Ci has been UBCs sustainability office’s marketing partner of choice of late. Working closely with the office’s Executive Director we have developed a number of pieces including an exhibition display, handouts, the office’s annual sustainability report as well as presentation video for the annual general meeting in November 2007.

Last year, Ci was selected to develop a new identity for Spud! – North America's leading online organic grocer.

The brief was about evolution - moving the brand from a service and values-based brand to a lifestyle editor whose values are in sync with what mainstream consumers crave: conscious consumption for a sustainable life where sustainability isn't occasional and real food doesn't mean sacrifice.

The newly evolved identity captures the roots of the brand with a modern sensibility. We kept the quirky, off beat personality of the brand epitomized with their signature colour – purple; we kept the circle as a symbol of sustainability (no beginning, no end); we captured the positive energy of the brand by transforming the name SPUD (An acronym for Small Potatoes Urban Delivery) from a noun into a verb with the simple addition of an exclamation mark; and we anchored the brand with a simple life statement tagline – 'Eat. Live. Be Happy'.

We helped develop the new look across a range of consumer touch points including livery vehicles, newsletter, stationary, brochure and of course their new website – spud.com.

Congratulations to all those at spud! as they expand their service into San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Ci was hired by egg to help develop a national advertising print campaign and website copy for egg client, Portfolio 21- a leading socially responsible mutual fund company. Leveraging our expertise on consumers and sustainability, we helped create a bold and thought provoking campaign that had a sense of humour but was not afraid to address the reality of the situation.

Ci works with World Changing at this crucial time in their growth and success to steer the brand in a focused and strategic direction, developing the brand strategy and brand architecture platform to guide current and future business and brand decisions. The brand guardrails that come out of this process – that started with ideation sessions and an internal brand audit – will work to build the business in a way that is authentic and true to the unique roots of World Changing, and guide all decisions from fundraising to marketing communications and product design & development.

The medium, in this case, was the message. The Greater Vancouver Regional District launched an innovative design competition – Design for the Environment (D4E) - with Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Specifically aimed at inspiring industrial designers to consider how they might make use of surplus plastic bags and electrical products, we created a postcard campaign made entirely from recycled toilet rolls donated from a chain of hotels in the region. This thought provoking idea led by example, proving GVRD could be equally resourceful when it came to the art of problem solving.

Novex was well on its way to implementing sustainability and targeting sustainability-committed businesses, but executive level endorsement was not translating into growth for the company.

Ci designed and executed a scalable research study to gain insight into this corporate attitude-action disconnect holding discussions with leading CEOs, and also with the decision makers in procurement to better understand their mind set. The findings helped clarify Novex’s focus and positioned the company as a tool to navigate through the little known world of business and sustainability.