Southwest Solar Technologies: An Emerging Brand
Southwest Solar Technologies is quite unlike other emerging clean-tech development firms – not only are they hard at work incubating a new solar energy technology, but they fully believe that the future of US energy lies in collaboration and integration among energy technology platforms, including wind, geothermal, biofuel and other renewable sources. The company’s stance truly exemplifies a new approach to solar.
Services provided: brand strategy & development, asset generation, corporate identity, messaging definition & copywriting, 3D animation, web design & development
Starting from Scratch
When we first teamed up with Southwest Solar, the company had very little in place. Our first task was to establish a 6-month plan of action, which included two broad objectives to be pursued in parallel:
- Brand development (strategic definition, identity design, messaging)
- Asset generation (photography, video, 3D design)
Our main objective with any branding project is simplifying complexity – and there is complexity aplenty in the energy industry. The dense technicality of Southwest Solar’s undertaking aside, the audience landscape in the emerging energy technologies sector is wildly diverse, including research scientists/engineers, educational institutions, governmental organizations, political leaders, and certain segments of the general public.
To cut straight down to the core identifiable differentiators of the company, we spent a great deal of time researching and discussing every nook and cranny of the solar energy industry with Southwest Solar. Their concentrating solar energy design is unique in and of itself, but the truly remarkable quality of the company is its openness to collaboration with other energy technologies. This principle, and others, guided our all our design efforts.
Logo and brand design organically followed, and we felt it important in our approach to incorporate Southwest Solar’s story in the design. The mark consists of three arcs gathering energy from a rising sun. These arcs represent the myriad natural energy sources Southwest Solar draws upon in its generation system: sunlight, air and heat.
Going Beyond
Concurrent with developing brand strategy and messaging centers, we planned a comprehensive and ongoing asset generation effort, which included a half-dozen photography sessions (and counting) to capture the fabrication and assembly process of Southwest Solar’s prototype system, a time lapse camera on-site at the demonstration grounds, and full 3D visualization of the technology rendered in stills and descriptive video.
The Southwest Solar website brings together these elements in a compelling fashion, leveraging key messaging themes and imagery to uphold the central objective of the site design: to present Southwest Solar’s energy system in a way that is adequately descriptive for industry peers but comprehensible to the general public as well.
End result
After more than a year of working together, Keane continues to provide extensive marketing, design, writing and strategy services to Southwest Solar. Our work agreements have been extended to include Southwest Solar’s sister company, SolarCAT Inc, as well, and we look forward to continuing to help develop our clients’ bright futures in the energy industry.