Process Book | Aliza Kravatz
WHY NATURE?
I’ve always had a strong passion for the outdoors and being active. Growing up in a rural place where mountains, farms, and lakes were all around, it was a natural want to be outside. This passion progressed and grew when I went to school in Vermont to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors and mountains. I believe that giving back to nature is one of the most important parts to sustaining our society today. The need to educate about conserving and preserving the natural world is more essential to healthy living than ever right now. As a college student and avid snowboarder with little to no money, having an organization that can provide me with rewards to fund these hobbies through volunteer work seems like a great idea. This is where my idea to create Greenscape for my senior capstone project came from.
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TABLE CONTENTS 8
Mission Statement........................................................ 12. Objective....................................................................... 14. Brand Identity............................................................... 16. Typography
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Color Palette
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Logo Variation
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Graphic Elements
24.
Audience....................................................................... 26 Community
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Natural World
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Green Marketing
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Social Context............................................................... 36. Positive
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Negative
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Outcomes...................................................................... 40. Website
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Volunteer & Sponsor Care Packages
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Accessories
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Sources.......................................................................... 66.
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mission statement Greenscape is an organization dedicated to getting the community reconnected with the outdoors while also rekindling the relationship between the consumer and businesses they support. Through trips, the community can take part in giving back to nature while receiving rewards in return for their good deeds. The presence of nature in one’s every day life is essential to avoid exhaustion and devitalization. Why not create an organization where the community can experience outdoor activities while getting something back in return. From nature, back to you, our environment can stay clean, sustainable, and beautiful.
why ? With the growing importance of eco friendliness and sustainability, being outdoors and connected with nature is more than ever vital to our lives. Today’s generation of young adults need to realize the importance of taking care of our environment. Companies also need to reach out to consumers and show their support for green living. “Business is a process, not an entity. It is entirely the product of relationships” (Heller). Greenscape offers the community a way to get outdoors and be active while also reconnecting with the brands they love and support.
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objective Greenscape’s objective and strategy in the community is to reeducate and motivate young people to get back out into nature. Through the products and passes they receive from the trips they volunteer for, the hope is to eventually get them to want to be outside even without rewards. Education is key to motivating people to want to reconnect with nature. With the hands on experiences they receive through the trips, they are then motivated and renewed to want to be outside. By receiving products from corporations who are dedicated to modern environmentalism, a stronger bond between the public and education of green marketing will be achieved. The end goal is to create a habitus in which the audience is more aware of sustainability and how they can express themselves and their ideas to further the community.
why ? By appealing to both the consumer and corporation, a relationship will grow between them. Greenscape will shape a way where green marketing relies on both parties to join together. After sending out a survey to friends online, I received some amazing results. After, “How important is the environment and keeping the outdoors clean and healthy to you? “ was asked, 43% percent said it was important while 32% said it was very important. After I asked “Do you find it hard to fund your outdoor activities such as ski trips, passes, outerwear etc?” 63% answered yes while 32% said depends on the activity, with season passes and gear being the top problem. When I asked “Would you be interested in participating in a company that gives you rewards such as outdoor gear and season passes for volunteering to clean up and conserve the environment?” 100% answered yes. This data revealed that the public believes the environment is important and are willing to help.
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BRAND IDENTITY
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typography The typography of Greenscape combines playful yet bold typefaces. The header, subheader, and logo all use the typeface Canter Bold to evoke bold and thought provoking language. Canter is an all caps, condensed typeface in six different weights. It was designed as a display type for titles, headlines, and posters. I needed a typeface as a header to be bold and create a call to action for the audience. Canter Bold fit right into that catagory. In order to contrast with this strong typeface, I used hand drawn type in the logo and quotes throughout the book to give it a natural, homey, and communal feel to relate to the audience. The body font New Caledonia is original, naturalistic, and simple, coinciding nicely with the head and subhead font.
why ? The hand drawn font represents the hands on experience when volunteering through Greenscape. Nature and community is evoked through the playful and asymmetrical hand drawn font while Canter Bold supports and sustains the brand identity. New Caledonia helps evoke the message that Greenscape intends to send to the audience in a simple and understandable way.
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color palette The color variation for Greenscape’s brand is very subtle as I wanted to incorporate hints of light green to represent nature, eco-friendliness, and life. The green also is symbolic of the brand’s identity, outcome, and mission. Black and white are also used here and there to give the green some contrast. While black represents nature at night, white represents the brightness and vibrance of nature with sunlight. I also used black and white photography to help the green stand out and not distract the audience from the brand’s goals. While green is the stereotypical color for nature and sustainability, it also represents money and green marketing for the sponsors who are supporting the organization.
why ? Green has always been associated with nature due to the fact that it is the color of many naturalistic things such as trees, plants, and some animals. I wanted to use black and white photos to set a simple and straight forward tone. Green would be the only color used and the black and white photos would represent going back to the beginning. Photography started with black and white and our community started with nature first. Black and white photography is versatile, subtle, can be used in a variety of ways, and is timeless.
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C:27 M:0 Y:26 K:0
C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0
C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100
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logo exploration The name Greenscape appealed to me because the word associated itself with nature and scenery. The word scape is similar to terms like reshape, escape, and a scene or view. Greenscape means reshaping how we see nature and escaping from technology by going back to where it all started. We can reshape our view and outlook on nature and how the consumer communicates with their brands. The tagline, “from nature to you” explains how nature was there from the beginning, but by participating with Greenscape the audience can reconnect with nature and relink the natural world into society today. My logo first started out with handwriting the heading and adding drawn graphic elements such as arrows and trees. I then incorporated the green color into the logo to go with the tone of the brand. After trying to play around with the handwritten type, I decided to go with a san-serif font with a hand written script under it to still keep the organic, hand drawn feel. The graphic elements also create a sense of playfulness and energy.
why ? The term green is widely associated with the natural world and environmentalism today. By incorporating it into my logo and name, it explains to the audience that Greenscape is eco-friendly and sustainable. The logo needed to also appeal to the public, community and businesses. In order for them to feel as if they are a part of the organization, the tagline “from nature to you,” helps them believe that what they are doing is beneficial to nature and is in turn given back to them. Sketching and hand drawn logo work is also key to progressing brand development. By applying hand drawn elements and transferring them into digital solutions, the creative process is more advanced and thought out.
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graphic elements The graphic elements of Greenscape are conveyed using high quality black and white photographs of nature. These photos help the target audience understand the meaning behind the beauty and simpleness of nature. The subjects of these photos will be images of trees, mountains, lakes, and nature in general. A few photos will be color to add splashes of emotion and contrast. The graphic elements will also sometimes include people to show the audience how they can participate in Greenscape.
why ? When photographs were first produced, they were developed only in black and white. Like the beginning of photographs, society was also produced in the beginning from nature. Black and white photography is seen as versatile, subtle, and timeless. Both the color and black and white photos combined will draw the audience back to reconnecting with nature.
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AUDIENCE
Greenscape’s audience is young adults ages 18-28 years old who love being outdoors and have the time and effort to volunteer for trips. They might not neccessarily have the money to afford things such as season passes, camping gear, and outerwear, but have the determination to receieve these products through conservational and environmental trips.
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community The sense of community and togetherness are both very important contributing factors in today’s society. People are trying to become more active and are conscientiously thinking about how they can contribute to the sustainability of our environment. “Americans now seem in a near panic about the natural world. Indeed, environmentalism has been transformed from a special interest to a certain creed of modern living. What people eat, how they travel and where they shop are decisions that affect the fate of the planet” (Hanna). People are starting to realize the importance of joining together to help keep their world safe and eco-friendly. While environmentalism is a growing interest, it’s contributing factor to success is the role of community. While individuality is important, community creates relationships with others who share the same beliefs. Nature was sustaining itself way before humans existed. The need to coexist and respect nature is more important than ever right now. “Nature again proves important because the sense of self in place is more important than simply a sense of place” (Elmendorf). Without nature, there would be no “self in place” such as community. Our community needs to find a way to integrate itself into nature rather than find a way to live peacefully next to it. Peoples’ relationships with their natural environment can help build stronger connections to their place in their community. The need to brand yourself as green and eco-friendly is key to a successful business. Many corporations these days are going green and marketing themselves to the average consumer as sustainable and aware of the environment. Being eco-friendly isn’t associated with only “tree hugging hippies” anymore, but the community as a whole. When a company markets to the community as being green, it sends out a message of positivity and understanding. Modern environmentalism has the potential to unify the globe in a way that no other movement or cause has been able to do. “From social, human health, and economic standpoints, tree planting, urban gardening, and other collaboratively planned and completed environmental projects are some of the simplest, most rewarding, and most celebrated actions that can be used to build and maintain community” (Elmendorf). When brands support these types of projects they influence the initiative to make the environment a top priority in the communities. Community creates relationships and by creating relationships through Greenscape, you can find others who are also passionate about being outside. Volunteering for Greenscape’s trips creates opportunities to make friends, connections, and share ideas to make our environment a healthier and better place to live. By joining together, we can help support the importance of sustainability in our communities and teach younger generations to follow.
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why ? Community building is key to conserving the natural world. Society today is becoming more and more focused on the environment and how to sustain it that uniting the community as a whole seems like the best idea. While helping keep the environment clean, being outdoors also increases vitality and alertness. The community is also motivated to be outdoors together through the relationship between the public and businesses they support. The consumer sees their favorite brands reaching out to modern environmentalism by sponsoring Greenscape and in turn, motivates them to join the brand. These relationships then unite the community and natural world through teamwork, consumerism, sustainability, and the desire to do good.
r efl ec t ion I believe that a sense of community is an important part of life that everyone should be able to experience. Being part of a community shapes who you are and helps you grow as an individual committed to a bigger picture. Being in nature helps the community unite and grow together. By sharing all the same beliefs and ideals about the environment, a community can become stronger and motivated to get up and act on their ideas. Without a community, there is no relationship between like minded people. A environmentally active community can influence others to take part in sustaining and conserving our world.
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natural world The natural world has been existing way longer than humans. In order to live successfully in modern society, we must accept that the natural world is equally as important to the human race as anything else that affects us. “Environmental ethics are just as important as humanistic ethics today. The degradation of the environment poses as great a threat to life as a nuclear war, and is a more probable tragedy” (Rolston). We must respect the earth in order to survive and coexist together. “Just like humans; the natural world is a spontaneous, self-maintaing system, with an ultimate goal. Nothing matters to a tree, but many things are vital in order for it to live” (Rolston). The end goal of all organisms is to survive and thrive in this world. When we respect the natural world, we promote growth in our own species in the circle of life. The roots of life are created from the natural world. “A vital ethic respects all life, not just animal pains and pleasures, much less just human preferences” (Rolston). In order to save our world, we need to start from the beginning and conserve what brought us to what we are today. We need to be just as concerned about environmental ethics as any other kind. In fact today, with global warming, natural disasters, and wars on the rise, going green and protecting the natural world is even more important for society. A company with environmental ethics influences society to conserve and respect the natural world. With much of society willing to “go green,” putting the environment first when dealing with marketing, strategies, and globalization is not only good for the planet, but profitable. This eco-friendly marketing will attract consumers who believe in the importance of environmental ethics. By respecting the natural world and the environment, we secure a place for our future generations to live and feel healthy in. By going back to the basics, you can do your part in keeping our environment happy and sustainable. You can volunteer to clear hiking trails, maintain ski trails, plant trees, or clean up lakes. Whatever you chose, you know you’ll be doing your part in maintaining, saving, and protecting the world we love and respect.
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why ? The natural world was a place that was alive and sustaining itself way before humans. From the beginning, humans relied on nature to survive and reap its natural benefits to help sustain their own lives. With technology and modern societies expanding more and more everyday, our reliance on the nature world has dwindled and respect has been lost. The natural world should be more important than ever in peoples’ daily lives due to the fact that our culture is and has been superimposed on nature. The natural world and society are not separate entities, but should be united as one thriving community. “Nature is not singular, the system has a nature, a loading that pluralizes, putting natures into diverse kinds. It does so using random elements in both organisms and communities” (Rolston). Without the preservation and conservation of the natural world, our earth as we know it will fall apart right in front of us. We are using up natural resources faster than it takes to reproduce the ones we use. Instead of seeing nature as a product for natural resources, we need to realized the beauty and importance of coinciding with it. “The splendors of Earth do not simply lie in their roles as human resources, supports of culture, or stimulators of experience” (Rolston). It’s time to respect the natural world as something of a spectacular beauty not just meant for consumption.
r efl ec t ion I found it fairly easy to find information about the benefits of the natural world to our society today. As a very active and adventurous person myself who loves the outdoors, I believe that nature is essential to a healthy, sustainable life. While our community and society is growing and progressing day by day, I realize that nature is also evolving, sustaining, and progressing as we are. By respecting the natural world just as we respect our own community, life as a whole in both worlds, will sustain and grow together. Nature is also essential to health, vitality, and comfort. By walking away from technology, electronics, and urban living, people can begin to realize the true importance of keeping the environment a top priority.
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green marketing “Sustainability is the possibility of all people living rewarding lives within the means of nature. Residents of North America live at levels of ecological demand that exceed the bio-capacity available within those geographical areas” (Kitzes). Facts like these show us why sustainability is now more important than ever. Green marketing is one way to encourage people to live sustainably. Green marketing can be defined as “The holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying the needs of customers and society, in a profitable and sustainable way” (Peattie). We all need to live in a reasonable way. “A sustainable approach to consumption and production involves enjoying a material standard of living today, which is not at the expense of the standard of living of future generations” (Peattie). Consumers feel good about themselves when they believe they are doing good for the environment and decreasing their carbon footprint. By supporting eco-friendly brands, consumers feel that they are making a positive impact on the environment. Consumers self-identify with society based on behavioral norms. If the growing trend is to be green, many consumers will identify and change their behaviors to represent that movement. Corporations and businesses can follow in their footsteps to promote healthy growth and success in today’s society. When a consumer buys from a green company, they feel as if they’ve done their part to support the green movement and to give back to the natural world. “Encouraging populations to ‘think globally and act locally’ has become a key component of encouraging individuals to reflect upon their own lifestyles within the context of both local and environmental global problems” (Barr). Supporting Greenscape allows companies to show their support for sustainability by encouraging the community to get outdoors and to decrease their carbon footprint. Rewarding volunteers with their products will help to ensure continued brand support and loyalty from customers who are dedicated to going green. By supporting green marketing, you as the consumer, are supporting brands who believe in the same values as you. You can reward yourself for the hard work you volunteered for by receiving rewards from brands you can trust who are environmentally conscious. A relationship between the consumer and brand has been lost. As a supporter of brands who believe in gaining these relationships back, you can feel satisfied and confident to purchase other products from them. When purchasing a product, you should feel great about investing your money into the brand. Brands who support Greenscape intend to make their consumers feel as if they’re supporting a movement geared towards environmental sustainability.
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why ? Green marketing is more important than ever right now with the bad economy and growing global problem of running out of natural resources. Consumers need to become more eco-friendly and practice green living by how they live, eat, and purchase products. The environment is the building blocks to keeping our society intact. “The reality is that the physical environment is the foundation on which societies and economies are based” (Peattie). By supporting, Greenscape both the consumer and corporation are joining the green movement and living sustainably. Without the support of green conscious companies, consumers will keep making the wrong decisions and decreasing the possibility of an eco-conscious society. “The environment affects businesses because it represents the physical space within which they and their customers exist, and it provides the resources upon which they depend” (Peattie). If companies in today’s world do not realize the importance of sustainability and green marketing, then our environment and nature as we know it will disappear and deteriorate.
r efl ec t ion After researching topics about green marketing and the benefits of it, I realized that many companies these days, even big brand companies are going green. My stepmom works for Microsoft was explaining to me that every year they give her a sum of money to spend on something that would benefit and encourage good health. These things could be gym memberships, exercise machines, or anything health related. Companies want their employees to stay healthy and be green not only because it saves them money on health insurance, but overall stimulates a healthy life. Consumers these days want a benefit or reason to buy from a certain company. The culture of the mass market is becoming less important and consumers are looking for ways to invest in companies who will benefit their own lives.
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SOCIAL CONTEXT
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positive By establishing Greenscape as a growing company, the hope is that the positive outcomes will outweigh the negatives. Greenscape would be educating people about the benefits of the outdoors while also creating a stronger relationship between the community and those companies who are trying to go green. “Rather than be trapped within the manufactured aspirations of the mass market, they are seeking to create experiences that connect them in a meaningful way to ideas and ideals that are worth something� (Heller). People are tired of mass consumption and are looking for ways to connect their purchases to a movement they believe in. Consumers would also support green companies and be an example to those companies who haven’t established the importances of environmental ethics and eco-friendliness yet. By getting younger generations to be outdoors and receiving rewards for their work, it engages them to learn that dedication and determination are good characteristics to have. After engaging with Greenscape through trips, the community will then be motivated to get outside and away from technology and start incorporating the environment more into their daily lives.
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negative Negative outcomes from establishing Greenscape should be minimal, even close to none. A negative outcome could form from sponsors backing out of the brand because they are unsure of the success of the company. Companies need valid reasons to invest their money into things and if they do not see a benefit to Greenscape they will not invest in it. Another negative outcome could be the possibility of the volunteers never receiving the goods they should have been rewarded from the sponsors, thus telling others negative feedback about Greenscape. Greenscape could also be perceived as a ‘hippie brand’ promoting tree loving Vermonters to establish a stereotype of who they are to the rest of the country. The community could also find other priorities rather than saving the environment to focus on, making the company useless.
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OUTCOMES
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website Greenscape’s website serves as a starting point for both volunteers and sponsors to learn more about the objectives and mission of the organization. Through visuals and text, the audience can sign up to participate in trips, become a member of the organization, find out important information about sponsors, and check their rewards and points towards sponsor goods. The website is a fundamental cornerstone in the way Greenscape reaches out to its audience. While playful, bright, and nature oriented, Greenscape’s website encourages the user to stop, think, and participate in environmental protection and conservation. The About Us section of the website gives the user a basic guideline about who Greenscape is while providing them with a simple informational understanding of the brand. This encourages them to click on and find out more about Greenscape. The Mission section tells the audience what Greescape does, how we do it, and what our goal is. The Mission page also has two links where the user can either click on the community link or business link, depending on how they want to contribute to Greenscape. After they read the Mission they can choose to click on “Get Involved” in which they will be directed to a page where they can click on links to sign up and volunteer for trips. The trip sign up page lets the volunteer type in their city, state or zipcode to find trips in their area. They can then choose to sign up for as many trips as they like. The Sponsor page explains to the user what businesses are currently sponsoring and supporting Greenscape with rewards and trips. Finally, the Rewards page lets the user track and see how many points they have towards rewards they receive from sponsors through volunteer trips.
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why ? A website serves as a multipurpose platform for users to engage with the brand. By providing a place where the user can connect with nature through the internet, it motivates them to put their actions on the internet, into actions outside. The first step to actively engaging users to participate in Greenscape is to encourage them from a place they are already actively engaging in, the internet. Greenscape’s website is not only informational, but provides a place where the user can participate in the organization by becoming a member, deciding how they are going to volunteer, and choosing what sponsors they would like to receive rewards from. The website also gives businesses who are activiely sponsoring Greenscape, a chance to engage with their consumers. It serves as a gateway between sponsors and users who are participating to receieve goods that will benefit their outdoor activities after they volunteer.
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care packages Care packages sent out to potential volunteers and sponsors are great marketing tatics to attracting those who have not discovered Greenscape on the internet yet. The care package for the volunteer would consist of a square tri-fold brochure telling them that they’ve been invited to participate in Greenscape and how to find out more about the brand through the website. The care package will also include a business card and stickers to engage the audience through guerrilla marketing. Young adults love die cut stickers because they find it easy to slap them on their computers, snowboards, or personal items. The tri-fold brochure also tells the audience about the statistics of Greenscape and how an organization like it is more important than ever. The sponsor care package will also include the same things that the volunteer package does, but the writing will engage them to want to join Greenscape and become a sponsor for the organization rather than volunteer. Each care package and business card will also have a handstamped Greenscape logo on the package. The care packages will be sent out through the mail or given out where Greenscape is participating in events throughout the greater Vermont area.
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why ? Since Greenscape is a new organization, care packages are great examples of reaching out to their audience through promotional marketing. While the care package was originally sent for relief or comfort, Greenscape’s care package actively invites the audience to connect with the organization whether they are a volunteer or sponsor. Physical marketing products give the audience something they can hold on to and keep rather than discovering the organization digitally through the website. A tri-fold brochure is also a great way to promote the brand through informational and interesting material. While the text and photography engages the audience to participate and read on, the infographic facts help the audience learn about the importance of the organization visually. Real life statistics are a great way to show volunteers and sponsors that the organization is wanted and needed in the community. These care packages also urge the audience to check out the website if they haven’t yet, while the business cards that are included give them infomation on how to contact the brand.
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accessories Accessories such as stickers, tshirts, and water bottles will engage and encourage the audience to connect and share their stories with other people. The tshirts will have Greenscape’s logo on the front while the back will have the word “Volunteer� on it. These shirts will be what the volunteers will wear and receive when they sign up for trips. They can then be worn again where other members of the community can ask volunteers about their tshirts. Stickers will act as a gurrilla marketing campaign in which the audience will be able to stick and place them all over the community. Water bottles will be given out to volunteers also with the Greenscape logo placed on them. The ultimate goal is to spread the word about Greenscape and generate hype amongst the audience in their community.
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why ? People love tshirt, stickers, and anything free. Young adults especially will wear free tshirts daily or slap a sticker on their snowboard, car, or laptop as a way to show what their interests and hobbies are. Handing out accessories to volunteers and the commnunity during events is a great way to spread the word about Greenscape and hopefully gain volunteers and sponsors.
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sources Barr, Stewart, and Andrew W. Gilg. “A conceptual framework for understanding and analyzing attitudes towards environmental behaviour.” Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 89.4 (2007): 361-379. Elmendorf, William. “The importance of trees and nature in community: A review of the relative literature.” Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 34.3 (2008): 152. Hanna, Cheryl, Getting Down to Earth: Getting Personal About Environmentalism (April 16, 2008). Seven Days (VT), April 16, 2008 ; Vermont Law School Research Paper No. 09-10. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1273231 Heller, Steven, and Véronique Vienne. Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility. New York: Allworth, 2003. Print. Kitzes, Justin, et al. “Shrink and share: humanity’s present and future Ecological Footprint.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 363.1491 (2008): 467-475. Peattie, Ken, and Martin Charter. “Green marketing.” The marketing book 5 (1994): 726-755. Rolston, Holmes. Environmental ethics: duties to and values in the natural world. Temple University Press, 1988. Ryan, Richard M., et al. “Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 30.2 (2010): 159-168.
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