Water is becoming a precious resource, particularly in the Western United States, where many of our clients live and work. As a firm in 2016, we are invigorating our focus on water conservation in the built environment, and further establishing ourselves as industry leaders in this area. With El Nino forecasting some relief to drought-stricken states, we see this as a time to draw attention to the presence of water, to underscoure the need to conserve what little water we now have, and maximize the impressions our message receives. At the same time, we wanted to provide clients with a high-end gift that had a prolonged utility and wouldn't be seen as just another piece of corporate swag being rushed through the door during the holidays.
With this in mind, we sought out customized umbrellas, on which we combined a pattern reminisent of the built environment alongside our firm's stated goal of designing "Green Buildings that Work." They were delievered (by mail and in person) along with a web video that demonstrates the need for water conservation in the built environment and pronounces our commitment to addressing it. A concious decision was made to exclude our logo from the umbrella, as we truly wanted to present a token of appreciation clients would want to use time-and-again. This way, on each rainy day our key clients pick up our umbrella and another impression is made, extending the life of our message. As positioned, this gift is starting the conversation for us.