This Article provides an initial overview of the professional graphic designers’ negative environmental impact and why their method of design for planned obsolescence must change. It argues thereafter that the American university graphic design curriculum should evolve to include an initial discussion of sustainability through a required studio design course on the topic.

To aid in the development of a sustainable design curriculum, the Article provides three case study courses taught by three American university professors. These provide best practices for other university educators to emulate in teaching the topic of sustainable design in their classrooms. The discussion of teaching sustainability in graphic design is just beginning and the required course proposed should serve as a catalyst to completely change how graphic design is taught from early foundational courses to graduation