Energy Ready

Uniting Clean Energy Programs Under One Brand Umbrella

Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Ready is a new organization that encompasses three clean energy designation programs: SolSmart, Charging Smart, and Distributed Wind Smart.

Energy Ready's free technical assistance programs help local governments navigate the growth of clean energy solutions – specifically solar, electric vehicle readiness, and wind power – in their communities. Having worked with SolSmart in the past, we were excited and well-positioned to extend the partnership and create a new brand and nonprofit website design for Energy Ready.

In addition to building a balanced visual direction, goals for the project included appealing to multiple target audiences and creating a streamlined experience for communities to pursue one or more designations. We carried those goals through each piece of the project, from initial naming strategy through logo design, brand development, and the final web presence.

Areas of Expertise

  • Nonprofit

Services

  • Discovery Research
  • Brand & Logo Design
  • Website Design & Development
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Creating a Balanced Logo & Brand

Each of Energy Ready’s designation programs already had some amount of brand recognition, so the challenge was clear: to design a cohesive logo with equal balance between the themes of solar, wind, and electric vehicle charging. We explored several concepts ranging from abstract to concrete, and ultimately landed on a three-part mark with a specific icon to represent each program.

As we expanded the brand, we leveraged familiarity by pulling in a core color from each program’s existing identity – yellow for SolSmart, blue for Charging Smart, and green for Distributed Wind Smart. To account for Energy Ready’s growth potential, we also incorporated extra colors that could be tied to future programs. The additional step of determining the “reserve colors” will help Energy Ready scale the brand seamlessly over time.

Clean Energy Digital Hub

Building on the brand work, we designed the website to serve a clean and minimal backdrop for Energy Ready’s designation programs and their accent colors. On the homepage in particular, that balance is represented by a three-panel masthead with an interactive hover effect that highlights each program individually. Effects and imagery are carried through interior pages to create a dynamic experience across the site.

Interactive Community Map

Powered by Mapbox, the Designee Map is central to the site’s interactivity and offers a helpful visual overview of Energy Ready’s reach and network. Complete with custom styling and detailed filters, the map allows users to customize their browsing experience and quickly see the geographic distribution of programs and designations.

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Examples of Interactive Maps on Websites

Flexible Custom Features

Considering Energy Ready’s wide range of target audiences – local governments, funding partners, community members, and more – we built the site with flexibility in mind. Custom interior templates, like the ones used for program landing pages and news, are content-rich and feature multiple information pathways and calls-to-action. Outside of the main templates, a library of pre-designed content blocks offers the ability to refresh existing layouts and spin up new pages within the intuitive WordPress CMS.