Designing the Arc brochure
- July 27, 2018
- Written by Ashley Katz
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You might find it unusual that an organization so focused on the environment would design printed marketing collateral. In this “print to digital” day and age, why would you rely on paper to promote your message?
While curbing wasteful printing has always been a priority for our USGBC marketing and communications team, sometimes paper speaks louder than a screen. In fact, science shows that paper can be more effective and memorable than digital.
When we sat down to strategize our marketing for Arc, a digital platform designed to help building projects collect, manage and benchmark their performance data, we knew we needed to supplement our heavily digital-centric marketing with a standout print brochure.
The goal was to create an impactful leave-behind to complement the team’s sales efforts. The brochure would be used in meetings and presentations and distributed at various events. The team got started on the design, aiming to have the brochure ready for distribution at Greenbuild Europe, which took place in April in Berlin, Germany.
The trifold design brochure conveys Arc’s innovative and data-centric functionality, with simplicity and ease of use. Its compact size (5.66 by 16.98 inches) is portable, but large enough to accommodate the perfect amount of information, so it’s useful to our customers. The die cuts add dimension and make the brochure eye-catching and modern.
Per our printing guidelines, the brochure was printed on Mohawk Options paper stock, using soy-based inks by a local FSC Certified printer.
Links we love: What the social media team uses
- July 24, 2018
- Written by Heather Benjamin
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As part of the USGBC marketing and communications team, two to three people handle our social media marketing for USGBC, LEED, our GBCI family of brands and associated accounts like the Center for Green Schools. Across our social media platforms, they balance the needs of creating fun social engagement opportunities with sharing important announcements and keeping a consistent tone.
Here’s a quick roundup of some of the resources where they find inspiration:
Julia Pergolini, Social Media Manager
- I use Hootsuite’s services from time to time, which is originally how I became familiar with their blog. It’s one of the very few that I subscribe to with my regular work email, because I appreciate the content and find it useful for digital content knowledge well beyond the realm of its core services. Also, they offer free webinars galore! They’ve been around for a long time, and I think that counts for something.
- I’m a huge fan of the knowledge that TrackMaven features regularly on its blog. As a customer of TrackMaven’s analytic software, I trust them as a resource and value what they are about as a company. I subscribe to this blog in my email, but I also love visiting their website (something I can’t say about every company!).
- I’m new to Sprout Social, but am digging it already! Their design style is great, and visually appealing content is always a plus. They have excellent, relevant resources with digestible and creative delivery. They also look at social in broad contexts and include a lot of information specific to community and project management. I look forward to using their tools more often.
Sarah Stanley, Media and Communications Manager
- I like the Social Media Today blog—whether it’s an overview on a new feature released on Facebook or just a quick how-to guide on navigating a certain function, this website is a good down-and-dirty resource for getting a basic understanding of hot topics quickly. Another similar resource is Social Media Examiner.
- As the line between marketing and PR continues to blur, it’s important to expand the industry or trade publications you’re referencing. Sources like PRWeek and AdWeek are not only good for staying on top of what’s happening in the industry, but they also provide in-depth looks at current and recent campaigns. Seeing what others are doing can help spark ideas for how you might leverage social media to support your own goals.
- Follow the experts. Those who are leading social media efforts for brands should also be on your “must follow” radar on Twitter. Their insights, tips and work are powerful lessons. Try the aumcore list of thought leaders to get you started.
Design case study: The Greenbuild international rebrand
- July 20, 2018
- Written by Apatton
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Dynamic, inspirational and bringing together the green building community worldwide…these were some of the ideas that guided us through our international Greenbuild rebrand at USGBC earlier this year. As part of our event strategy, we aim to evolve the look of the show branding to touch on different topics and trends, while maintaining the core Greenbuild aesthetic as a thread. With one year of international shows under our belt, we were looking forward to the evolution of the visuals, based on our experiences.
After our inaugural year using the colorful city skylines with Greenbuild China, India, Europe and Mexico, we kept the existing logo lock-ups with the location, along with the bright color palette, and used that as a base to expand the look.
We continued the use of our bright color palette for international Greenbuild events.
We aimed to fuse those pieces together with elements that would adapt and flow from city to city, as well as tie in the overall “Human x Nature” Greenbuild theme in a way that was unique to the international market. Using the “x” from the theme on an expanded scale, we blended it with photography and gradients to create a colorful and engaging element for the look of show, as well as accenting designs as a smaller repeated detail for visual interest.
We used the “x” in subtler design elements as well.
We then incorporated more of the “human” part of the theme, with photography featuring people from past events playing a key role in the overall design. This manifested in a unique and fun way, where the “x” served as a holding shape for images, providing glimpses of attendees among the dynamic graphic elements.
We played with using images of people in the “Human x Nature” theme.
We are excited by how this rebrand is already appearing in printed pieces, advertising and websites, and are looking forward to seeing it in action at the show for the first time, this October at Greenbuild China.
We’re ready for Greenbuild China.
Creating the TRUE Zero Waste brand identity
- July 13, 2018
- Written by Nia Lindsey
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TRUE, formally ZeroWaste, is a whole-systems approach aimed at changing how materials flow through society, resulting in no waste. TRUE Zero Waste promotes processes that consider the entire life cycle of products used within a facility.
Because of the various trademark challenges, the ZeroWaste brand needed to be renamed and rebranded. Originally, the creative brief for this project toggled between two options for the new name: “Minuswaste,” which does not include the zero waste terminology and was difficult to trademark, and “TRUE,” which stands for Total Resource Use and Efficiency.
The goal of this rebranding project was to create a full identity package, including logo design, style and usage guidelines. One of the challenges with this identity was to create a logo that reflects a zero-waste life cycle in a minimalistic form. The client wanted to convey a future-focused and innovative brand and included these samples as inspiration:
I began my usual three-step process for developing this new identity: research, sketch, revise and finalize.
1) Research
It’s important to see what’s already in the ether of logo design. What’s trendy right now? What’s classic? What styles really work for the industry? What is the client’s mission? Once I had a solid understanding of ZeroWaste’s mission, it was time to get the best possible understanding of what the client does to achieve this mission and who the target audience is.
2) Sketch
I presented several initial ideas. Here are some of the initial designs:
3) Revise
I created new versions of the initial ideas, based on the feedback given by the client.
4) Finalize
After submitting the final round of revisions, a design was chosen. At that point, all that was left was to put together the last few pieces of this identity puzzle:
- Logo details (logo color, spacing and sizes, etc.)
- Color palette
- Typography
- Applications and examples of usage (web, print, etc.)
The final logo embodies a nontraditional, continuous cycle using bold, clean lines. Ultimately, the redesign achieved a clean, minimalist design while maintaining the integrity of TRUE’s mission. The new identity is flexible to adapt to all media and presents a modern, professional aesthetic for longevity.
USGBC wins AIGA 50 award
- July 05, 2018
- Written by Ashley Katz
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Feature image: Photo by Amanda Gann, courtesy of AIGA DC.
I’m so excited to finally share the news! Our TRUE Zero Waste Certification System branding package, designed by USGBC’s senior graphic designer, Nia Lindsey, was recognized by AIGA DC as one of the 50 best created in Washington, D.C., over the past two years. AIGA 50 honors design that makes an impact, and over 400 entries were submitted for the 2018 competition.
Many from our team were able to accept the award in person at the 15th biennial AIGA 50 Gala, where we rubbed shoulders with some of the top creatives in the area. View all the winning work from 2018.
TRUE Zero Waste is a program for businesses to define, pursue and achieve their zero waste goals, thereby reducing their impact on the natural environment and our collective health. With that in mind, the goal was to create a logo and brand that was innately simple and minimal, while at the same time flexible and adaptable. The final logo embodies a nontraditional, continuous cycle using bold, clean lines.