🧾 KVS Track Record
Sustainability has been part of my design practice long before it became a buzzword. From architecture to mining to beauty, I’ve used design to solve sustainability challenges for over two decades, whether through passive solar home concepts, packaging built with fewer materials, or annual reports that make ESG data clear and credible. My work is design-first, but always informed by communications: weaving in transparency, cultural sensitivity, and stakeholder context so the message is as strong as the medium.
Experience built on years of hands-on work:
ESG Reporting & Data → Designed and produced annual/sustainability reports and presentations with ESG disclosures, translating raw data into clear, visual stories stakeholders can understand and trust.
CSR Communications → Built visual frameworks for CSR updates to boards, executives and investors, pairing design clarity with transparent messaging and accountability.
Community Engagement → Designed and adapted communications for meetings with Indigenous and community leaders, ensuring visuals and language respected cultural perspectives and priorities. Also contributed to boots-on-the-ground initiatives that informed design decisions.
Sustainable Print Practices → In beauty and consumer industries, developed packaging systems with lower-impact materials, reused components and die-cuts to minimize waste, and made eco-conscious print choices. I also run an e-commerce wall art shop using a print-on-demand model that prints and ships locally, reducing excess stock and the shipping footprint.
This mix of design expertise and insider ESG/CSR experience gives KVS a unique perspective: creative-first solutions that are grounded in responsibility, credibility, and real-world sustainability.
Stripe Climate Partner
Beyond design + part of the studio ethos:
KVS invests 1% of revenue via Stripe Climate to accelerate climate solutions.
TLDR: Sustainable design in the studio isn’t a trend.
It’s how trust is built, waste (physical + digital) is reduced and impact is made, starting at the design studio level. We’re not perfect, and there’s always more to learn, improve and be held accountable for. But commitment matters, and the work continues.
Digital-first reduces waste, print only with intention.
Accessibility and cultural respect are non-negotiable.
Giving back (1% donations, pro bono work) amplifies impact.
How are you bringing sustainability into your own practice?
Let’s keep the conversation going on social.
✌️ KV
Need to elevate your sustainability reporting, communications, or annual report?
Let’s create design that’s clear, credible, and built for impact.