Don’t get me wrong, I neither recommend nor encourage designers to muck around with identities just for the heck of it. Building equity in a logo is hard enough these days, even with some standards in place, especially for global brands.

My concern is when brands seek consistency at the cost of differentiation and impact. Guidelines are meant to clarify  the foundational elements of an identity or trade dress for designers. They are not meant to take the place of creativity nor should they be implemented in an effort to eliminate designers from creating marketing or promotional strategies.

Boundaries are a great impetus for creative thinking and designers respond best when asked to think within the parameters of a project or problem. They are not at their best when their hands are tied by overly rigid adherence to cookie-cutters. 

“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”

—Oscar Wilde

So, how does one reconcile the need for consistency of identity and the demands of a competitive marketplace? I’m rereading a paper from Brand Channel and rethinking my approach. “Brand Consistency Refined” is a great exploration of the meaning of consistency of guidelines in light of the constancy of a brand’s core platform. The paper proposes a 70/30 rule : 

Applied more for context than numerical accuracy, 70/30 concerns the relative weighting given to the elements that must remain true to the brand’s original intent, strategy, and design versus flexibility granted to its managers. So think of it as 70% of the brand strategy and guidelines are firm and 30% flexible.

A clear brand strategy remains the primary driver of a brand’s equity and builds consistently clear associations with consumers and users. However, for the brand to grow and to remain relevant to the audience and contemporary with the marketplace, the guidelines should provide for creative flexibility — perhaps encouraging variance by as much as a third.

I see this principle being brought to life in the MTV example above. “Brand Consistency Refined” cites McDonald’s site-specific strategy as a strong example. It seems like common sense to me that those who help a brand to engage its audience must have some flexibility to do so; after all, creativity and innovation do not thrive locked in the box. Creativity and innovation do thrive, though, when constrained by thoughtful, purposeful strategy and strong identity guidelines. With clarity of parameters, the 70/30 rule might just be the guideline we need.

Think of the brand guidelines document as a fluid, flexible road map for your brand. As people begin working with your brand guidelines, new communication needs will arise and new tactics will be created. To accommodate them, your brand guidelines will need to expand.  The following are a few more examples of situations that would warrant an update:

• New brand positioning
• New design elements, e.g. stationery, literature, promotional items
• Rapid business expansion that causes your business model to change
• Change in your target market or audience
• Corporate mergers or acquisitions
• Product or channel diversification

For example, consider FedEx and Kinko’s. These two companies merged a few years ago, forming FedEx Kinko’s. As the two companies merged, a new brand guidelines document was needed to clearly and concisely guide communications for the newly formed brand. Most recently, FedEx Kinko’s has become FedEx Office. This brand transformation again necessitated an update to the brand guidelines document. 

When these types of changes happen in an organization, deadlines loom and it is easy to loose track of critical brand details. So while guidelines don’t come with explicit expiration dates, it is essential that someone in your organization is dedicated to keeping up with your brand as it grows, making sure your brand’s guidelines reflect this growth.

In our quick one-question poll, 44 percent of those polled indicated that “inconsistent use” was their biggest challenge when it came to brand guidelines. Below are six considerations that may help address this problem: 

1. Make sure the guideline document is distributed to appropriate audiences — not only  to the agency that helped create the guidelines, but also to other agency partners, including your PR firm. In addition, make sure appropriate personnel INTERNALLY have easy access to it.
2. Speaking of easy access, consider a dynamic location for the guidelines, such as a mini sitelet. This will allow you to update the guidelines easily and your partners to easily access the most recent information. The bonus of a sitelet is that you’ll be able to include downloadable assets (logos, imagery, templates, etc.). The easier you make it for your teams to access the guidelines, the more likely they are to follow them.
3. Instead of tossing the guidelines up on your Web site and sending out a global e-mail announcing that they are there, consider presenting them with an impactful presentation. It will not only get everyone in the know, but also gives you the opportunity to unveil new logos, etc. and talk both about the strategy that went into developing the guidelines as well as the importance of using guidelines. In essence, it lets your teams see your excitement and puts a face to the work — so they buy into the guidelines and they know whom to approach with questions.
4. Many times we find that a brand’s own worst enemy is the person closest to the guidelines! If you break the guidelines, why should others follow them? Make sure everything you do is in compliance! And share examples of completed work so your team can start to see actual implementations.
5. On the subject of compliance: Consider how literally you want your guidelines to be interpreted. For example, if your guidelines call for the brand mark to be placed vertically on the left side of the page, what should a person do when there is a very horizontal tactic? Isn’t the most important thing to make sure the brand mark is highest in priority on the page? Would it make sense to use the brand mark horizontally and larger rather than vertical and small? Sometimes the answer is yes — and sometimes it’s no.
6. That said, make sure you have reasonable expectations about how the guidelines should be used. For example, it’s more valuable to include key messages for a brand or product than specific “approved” copy points. It’s just not possible to predict all the tactics your brand will create. Providing guidance with key messages helps a marketer or agency work within the guidelines to create the best solution for the specific need.

Let’s face it, a guideline document is just that — a guideline. The important thing to remember is they exist to maintain the integrity of the brand. Communicating your passion for the brand and creating strong guidelines will help you build equity and recognition — and that’s what is all about, right?

Packaging guidelines are good examples of when you must say yes to the most stringent use of guidelines. Yes to an exact size of the logo. Yes to the same style and placement of photography. Yes to the distance between information.

Following these rules can be challenging at times, especially when the size of the packaging changes. However, when there’s consistency, it’s easier for consumers to find what they are looking for on the shelf.

The following examples show that, even with color changes, the products clearly belong together. Without guidelines or “rules” I’m afraid to know how inconsistant and unshoppable these products would be. Would consumers know that a specific product comes in multiple flavors or with different options? They might simply buy the first product they see or recognize — a missed opportunity either way — or even skip over that brand altogether if they couldn’t easily find what they wanted.

Guidelines or “rules” and the consistencies they offer can directly affect a brand’s ability to sell multiple products to the same consumer. Who knew that a set of rules could hold so much power?

Clorox image courtesy of McLean Design
Lays and Tostitos images courtesy of Landor Associates

The presentation of a brand must constantly convey a coordinated, cohesive and consistent appearance; the term “standards” not only refers to these aspects, but also nods to the caliber of work that is expected.

Although there should be several items that are absolute and unquestionable, the complete package shouldn’t be severely rigid; that is not the intent. Flexibility is integral to all standards.

Yet leaving considerable territory uncharted leaves the landscape ambiguous and open for interpretation. This ambiguity allows opportunities to dilute and compromise a unified presence. Details concerning the brand platform, personality, values, promise, logo/brand mark, typography, color palette, imagery, copy/tone of voice and overall style must be addressed. Outlining these items (and potentially others) will greatly aid the harmonious existence between all communications tactics that are produced. 

Identity/brand standards are developed to provide assistance in maintaining cohesion in the presentation of the qualities that make a brand unique. They need to be designed in a way that allows application across a wide range of tactics, while also allowing for originality, creativity and impact.

Clearly defining the aforementioned aspects will greatly reduce the potential for confusion or uncertainty — not only for those who develop the communications, but also for the intended audience. Any tactic that is inconsistent can compromise the integrity and overall image, message and/or presence of a brand/identity.

A positive and lasting impression can only be created through proper compliance to the established rules and qualities that are outlined in identity/brand standards. The key message in standards manuals is consistency: consistency builds cohesion; consistency builds loyalty; consistency builds equity. Consistency builds brands.

I was recently asked about packaging differentiation at the shelf. I thought I’d post my two cents on our blog. When we are asked about differentiation at the shelf there are two kinds to consider and each need has its own considerations.

They are:

1. Differentiation between brands
2. Differentiation between product variations (SKUs) within a product line.

The first requires a clear understanding of the consumer and the marketplace. I always think research money is best spent on gaining insights here rather than on focus groups that only tell me if six people in a room like a package’s design. The better the consumer research, the better we can create packaging with impact at the shelf that gets the consumer to pick it up. If a consumer will just pick up a package, the likelyhood of purchase skyrockets. Of course, we’d want a strong brand platform and position to work from. If the products are innovative or new, our work is pretty easy. If it is a “me-too” product, then we need to appeal to the consumer’s desires, making it is an emotional sell.  An intellectual/analytical purchase decision is more likely with a one-of-a-kind product, since the reasoning to buy is so much more straightforward: “I need X and this is the only X there is.” 

Differentiation amongst SKUs is a harder problem to solve and is almost always a design/messaging exercise that needs to consider the entire line. We need to build a system that teaches the consumer where to look for what on a package. It is a communication and information hierarchy puzzle, with the strength of the brand playing a major influence. Doing the upfront work here means clearly understanding how consumers shop the particular space. I’d do qualitative research, design, then POG and work with the retailer. Major issue here: too many elements on the front of the package, which leads to clutter.

Asking about differentiation isn’t easy to answer, because of the many nuances necessary at the shelf. At Go East, we will always recommend a high level differentiation strategy that considers all the perspectives needed to differentiate. It’s not quick, nor is it easy, but it has been successful. And a promise with the likelihood of success, in today’s climate, seems like a no brainer to me.

Business theater may be extreme, but I’ve seen success in a dramatic unveiling of a brand platform to key corporate leadership players. Why not capitalize on the type of excitement that can be generated in a real, live, face-to-face setting? It’s sure to be much more impactful and memorable than e-mailing the team a note that says, “The guidelines are finally done and everyone must follow them … see attached pdf.”

Yawn.

Take charge of the moment … indeed, of your hard work … and get people excited. Help them understand the strategy behind the guidelines and the importance of using them, because it’s important to remember that while you’ve likely been immersed in the guidelines project for months, your colleagueas may only be tangently aware, if at all, that you were even working on the project.

So, while you can recite your brand platform by heart, your collegues may not even know what a brand platform is. Fun, personable materials can be created and distributed at a launch party to help everyone understand  what is at stake.  Don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm for the brand! Talk about why guidelines are important and what each person’s role in following them entails.

Then, have a cookie and a drink. You did good.

Launching a new or updated identity is exciting for any company. It can also be complex, especially for large companies with many communications tactics.

Guidelines are an integral part of launching an identity because they help to ensure that key players, both internal and external, are implementing the identity correctly and consistently. But when exactly is the best time to create guidelines?  The answer is two-fold: not too soon, and definitely not too late. 

Too soon

It is nearly impossible to create effective guidelines before substantial thought has been given to how the identity will be treated over multiple communications tactics. The best thing to do is to plan early for guidelines to be a part of your identity project. Then work with your design studio to identify key elements of the identity system to be included in the concept phase of the project. These elements often include a logo, stationery, literature, advertising, signage and the look and feel of your website. The elements will vary depending on what is most relevant to your type of business. 

It is often thought that once a concept is chosen, the identity is ready to roll and guidelines can be created. On the contrary, it is at this time that at least some of the communication tactics should be refined and developed to the point of completion. This will enable the design studio to properly work through the design strategy over a variety of communications vehicles, ensuring cohesion amongst them. Once the pieces have been refined and developed, guidelines can be created to ensure consistent implementation of the identity over additional communication tactics.

Attempting to develop guidelines too soon in the process may result in the need to revise the guidelines after they have been distributed to key players. Redistributing guidelines can be very difficult and often results in confusion and incorrect implementation of the identity.

Too late

In this day and age, the reality is that businesses usually have to move at the speed of light to react to changes within the company or within the market. It can be tempting to start launching a new identity before guidelines have been created. Perhaps there is an immediate need for stationery because the supplies are low. Or perhaps an upcoming trade show would be a perfect opportunity to distribute a new informational brochure. Maybe there is an ad deadline approaching and it would be great to run an ad with the new “look.” There are probably a million reasons why it would be tempting or seemingly necessary to involve multiple players in the implementation of a new identity before guidelines have been created, but there is only one reason why you shouldn’t — failure. 

If projects are handed over to key players before a comprehensive, well-conceived set of guidelines has been developed, too much will be left open to personal interpretation, and the result inconsistencies may lead to a weakened brand presence. After investing time and money in a new or updated identity, the last thing you want to do is hinder its impact right out of the gate. 

If you’re considering a new identity, plan to include guidelines from the very beginning. The best time to create guidelines will differ a little bit for every company depending on specific needs and time constraints. The best thing to do is to work with your design studio to determine an appropriate launch plan for your identity and the guidelines which will most definitely help ensure a successful implementation.

In the design world, nowhere is this more applicable than in the creation of good brand guidelines.

Guidelines set the ground rules by providing a framework from which to work from. They take the guesswork and personal bias out of the picture to set parameters on which we can all agree. (”I don’t care how cool it would be to see the company logo in neon pink, it ain’t gonna happen!”)

From a project management standpoint, adherence to established guidelines results in greater efficiency by eliminating costly errors and reducing the number of proofing rounds. This saves time as well as money.

By adhering to the guidelines on the mandatories, we avoid recreating the wheel on things like logo treatment, white space, legal copy, etc., which means we are better able to flex our creative muscle on the non-mandatories and, in the end, provide the client with the maximum value for his or her creative dollars.

In some cases, it’s not that the organization hasn’t thought through its copy tone, it’s just that no one has taken the time to communicate those thoughts broadly.

As Rob Mitchell posits in an article on Brandchannel.com, it’s possible copywriting is generally overlooked because all of us use words on a regular basis — we speak, write e-mails and publish reports — and feel fairly confident with the medium, while designing is viewed as a highly specialized skill.

Yet, as Mitchell points out, poor writing and inconsistent use of voice and messaging can undermine a brand as surely as misuse of the logo. “If a company’s staff doesn’t speak, write or behave in line with what the customer has been led to expect,” Mitchell writes, ” then he will feel let down.”

Let down and possibly confused. Conversely, consistently good copy is critical to an audience’s ability to recognize a brand in the marketplace.

The challenge, when there are a large numbers of potential writers involved, is teaching staff and consultants to not only recognize when the copy tone is on brand, but also to create copy that represents the strengths of  the brand and resonates with its audiences.

And that’s where guidelines are helpful. In the end, copywriting guidelines create efficiencies and protect the brand, but they also free the writer up to be more creative. In a way, working within guidelines is almost like writing to a stringent poetry form: Rather than trying to redefine the audience, messages and tone, writers can focus on using the existing parameters to create the most engaging, relevant and effective copy possible.

Here are a few additions an organization should consider making to its guidelines to foster more consistent and engaging copywriting.

Writing well

Guidelines should include a brief section on writing well; the basics of business writing, such as: 

• Avoid over-using big words, complex sentences, clutter, jargon and the passive voice
• Strive for honesty, clarity and simplicity — less is more

In his article, Mitchell talks a lot about how, in the absence of guidelines or a real understanding of a brand, writers will fall back on jargon — meaningless phrases that, while comforting in their familiarity to some, may alienate others outside the “lingo.”

I would add that jargon can also clutter up your messaging, leaving audiences with a muddled perspective on your brand.

If possible, include examples of good and bad writing in your copywriting guidelines, e.g. using a long word where a short one will do — as in “numerous” vs. “many” — or the passive voice: Files will be organized vs. James will organize the files.

Core audiences

Defining your core audience with as much specific information as possible helps writers understand who they are talking to and craft messages and tone appropriately.

For example, it is immensely helpful to know the audience’s pain points, enthusiasms, sales cycles and how they interact with the product, etc.    

Copy tone  

Copy tone is complex.

On the one hand, it refers literally to the manner of expression: Confident and informed, warm and inviting, serious and reserved, enthusiastic and urgent, witty and informal. The tone of your copy should, of course, resonate with your core audiences. 

On the other hand, copy tone can also refer to personality.

Capturing the personality of your brand  in writing can mean expression, vocabulary, rhythm and punctuation — and it can be great fun.  Unfortunately, copy that takes on too strong a personality risks offending elements of your audience; one reader’s witty is another’s snotty.

Capturing that fine line is tricky.  If the goal of the guidelines is to simplify writing for anyone — consultants and the folks in your organization —  it’s probably best to focus on tone (expression) and audience.

Again, the best way to communicate your brand’s tone of voice within the guidelines is through examples:

Hot!Hot!Hot!  vs. Limited time offer

Key messages

Key messages are the most important aspects of the brand’s product offering and services summarized in a concise phrase or sentence. They communicate what differentiates your brand, what you want the consumer to remember.

In the brand guidelines, key messages help copywriters, and designers, understand the communication priorities of the brand so that they can write about it comfortably and honestly — to Mitchell’s point, there’s no need for jargon. They also ensure that writers consistently communicate the brand’s strengths to your core audiences, which in turn helps build audience recognition and opinion.

Key messages should not necessarily be pulled directly from the guidelines, but used as a basis for all communications — how the actual words are crafted will vary from tactic to tactic, audience to audience.

1. Who will be the main users of the new guidelines?
As with any communication tactic, you need to know your audience. Their needs, skill levels and familiarity with the use of guidelines will determined the content and the level of complexity, and will determine if you can use industry-specific language.

2. What do I need to include in the guidelines?
Based on your audience’s needs, develop a comprehensive contents list. How deep and detailed to be is always the question. You should ask yourself: Do I include templates or just general guidelines? Do I address brand platform? What about key messages? Tradedress? Literature? Stationary? Signage? Vehicle graphics? Internet? Promotional items? Tradeshows?

3. Do I have enough elements of the identity in place to start documenting the guidelines?
In other words, should you write the guidelines before designing the literature or should you design the literature first? Well, keep in mind that guidelines spell out what is known and required. Have the design studio work through the various necessary communication elements first. Then move forward with distributing the guidelines for the mass populating of your new identity, especially if yours is midsize or larger company.

4. Who will compile and write the guidelines?
The obvious answer is the one who wrote the brand platform and designed the identity. Verbal and visual subtleties are best captured by the one who came up with all the ideas. His or her job is not done until the brand and identity strategy can be communicated in a way that it can be continuously populated.

5. How will the guidelines be distributed?
Options, options, options. Traditionally, guidelines have always been printed as booklets. Now guidelines can be distributed electronically. The slickest option is a Web-deployed option that can be easily updated and that avoids the risk of outdated copies residing on someone’s computer or in someone’s file drawer. Some companies allow their guidelines to be widely accessed by anyone who can find the URL. Others prefer to password protect both this information and downloadable assets.

6. What is the timeline?
Use your internal and external brand identity launch plan to develop a timeline. You can distribute guidelines in phases in order to get the basics out to those who need to be aware of them or need to start using them. The internal launch of the new identity needs to include getting key players on board and understanding how to handle the new identity, including its guidelines. Beyond distributing the guidelines, the most effective method of getting people to use guidelines and to use them correctly is to do a training. Don’t forget: You can do long-distance training via the Internet. If you have ever been to a guideline training class, you may recall that staying awake can be challenging. If guideline compliance is important enough to invest in classes, it is important enough to provide some cookies and beverages as well. Have some fun with it.

7. What is the plan for changing all corporate pieces?
Obviously, if yours is a large company, you cannot change everything in one launch. Determine what must be completed — and what the guidelines need to spell out — in the main launch. Usually this includes your stationary, Web site and main literature, along with an ad campaign. But obviously, every company needs to evaluate its own unique set of variables. Once you’ve done this, have a plan and a deadline for the rest.

The first thing is to simply list all your current pieces, from collateral to signage and online tactics. Remember, you are not just replacing everything you currently have. But this is the perfect time to streamline. Evaluate if you really need each piece. Perhaps some are now online or no longer relevant. Avoid the rut of simply updating all current literature with a new font, color, etc. In all actuality, the new brand requires that copy and the positioning of the product or company be updated as well.

8. How can I make the new guidelines effective?
The goal is to create a consistent identity in the marketplace, one that communicates in a similar voice and with a similar look and feel across your whole company. Create galleries within your company so everyone can see successful executions. Galleries are quick cheat sheets on how to execute guidelines. They can help the guidelines make sense in a heck of a hurry. Think about simple internal award programs for elements executed with excellence and accuracy.

9. What do I need to think about for the long term?
Get regular feedback on how using the guidelines is going. Send out a questionnaire to key users. Also evaluate the accuracy of information, as things can evolve or be tweaked as time goes by. Holding communication audits at least once a year is a wise move for any company, particularly if it has recently established a new identity.

10. Budget?
And, of course, there is the question of budget. Developing a new identity is a big investment of time and money. Don’t let it fall apart on execution. Guidelines are not things to cut. It is kinda like having a company with lots of customers but no means for the customers to contact you. You must convey the new identity to key players. It is the only way to meet your original business objective.  So with this in mind, and before you start, be sure to have guidelines estimated and budgeted. Trust me — you will see the difference in the long run.

Springwise

Image courtesy of StickyTwits.com

Go East recently repurposed and recycled the make-readies from a poster project we created. I asked everyone to take the make-readies and do something creative with them as our most recent Design Response. The results were stunning. 

What is a design response? 

For the past year, we have been holding an extra-ordinary, extracurricular creative exploration, called “Design Response.” Too often design work can become a rote execution of a brochure, a banner ad, a package or a sell sheet. To keep our creative minds and muscles stretched and strengthened, we started Design Response, a short-term creativity commission that poses a problem, project, or possibility to the entire company. Everyone is invited to participate. All responses are welcome. The intention is to encourage creative thinking, problem-solving and using design as a response to any situation that may arise in any venue, at any time. 

The results have been extraordinary. 

Despite demanding workloads, family commitments, and the myriad tasks everyone has, Go East colleagues have consistently brought exciting, surprising responses to each challenge. Each participation has encouraged us in our client work and in our lives. Each person presents their piece in an internal review and all have a opportunity to comment and collaborate.

Some highlights:

• The fourth most popular yard sign in the Walker Art Gallery’s “My Yard Our Message” commission was designed in our first Design Response. 
• Design Response : High Gas Prices elicited a stunning range of solutions from gourmet gas, iPhone apps, a lunch-run planning site, and guerilla activist stickers
• Pose a problem and a solution showed what individuals were wrestling with and how they might respond. From a treadmill workstation to color-coded medicine organizers for elderly parent care, we were impressed with the range of options. We had designs for a mass transit system in Minnesota that predated the current stimulus projects. One designer created a map of Twin Cities locations mentioned in the lyrics of a local band, which he is now photographing for a personal project
• Red Letter Day: favorite letter form, in red, and why
• Poster Campaign Make Ready Recycling: take the make-readies from a project and transform them into something else. 

Design Response has become one of the most inspiring parts of Go East. It encourages everyone to think creatively about life and work and opens our eyes to how differently each of us may respond to the world around us. And the world could use some creative, well-designed responses to a wide range of problems now.

When many of us think of recycling, we imagine the mobius loop (that clever little symbol with the three chasing arrows). Did you know that there are multiple versions of the loop and that each has a separate and distinct meaning?

For example, the arrows alone symbolize that the material on which you see the symbol is recyclable. If the arrows are white in a colored circle, it symbolizes that the item on which you see the symbol is made from some recycled materials. If the arrows are white in a colored circle and there is a percentage indicated, it symbolizes that the item on which you see the symbol is made from a specific percentage of recycled materials. If the arrows are a solid color in a circle that is outlined in black, it symbolizes that the item on which you see the symbol is made only with partially recycled material.

Whew. That’s confusing, and that’s not even all of the symbols!

My point is that when the majority of consumers see a mobius loop, they tend to think of it as the symbol for recycling — as in “separate your glass and paper, folks.” So even though there are clear definitions for each type of loop, I think that their meanings are unclear among consumers.

Furthermore, since no organization “owns” the symbols, there is no one to regulate their use, update definitions or facilitate consumer education.

This brings us to a final thought: Is it the responsibility of marketers to make sure their consumers understand the intended meaning? Or is it up to consumers to educate themselves?

Most if us are familiar with the green benefits of composting:

• It reduces household trash (20 to 30 percent can be composted)
• It keeps kitchen and garden waste out of landfills, which generate
methane gas and contribute to global warming
• It reduces kitchen wastecan odors
• It produces free, organic-rich compost

Now you can find innovative composters and stylish kitchen composter
pails that won’t compromise your aesthetics.

The tumbler style composter is great for urban and patio use. Simple to use, it contains the compost and is animal-proof.

I also found a number of attractive, functional kitchen composter pails
that come with odor-reducing filters:

• The Bamboo Kitchen Compost Pail
• The Stainless Steel Compost Pail
• The Countertop Compost Keeper

And you can compost more than you might think: paper napkins, paper towel cores, coffee filters and virtually any food item with the exception of meat and dairy. By putting meat wrappers and bones directly into the outside garbage can, and by recycling, I can go a week or more without taking out the kitchen trash. You can also save money: some garbage haulers give a discount if residents put out only one can a week.

Interested in learning more about composting? Read on!

Looking for an eco-friendly way to charge your laptop? Try the The Voltaic Generator. According to Voltaic Systems Inc., “It’s the first solar bag powerful enough to charge a laptop.” It includes nine solar panels on the outside of the bag that will fully charge an internal Li-Ion battery in five hours of direct sunlight. It will hold up to a 17-inch notebook and comes with a handy voltage selector that automatically delivers the required output. It’s a little pricey at $499.00, but then you can say that your computer runs on sunlight and sits in a bag made from 100 percent recycled soda bottles!

Voltaic is not the only super techno-geek on the planet, check out the other high-tech companies that are keeping it green.

Sprite has a new product called Sprite Green. When I first came across it, I immediately wondered what made this product “green.” There was no mention of environmental benefits in the short Brand Packaging article I read that featured the new packaging, or on Sprite’s website. The “bottle” is made from aluminum, but so are soda cans. And is more aluminum really “green?” The only connection with the environment that I can find is that the new product is naturally sweetened. So does it really deserve the title “green”? Or has it become automatic for us to think that “green” can only mean “good for the environment?”

In an effort to save paper, I really try to keep the number of documents I print to a minimum, but I’ve kinda forgotten about all the ink or toner that gets used, too.

According to SPRANQ creative communications, we can save ink and increase the life of our ink cartridges by using a new font they’ve created called Ecofont. It’s a font whose letters have little holes in them. When used, it can save 20 percent of the ink or toner you might otherwise use up when printing your favorite standard font. Ecofont works best when using a point size of 9 or 10.

Download the font for free and give it a try.

Last night I checked in on-line for a flight I have today and was surprised to find a new option: an e-boarding pass. That’s right, a paperless boarding pass. Basically, you enter information about your mobile device, your phone number and an e-mail account accessible from the phone. You then receive an e-mail with a link that launches your Internet browser and voila, you’ve got a paperless boarding pass. You can use the e-boarding pass at the security checkpoint and at the gate when you board the plane. 

Currently, Northwest Airlines offers this option in only a few select markets, but I really wonder about the possibilities.  According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), there are an average of 28,537 commercial flights each day in the United States. While not everyone has a mobile device that would enable them to use this service, imagine being able to eliminate the need for paper on just half of those flights — that would save over 5.2 million pieces of paper per year. 

I continue to be amazed at the advancement of mobile device technology and the myriad ways these devices can make life a little easier — or at least make traveling a little greener. 

So the big question is, does it work? Well, I take flight in a couple of hours, so I’ll cover that question in my next post.