Ecology, environment and communication

One way to look at ecology is as a balance between humans and their environment. It’s also about us humans—the troops on the front line—acting and reacting to climate change, social inequality, and environmental deterioration.

It’s impossible to turn a blind eye and consciously ignore the weight of the issues related to ecology and the state of the environment. While the word “ecology” is synonymous with “green” and “environmental”—and frequently goes hand in hand with open minds and new markets—it is far too often casually tossed around in everyday conversations or electoral debates.

In our field of work, if we can’t go green in the strictest sense, would it be OK to be light green? How can we avoid being all talk and engage in “green design”? Are forest footprints and sustainable packaging passing trends or sustainable shifts?

Going green isn’t free! On a day-to-day basis, we can make a whole whack of acts of green; but, in the end, if pixels consume energy, certain aesthetic and artistic choices will come at a cost. Are clients prepared to pay that cost? It’s a question worth asking. And as they say, asking the right question is half way to finding the right answer!

This month we examined the issue. The fruit of our research was a series of articles about ecology in the field of graphic design. On the menu: eco-communication, the colour green, energy-efficient pixels, environmentally friendly software, the PACT, and fibre. In short, enough material to whet your appetite and hopefully inspire you to look into the matter further and give it more thought! One can hope.

Social Media Communication

Just three years ago, the “Big Bang” of Web 2.0 completely reshaped the world of communications and nothing’s been the same since. The way we send and gather information has mutated and evolved into all sorts of communication platforms in nothing flat.

Long gone are the days of handwritten letters, pre-recorded ten o’clock news, cassette tape answering machines, and rotary telephones. In 2010 we have access to everything right here, right now. What did you expect? The world and times are achangin’!

It is precisely this communication model mutation that gave rise to what have become known as “social networks.” (This is the point where those who thought this was just a passing trend start to get more and more confused.)

For kids born with those technological thingamajigs that allow them to communicate with China in a fraction of a second, having 576 Facebook friends and getting dumped via text message is no big deal. It’s a non-issue; social networks and social communication are encoded in their genes!

But what about the others?

In an age where today’s technophobes could very likely become tomorrow’s illiterates, what will happen to the elderly and those who resist change? Is life in a parallel world—an unplugged world—possible? What about life without social networks? What role do social networks play in our day-to-day? How much time do we spend tending to our social garden on the Web?

So many questions. So many answers. So many opinions.

Hit (or Miss)

For every yin there is a yang.
Ergo for every masterpiece there is a piece of garbage (or at least a questionable work of art). Yup, that’s pretty much how it goes—especially in the wonderful world of art and design.

With spring in the air—flowers blossoming, bare legs coming out of hibernation, toes getting a taste of fresh air, and every pitcher of sangria screaming our name!—we thought this month’s report should have a lighter feel to it. We’re bringing you the gems and the ones so bad they’re good—after all, laughter is the best medicine.

Get ready for the biggest hits—and misses—in graphic design, from album covers and posters to gadgets.

Hope you like it!

Fifteen Candles for espresso!

espresso recently celebrated fifteen years!

This is the perfect time to look at how we got here and where we are going.

And just as we’d do to celebrate the birthday of a good friend, we decided to mark the event with an entire report dedicated to espresso: espresso talks about espresso.

We’ll be turning the clock back—all the way back to 1995—and telling the story of how the agency came to be. While we’re at it, we’ll also be singing its praises.

We’ll be drinking a toast to Olivier, to us, and to our current (and future) clients. May the next fifteen years be equally fantastic—filled with happenings, surprises, good times, and exciting jobs!

Back to School Work

This morning, the schools were a-bustle with activity as kids were happily reunited with their buddies.

This morning, the halls were a flurry of freshly sharpened pencils, books with that “new book smell,” and rubber-soled shoes squeaking on linoleum.

This morning, everyone made the switch back to the students’ schedule. Lazy mornings and sunny summer days are no more. We are not lazy folk and it is time for us to prove it to Lucien Bouchard once again! So c’mon students, get your pencils ready! And parents, it’s back to the office for you!

With the kids back at their desks, all the empty chairs in those deserted communications agencies can look forward to being reunited with their owners. In a way, it’s a bit like “back to school” for us too. We might not have new outfits, new erasers, or any of those other things you looked forward to growing up, but . . .

New projects are beginning, new trends are surfacing, new electronic gadgets are appearing on the market, and these winds of change are fostering a hopeful new enthusiasm in us. Much like a student beginning a new school year determined to have impeccable handwriting or to keep his books in pristine condition, the employee decides (upon returning from summer vacation) that this year . . . well, this year will be the best yet!

Now that we’re facing the daily grind again, here’s a small report to help us ease back into it.

Welcome back!

I-87, Montreal to NYC

We decided to call our NYC special report “I-87” for the simple reason that Interstate 87 is the concrete link between Montréal and the American metropolis. Much more than a mere highway however, it’s also a mythical passageway to a magical place where you’ll find the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Woody Allen.

600 kilometres—that’s the distance between the two cities. If you’ve ever made the trip by car, then you’re already familiar with the changing landscape, from the rutted roads of Quebec as you pull out of Montréal to the concrete jungle that is the United States. You remember crossing the border (with just a hint of anxiety as the stone-faced customs officer asks you what business you have in his country), and beginning the trek through the magnificent Adirondack Mountains as you head towards Albany (the halfway mark) where the traffic suddenly gets denser and denser as you approach the big city. I bet you haven’t forgotten the first time you laid eyes on Manhattan, either. For me, it was an immediate feeling of smallness—but only until I stepped out of the car and into the streets of the Big Apple. From that point on, I was swept up by the incredible energy of the oversized city.

I relived this rite of passage from a business point of view when espresso began building its client base in New York City six years ago. I ran through the gamut of emotions—wonder, reluctance, insecurity, followed by the desire to leave our mark, to prove to the world (and to Manhattan) that there was room for us there. Doing so took a lot longer than actually driving there, but the path was ultimately the same.

Today our work continues on the streets of New York, through our day-to-day meetings and projects. And now we’d like to share what we call our “midway” report with you.

Hope you enjoy!

So This is Christmas

I have to admit that this special Christmas report could have been more elaborate, more traditional, more professional . . . We could have gone on about marketing strategies and gotten you all tipsy with one of our homemade Yuletide punch recipes.

The only problem was—we lacked enthusiasm and motivation, and when there’s not much will, there’s not much way. So we decided to switch gears this time around and speak from our hearts. And here at espresso, our hearts are inextricably linked to our kids.

With one new baby and another three on the way this year alone, what could be more natural than to talk about our children—what Christmas means to them, their impressions of Saint Nick, how tradition is handed down from generation to generation, and a whole whack of other stuff.

To fully appreciate the following report, it’s crucial that you shut off your professional, adult brain and reconnect with your inner child.

Happy Holidays!