Kollar Design | EcoCreative®

SAN FRANCISCO CA

This small virtual agency focuses on serving clients in the green building and energy efficiency markets. Says Principal Candice Kollar: “We used to think of ourselves as graphic designers. Then design strategists. Then we realized we are, in fact, future designers. As future designers we create communication strategies and use graphic design and a diverse range of skills to bolster our clients’ bottom lines and create a better future. Sustainability is the lens through which the firm views business, and life; it defines the direction and client base.” This positioning was cemented when Kollar became a LEED Accredited Professional in 2004 and when they became one of San Francisco’s first ever Certified Green Businesses in 2005. Adds Kollar: “We’ve been deeply immersed in the green building market and have studied it’s constantly evolving technologies for over a decade. This gives our clients in this market the reason they need to choose us. Some of our favorite projects include introducing disruptive green building products to the marketplace –products such as cement that sequesters CO2, and brick that is 40% recycled and takes 80% less energy to produce than conventional brick. Currently, we are gravitating toward projects where strategic communications directly support energy efficiency and behavior change goals. And, because of our specialized expertise, our services have expanded into Community Based Social Marketing and sustainability consulting. Current projects include green building teaching tours, serious games, and implementing energy and tenant satisfaction measurement tools including the recently launched LEED Dynamic Plaque.”

 

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Autodesk Sustainability Solutions group asked the agency to work on a series of briefs to introduce new high-impact software solutions. Sustainability is central to the Autodesk mission. The goal is to make sustainability a no-brainer by building it into their software tools and services. As these new tools penetrate the market, best practices will automatically be embedded into the design of buildings, infrastructure and manufacturing regardless of one’s level of commitment to sustainability. Given Autodesk’s expansive global reach, this is big. Key messages focused on an impressive array of economic, environmental and social benefits, backed up with current, verifiable data, case study examples and digital illustrations. The Sustainability Solutions briefs were designed for digital distribution via the web and desktop viewing, and delivered as PDF documents via email and templates via Dropbox. Kollar states: “For us, the profound capacity of these products to accelerate change quickly took precedence over traditional considerations like creative leeway and innovative design. The end goal, of course, is to save money, energy, and water, lower CO2 emissions and slow the effects of global warming. Or, simply put, to create a better future.”