michael hendrix

Michael Hendrix, the chief brand officer and creative director of Tricycle, Inc., has worked in art and design since the mid 1990s. Since he co-founded the firm in 2002, the company — which collaborates with interior surface manufacturers to cut waste in product development and merchandising on a platform of proprietary clean technology — has grown to encompass 37 employees on two continents and garnered widespread industry recognition. In addition to awards from The One Show, the Type Directors Club, Communications Arts, PRINT, STEP inside design, AIGA, the American Advertising Association and the International Interior Design Association, the Chattanooga TNbased Tricycle received a 2006 IDEA Gold Award for innovation in eco-design from the Industrial Design Society of America and BusinessWeek, a 2006 National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and a 2007 Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Excellence in Pollution Prevention. The company was a short-list finalist for the 2005 INDEX: Awards for Design to Improve Life. Hendrix, who earned a bachelors of fine arts in graphic design from the University of Tennessee, is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, as well as a board member and the sustainability chair of AIGA Chattanooga. He frequently blogs at TricycleInk.com.

Is graphic design a growth industry? Designers have a chance to make significant contributions as we face mounting challenges like global warming, culture wars and shifting world powers. The challenge is to understand systems of influence and to create strategies to address them at connection points. We need to be aware that the designthinking skills used in our craft are also applicable to business and social concerns.

Do graphic designers have a special responsibility to promote a green society? As creators of ephemera, we should be sensitive about the necessity and lifecycle of our designs. Our clients share that belief with us, and we engage in an active dialogue to find better solutions.