Ryman Eco is the font that CAN save the world

Just when we thought there aren't that many more brilliant ideas that can be discovered out there, we prove ourselves wrong. Time and time again. In a world where everyone keeps reminding everyone about the need for out-of-the-box thinking, someone or something comes along and does exactly that.

(Out-of-the-box is one of those nice to hear jargons that makes me want to throw up every time someone uses it in the context of business. It's like collaboration or innovation. Everybody keeps uttering these corporate buzzwords but only a handful really practices them for real, let alone understand in its true form.)

Back to the topic.

Enterprises have long been told that the solution to high printing costs is investment in efficient multi-function mega printers. Small businesses on the other hand can't afford those monoliths and were pointed to the cheaper ink direction.

The ultimate solution of course is to stop majority of printing needs by investing in enterprise workflow solutions. In interactive dashboards and dynamic reports on iPads. In electronic documentation (i.e. invoices, receipts) using electronic approval/routing/signature. In smart people that can execute all of the above. (And in decisive leaders that will rally everyone.)

The preceding paragraph is a daunting task and most companies are simply overwhelmed to take action. Apparently, the size and scale alone of transformation projects creates a massive psychological blockade for getting things done.

Enter the sustainable font. It's not the ink. It's not the printer. It's...

Ryman Eco, a promising new font that claims to use 30% less ink than popular fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia and Verdana. Created by stationary brand Ryman and its creative agency Grey London, the world will save 490 million ink cartridges and 15 million gallons of oil annually if everyone used it.

Here's what "the world's most beautiful sustainable font" looks like:

Visually alone, it does make sense how we can save on print costs. A really, really great idea. But is it palatable to the reader, to the avid reader most specifically? It's pretty hard to tell since there aren't that much literature out there written on Ryman Eco. (As I was typing this piece, I did try to make use of Ryman Eco as the main font to better illustrate. Fifteen minutes later, I gave up. Too many steps that lead nowhere.)

Well, let's download the darn thing and start saving up on ink. (It is free!)

Need further convincing? This video is nice.

P.S. Sustainable fonts aren't exactly new. But it doesn't mean we can't convince more people this time!