Bertschi School: Teaching Sustainability

My client Bertschi School in Capitol Hill has an on-going commitment to sustainability and uses a global approach to education. Recent additions to the campus include an impressive LEED certified building, water cisterns, solar panels, a green roof and more. Last year I designed an interpretive signage system to highlight these features, as well as inform students, parents and visitors. The signage functions in tandem with an interactive kiosk which gives additional information the viewer.

I created a system of 14 signs that cohesively fit with the style of the existing campus signage. Each of the signs represents one of the 5 main categories—sustainable sites, water efficiency, solar energy, air quality, materials—and has a corresponding illustration at the top of the panels.

We created the signs to be: intriguing, engaging, fun, informative and to have a 5-8 year lifespan. They also needed to have the ability to display the students' artwork year round. The signs are made from steel and allow the metal's natural finish and oxidation to show through, then were protected with a clear coat finish.

Launching DZO Strategists

I recently created this system of business papers for DZO Strategists. Their objectives were to convey a solid, confident, smart and solution-driven brand. I designed the DZO identity last fall so it was great to take it to another level and apply it to their printed materials. I selected Neenah Classic Crest in Avalanche White which is another of my favorite enviro-friendly stocks. When choosing the perfect red for their identity, we felt limited by what Pantone had to offer so a custom red ink was mixed to exactly match what my own printer had produced.

Summer sign-up

Although it's February and rainy, summer will truly be here in a few short months. So that means Bertschi School needed a Summer Program schedule created to get students signed up for all of their fun, creative classes—knitting, robotics, inline skating, pirates! Seriously folks, kids today have way more options to keep busy during the summer months than I did—not that I'm knocking my mad macaroni necklace skills. 

I designed this schedule to print in two inks to keep costs down, but mixed and matched the inks in varying percentages to create a finished piece that doesn't have the boring duotone feel. In keeping with the school's commitment to environmental responsibility, it was printed on an FSC stock with 100% post consumer waste and soy based inks.

As always, you can click on the image for a closer look.

Hello '09

This is what I've been cooking up for the new year—a promotional calendar with colorful gardening themed illustrations. I had 50 sets digitally printed on Neenah Classic Crest recycled bright white, one of my favorite enviro-friendly stocks. I've got one sitting on my desk and it's a nice little reminder that spring & summer are just around the corner. 

Green Your Halloween!

It's hard to believe but October is right around the corner—the grey skies and changing leaves guarantee it. So if you're like me, you're already thinking about carving pumpkins and getting visits by cute (and sometimes spooky) trick-or-treaters. Green Halloween, a local organization and a program of Treeswing, is thinking about it too and wants you to consider giving out other fun stuff instead of candy. I know how crazy that sounds, being someone who is mildly obsessed (ok, majorly obsessed with chocolate), but trust me—your kids and their parents will thank you! Last year we went with the the Green Halloween plan and handed out stickers, play-doh and temporary tatoos and the kids were thrilled. I recently designed this Green Halloween action kit which is full of ideas, recipes and other fun stuff to get your family on-board. Hope you have a happy (and healthy) Halloween!

Building a brand

Creating a brand for a new business is always exciting, particularly when it's for someone putting their heart and soul into the effort. When my friend Beth Cullom asked me to partner with her to develop the identity and business papers for her new art gallery I was happy to help. As a small business owner myself, I know keeping costs low is important when you're first starting out. I set out to design the materials as economically as possible, but still make them elegant and have elements of Japanese printmaking. Everything was printed on one of my favorite environmentally friendly papers: Neenah Environment PC White in one ink only. I had a stamp made of the little bird I designed which Beth uses to add an accent of red to each piece, showing a custom touch to each piece of correspondence from Cullom Gallery.

It IS easy being green

It's my lucky day when I have a client that is not only easy to work with, understands good design AND has a commitment to environmental concerns! I recently partnered with Bertschi School to create a brochure that complimented their new recruitment brochure. This new 'sister' brochure is all about their commitment to Sustainability & Diversity. Bertschi is an amazing school—energy, enthusiasm and enlightened thinking abound. I really admire clients that understand doing their part for the environment is not only good for the planet but also for their brand. It shows that they are forward thinking and respect the triple bottom line: planet, people and profit. We printed the brochure with an FSC certified printer with soy ink on FSC certified 100% recycled post-consumer waste paper (Neenah Environment PC 100) that was manufactured with 100% certified renewable energy and without the use of chlorine.