EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity

GRAPHICDESIGNFORBEHAVIOURALCHANGE

MOTIVATION-NOTJUSTINFORMATION

StephenBatesandPaulClark

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity ABSTRACTEachyear,colleges,universitiesandartschoolsaroundtheglobereleaseintotheworldanarmyofnewdesigners having learned their craft cocooned from the real world, surrounded by their peers andencouragedbytutors.Thewake-upcallcanoftenbestark.Picturethescene;Abuddingyoungdesignerrespondstoabriefforanewbrandidentityforanorganisation.Theyspendtime researching the market and the competition, agonise over type, colour, shape and form. Theydevelop an idea rooted in strategy, they visualise it, render it and present it eagerly to an expectantclientonlytobetold“Nah!Don’tlikeit”.Yearsofstudyandskilldevelopmentlaidbaretotheabundanceofcheapdownloadable logos,wiveswhoare ‘goodatart’and junior staffmemberswho’vemasteredMicrosoftPublisher.Design in all its forms will always be subjective but the risk and negative effect of undervaluing itsimportance can be profound, particularly for those institutions seeking to use communications tochangebehaviorwhere‘motivation’isasimportantas‘information’.Forpublicsectorinstitutions,theproblemisexasperatedbytheever-presentissueofbudgetlimitationthat forces the thinking that good design is an expensive and unnecessary luxury. In-housecommunication departments are thus often appointed to developmaterials intended to drive criticalshifts in behaviour; departments that invariably lack the depth and breadth of experience to createvisualidentitiesthatgrabattention,getstuffreadanddeliverameasurableshiftinpublicparticipation.It is said that communication is proportionally the cheapest component of Waste Management yetarguably the most critical. In the same sense, design is often the cheapest component ofcommunications yet also, the most critically important to the overall communication strategy indeliveringsuccess.InthislatestreportfromEnviroCommsInsight,StephenBatesandPaulClarkdiscusstherolethatgooddesign plays in behavioural change communications for the waste and resource recovery sector andhow, when used properly and efficiently, it can have a hugely positive influence on participatoryperformance.

StephenBatesPaulClark

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity

1.THEROLEOFDESIGN

YoumayhavereadthattheaveragepersonintheUKisexposedtobetween3,000and5,000marketingmessageseachday. It’sunclearas towhere thismetriccomes frombutwhat’scertain is that it’snotexactly, ‘exact’. Assuming one gets a good eight hour’s sleep, that would provide 57,600 ‘awake’secondseachdayandontheupperestimation,thatwouldmeanwe’dbeseeinganadvertonceevery11.52seconds.Whenyou take intoaccountTV,Radio,SocialMedia, Internet,Newspapers,Billboardsand all other media, this is entirely possible but it’s one thing recognising that an advert exists butanothertorecallwhatanadvertwastalkingabout,inotherwords,seeinganadvertthatregistersinthemind.Whatisknownisthatweareeachbombardedwith11million‘bits’ofinformationeachsecond1buttheaverageperson’sbraincapacityislimitedtohandlearoundonly40to50‘bits.Somethinghastogiveandgiveitdoeswithourbrainssubconsciouslytuningoutmostperipheralthingsthatitrecognisesas being unimportant to survival or immediate need. There is now growing acceptance within theadvertising industry that the total numberofmarketingmessagesweeach ‘properly’ seeeachday isclosertoaround300to700.Thismayappearmoreattractivetoadvertisersbutontheassumptionthatanadvertisdesigned,ultimately,tostimulateanaction,achievingthisremainsaverydifficultchallenge.First,youhavetograbattentionfromallthoseothermarketingmessagesoutthere.Next,youhavetoconveyrelevanceandthenneedamongst thoseotheradvertisers thathavealsodonethis.Then,youhave to fight against indirect competing forces, consumer apathy andahost of otherbarriers beforesomeoneactsuponthemessagegiven.Withmostadvertisersbeingofthecorporatevarietywithmega-money budgets, the challenge for Local Authorities advertising waste and recycling related servicesappearsatfirstglancetobedaunting,fightingforspaceandrecognitioninaseaofflashy,well-funded,slick campaigns selling everything from perfume, coffee and cars to financial services and holidays.Dauntingitmaybebutinsurmountableitisn’tandgooddesignisthetoolofchoice.HowandwhydesignworksOur brains process and store information differently depending upon how that information wasprovided to us.Words alone are generally processed in our short-termmemory whereas images godirectly intoour long-termmemorywheretheyremainindeliblyetched.Overtime,theeffectthishasincreaseswithonestudy2thatshowedafterthreedays,apersonretainsonaverage,only10%-20%ofwritten or spoken information whereas 65% of visual information is retained. In another study,illustrated text was shown as being 9% more effective than text alone when testing immediatecomprehensionand83%moreeffectivewhenthetestwasdelayed.According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, the brain is capable of seeing images that last for just 13milliseconds with visuals processed over 60,000 times faster than text alone. 90% of all informationtransmittedtothebrainisvisual.Inshortandsimplyput,wehumansarecreaturesstimulatedbythethingsweseeoverthethingswereadbyordersofmagnitude.Bywayofexample,considerthefollowingillustration:

1 http://www.britannica.com/topic/information-theory 2 http://changingminds.org/explanations/learning/active_learning.htm

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity GraphicIllustration TextualDescription

Aplainfigurewithfourequalstraightsidesandfourrightangles,in-filledwithadeepbluecolourtotheedges

withoutshadoworoutline.

Whendesigndoesn’tworkHavingestablishedtheimportanceandeffectofthevisualelementsofcommunications,itisimportantto note that the poor or incorrect use of graphics can be of detriment, negatively impacting on theabilitytodrivehomeamessage.Whengraphicsappearonapieceofcommunicationthatareoff-topic,poorqualityorexistpurelyfordecoration,thoseviewingthemwillsubconsciouslytrytoworkoutthemessageandreason for the image’sexistencewhich reduces the impact thecommunicationmightofotherwiseachieved.Examplesofpoorgraphicsandimageryinclude;

• Picturesthatareobviouslystockphotographs• Poorqualityimages(pixelated,low-resolution,etc.)• Clipart• Genericgraphicsthatdisplayaclearlackofimagination• Graphicsthatdonotrelatetothetheme• Overly-complexandclutteredlayouts• Inappropriatefonts

Above:Examplesofthepooruseoftypeandclipart.Notonlydoesbaddesign lookwrong, it canphysically affect thewell beingof thebusiness that it isbeingusedtopromote.WouldyouentrustthedispatchofalovedonetoSmith&Smithwhoappeartoexisttoputthe‘fun’backintofuneralsandwhatstatedoyouthinkthebouquetwouldbein,suppliedbyKate’sFlowers?Giventhatfloristryisitselfacreativeindustry,apoorlydesignedcompanylogodoesnotbodewellfortheservicesortheflowersthecompanyprovides.The amateur designer will develop something to the point where they say “that looks nice”. Theprofessionaldesignerwilldevelopsomethingtothepointwheretheysay“thatwillwork”. It’sasmallbutabsolutelycriticaldifferencethatcandefinewhetheracampaignfailsorsucceeds.

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity 2.HOWDESIGNISDEVELOPEDThe creation of graphic design, be it for a logo, leaflet, website or multi-channel campaign is anevolutionaryprocesstowhichlogicandstrategyisappliedandrarelytheworkofalonedesigner.Belowisthebroadapproachtaken:

ThechallengeThedesignteamwill reviewtheclientbriefandconsidertheprimaryobjectivesthecampaignneedstodeliveron.

TheaudienceBuilding an understanding of the target audience is a critical part of the design process as itshapesthemessage, lookandfeelofthefinaldesign.It is insufficienttosimplysaysomethinglike;“menandwomen,overtheageof25livinginthetown”.Whatarethesepeople’sprimaryconcerns andneeds?Whatmotivates them to do the things they do presently or not do thethings that thecampaignseeks toget themtodo?Sometimesthis insightcanbedrawnfromobservationandlocalknowledge,sometimesitrequirestalkingtothepeoplethecampaignwillbetargetingbutnevershouldthesethingsbeguessedorassumed.ThebarriersNext,theteamwillconsiderwhatbarriersexistthatstandinthewayofthoseobjectivesbeingmet;whatarethecompetingforcesbothphysicalandcognitivethatwillhindertheabilityfortheaudiencetoactuponthemessagesthatwillbeprovided?Creativeignition–thespark!With the above established, the design team will brainstorm ideas. Layouts will be drafted(often old-school with pens and paper). At this stage, no idea is a bad idea with conceptsemergingthatrangefromthesublimetotheridiculous.Astheprocessdevelops,someideasarediscardedothersdevelopedfurtheruntilonedominantideastandsoutabovetherest,onethateveryonekeepslookingat.Whendonewell,thisisacollectiveratherthancompetitiveprocessthatleadstoaclear“that’stheone”moment,agreedbyall.SensecheckAt this point, it would be easy to start the visualisation of the chosen idea but the creativeprocesscansometimesleadoneawayfromthecorepurposeofthecampaignsoatthisstage,asense check is required. This involves critically revisiting the challenge, the audience and thebarriersandconsiderwhetherthechosenideaanswersonallofthese.It’satthispointthatthequestion;“willitwork?”isasked.Theresultofthispartoftheprocesswilleitherrequiresometweaking,reworking,startingagainoragreementthatallisgood.VisualisationTheideawillbeworkeduptofullvisualswithexamplesofthedesignappliedtothematerialsthatthecampaignwillcomprise.It’satthispointthedesignswillbepresentedtotheclientforapprovalalongwitharationaleforwhythedesignisright.

MarkettestingandpublicparticipationinthecreativeprocessWheninvestinginamajorcampaign,manypublicsectorinstitutionsseektoreducetheriskbymarket-testing the design before committing fully to the campaign execution. This is an understandable

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity approachbutcarrieswith itanumberof risks that themselvesarepotentiallymoreharmful thannotundertakenmarkettesting.Market testing normally involves the recruitment of willing volunteers drawn from the areas andaudienceprofilethecampaignwillbetargeting.Thisposesthefirstprobleminthatthosethatwillinglycomeforwardtoparticipaterarelyprovideagroupthatisfullyrepresentativeofthewholearea.Theyparticipatebecausetheyaresociallyconsciousandactivemembersoftheircommunitiesandmorethanlikely,alreadydoingwhatthecampaignisseekingtogetpeopletodoordomoreof–suchasrecycling.Great effort and not a little expense is required to get a fully representative group to participate inmarkettesting.Another challenge is that the vast majority of people are not naturally creative. In once sense, formarket testing, this might not be such a bad thing; after all, the campaign is not targeting otherdesigners and designers can be critical of the work of others for the sake of it (it is a competitiveindustry,afterall!).What thisdoesmean though is thatpeople’sopinionsof theapproachpresentedtendstobeweightedtotowardsthesubjectiveattheexpenseoftheobjective.Aswehaveseen,peopleareonthewholestimulatedmorebywhattheyseeratherthanreadbutwithoutappreciationof thecreative production process, the default setting people apply in such controlled environments,regardlessof thedirectiongiven, is to think:“does it looknice?”.Again,aswehavediscovered,gooddesignislessaboutwhetheritlooksniceandmoreaboutwhetheritwillwork.To undertakemarket testing to a level that would provide genuinely useful feedback often costs anamountmore thanwouldbe suffered fromanunderperforming campaigndeployedwithout it. So, isthereareroleforthepublictoplayinthecreativeprocessorshouldtheysimplybetherecipientsoftheinformationwiththedevelopmentlefttotheprofessionals?Well,yes,thereisaveryimportantroleforthemtoplaybutnottowardstheendoftheprocessbutatthebeginning.Earlier,wediscussedtheprocessofcreativedevelopmentthatstartedwithbuildinganunderstandingoftheaudienceacampaignistotarget.It’satthispointsomegreatbenefitcanbehadbyengagingwiththepublicwiththeaimofestablishingfardeeperinsightintothelikelymotivatingmessagesandimagesthatwill deliver on the objectives. To demonstrate the power of this, here is a brief case study of acampaigndevelopedbyEnviroCommsforRotherDistrictCouncil.IWishICouldRecycleMoreRotherisasmall localauthorityontheSouthCoastoftheUKcontainingthehistorictownsofRyeandBattle and the seaside resort of Bexhill with 44,000 homes. The majority of residents are above theaverageUKage.In2006,thecouncilappointedEnviroCommstodevelopacommunicationscampaigntosupportabrandnew recycling service and a significant expansion of the service then currently provided, which waslimitedtokerbsidepapercollectionandextensivebringbanksdottedaroundthedistrict,whichdespitethe limitations on materials, was yielding an impressive 16% recycling rate, performance that a fewyearsearliermeanttheywereintheupperquartileofrecyclingperformanceintheUK.Thenewservicewould expand the kerbside collections to accommodate garden waste, cans, plastics, cardboard andextended paper collections. Itwas a service thatwould be introduced in one go and required the re-routing of collection rounds, new collection days and a change to the requirements on set out.Communicationswasthereforevitalforasuccessfullaunchandongoingparticipation.EnviroCommsorganisedaseriesoffocusgroupsacrossthedistrictcoveringtheruralandsuburbanareasandalsoundertooksomedoorstepresearch.ThefocusofthisactivitytowastogaininsightintoRother

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity resident’s viewsabout recycling, their levelofunderstandingabout it, theiropinionof the councilandtheirconcernsregardingmattersthatmightbeaddressedbyanexpandedrecyclingservice.Whatwas foundwasa localpopulationwhowanted to recyclemore than theycould.By2006,manylocal authorities had introduced extensive kerbside schemes, including those neighbouringRother andtherewas frustration that they could not recycle asmuch as their friends and families living in theseotherareas.Theyfeltthatthecouncilweredraggingtheirheelsovertheissue(infact,theywerewaitinguntiltheendofthethencurrentcontractwiththeincumbentwastecontractortoincludeanexpandedservicewithinanew,seven-yearcontract).Itwas also apparent thatwithin in each of themajor (and not somajor) conurbations,many peopleknewoneanotherinthesametownorvillage.Communitygroupsandsocialsocietieswerefoundtobenumerous,strongandverywellattendedwhichresultedinlargepeer-groupsoflike-mindedpeople.Using this insight, the EnviroComms creative team began to develop creative concepts that tappedinitiallyintothepopulation’sdesiretorecyclemore.Theythensoughttocapitaliseonthefactthatmanypeopleknewmanyotherpeopleacrossthedistrictandconsiderhowthecouncilcouldbepositionedasactinguponthedesiresofthepopulation.

Above:ExamplesfromtheRotherDistrictCouncilcampaign©EnviroComms

Theresultwasacampaigntitled“IWishICouldRecycleMore”,initiallytransposingtherecyclingthemewithhumorousones,showingimagesofrealRotherresidentsexpressingtheirwishtobeabletorecyclethings like“MyHusband’sexcusesfornotdoingthewashingup”,“Myhomework”,“My jokes”andsoon.Becauseknowledgeofrecyclingwashigh,simplypromotingarecyclingservicewouldhavehadlittleimpactaspeoplewouldhavethoughtthey’dbereadingsomethingtheyalreadyknewsothereachthecampaignwouldhavehadwould’vebeenless.Byputtingpeople(andthosethatthatotherpeoplemight

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity recognise) infunnysituationswithrecyclingcontainerscreatedintriguethat increasedthe instancesofpeople reading the advert which announced the imminent arrival of a new service, provided by thecouncilinresponsetothedemandoflocalresidents.The campaignwashugely successful, enabling theefficient launchandanear instantadoptionof thenew services, boosting recycling to 32% recyclingwithin fourweeks, rising to above 45%within eightweeks.

Above:Localpeopleusedtopromotelocalservices©EnviroCommsEarlyengagementwiththetargetaudiencecanalsorevealchangingprioritiesamongstpeoplethatcanbeusedincampaignstostimulateashiftinbehaviour,asdemonstratedacrosstwoprojectsinLondon,developed by EnviroComms between 2011 and 2012; one for the London Borough of Hounslow andanotherfortheNorthLondonWasteAuthority.Campaignspromotingrecyclingservicesrunduringthefirst10yearsofthe21stcenturytendedtofocusupon the environmental benefits of recycling and the positive impact it has on reducing or evenreversingthenegativeimpactsofclimatechangewhichbythenhadbecomeaveryhottopicandoneconstantlyat the topofpolitical agendas.However,by2010, theeconomicdownturnhad forced theclimatedebatefurtherdownpeople’slistsofpriorities,itsplacetakenbymoreimmediateworriesoverjob security, income and the economy. Councilswere facing the prospect of budget cuts and peoplewereworriedaboutwhatthiswouldmeantocouncilservicesonwhichmanyrelied.EnviroComms considered that given recycling saves significant sums ofmoney in disposal costs (verysignificantinLondon), itcouldbethatthiswouldbeeffectiveinmotivatingpeopletorecyclemorebydemonstratingthepositivefinancialimpactsthishasonothercouncilservices.

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity Both campaigns were very successful with Hounslow reporting the largest ever increase in recycledmaterialsbeingcollectedintheboroughduringandfollowingthecampaignperiod.

Above:Examplesofcampaignsthatusedthefinancialbenefitsofrecyclingastheprimarymotivator.©EnviroComms/North

LondonWasteAuthority/LondonBoroughofHounslow3.DESIGNFORSIMPLIFICATIONGooddesignhasadditionalbenefitsbeyondthestrategicandaestheticandcanbesignificantlyeffectiveinconveyingotherwisecomplexinformationinaclearandconcisemanner.Thechancesareyouhaveat

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity somepoint inthepastassembledapieceofflat-packfurniturefromacertainSwedishretailer.Whilstdoingsomaynothavebeentheeasiestthingyoudidthatday,theinstructionswerecleartofollowandyoumayrecall,therewasnotsingleworldprintedanywhere.Thisisgraphicdesignatitsmostbrilliantlyfunctional.Waste management does, at times, have many complex messages that need to be conveyed toresidents, collection frequencies and dates being just one, provided via annual or biannual collectioncalendars.Theseareoftenseenasvitalbutfunctionalpublicationsandassuch,arethesortofitemthatgetsdesignedbyin-houseresourcesorevenbywasteofficersusingWord,onesuchexampleisshownbelow:

Whilst all the information that a residentneeds to know ishere, it’s notexactlywhat youwould call‘userfriendly’anddoesrequireafairdegreeofanalysistodeterminewhatgoesoutonwhatday.Onehas to remember that compared to simply putting out a rubbish bin once aweek, recycling requiresadditional effort and the greatest amount of recycling is captured when it as easy as possible forresidentstofollowtheinstructionsandguidancegiven.It is possible, and arguably essential, to apply good graphic design to such functional publications inorder thatcomplexmessagesareunderstoodandacteduponbythe largestnumberofpeople.Asanexampleofthis,comparetheabovecalendartotheoneonthefollowingpage;

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity

©EnviroComms/EastSussexJointWastePartnership

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity Bothpublicationsdoexactlythesamejobbuttheexampleshownabovedisplaysthe informationinamuchmore straightforwardwayandaccommodatesmotivatingmessagesbeyond simply theneed toputouttherightbinontherightday.Thechoicetoproducesuchdocumentsin-houseisoftendrivenbytheperceptionthatdoingsowillbecheaper,whichactually,itisbutaswehavealreadydetermined,designisthecheapestcomponentofcommunicationsand itcostsexactly thesameamount toprint45,000poorlydesignedcalendarsas itdoes45,000welldesignedones.Thedesigncostonthesecondofthetwocalendarsshownwouldhaveaddednomorethan7%to8%tothetotalcostyetwhathasbeencreatedhasvaluewaybeyondsuchamodest premium; less missed collections because people misunderstood the information, morematerialcaptured,lesscallstothecall-centreandincreasedcustomersatisfaction.

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity 4.PROCURINGDESIGNSERVICESOnerecurringchallengefacingLocalAuthoritiesistheprocesstheyareoftenobligedtofollowintermsof buying the services of professional graphic design companies, namely; tendering, a process that isdesignedtoeradicatedoubtandprovidefairnessandparitytoprocurementensuringthatbiddersaretreatedequallyandfairlyandthatthebuyingorganisationgetsthebestdeal.Allworthyattributesbutfortheprocurementofgraphicdesign,istheleastappropriatemeansofselection.Aswehaveseen,thedevelopmentofGraphicDesign isnotaone-stepprocessbutmoreofa journeythat requires strategic consideration and close liaisonwith the client organisation, particularly at theverybeginningoftheprocess.Tenderingplacesadistancebetweentheclientand(potential)supplieratprecisely the time they need to be working closely together. The development of creative contentrequiresopendialogueandresearchtolevelsthatfallbeyondthescopeofthetenderingprocessandassuch, designers andmore critically, designs, are selected onwhat can best be described as a beautypageantbasis rather thandecisions rooted inwhat’s rightandwhatwillwork.The result isoften theselection of an agency that ticks all the right boxes but a campaign that will be less effective, thusnegativelyinfluencingfuturedecisionsontheneedtobuyinsuchservicesfromexternalsuppliers.This can easily be overcomewithout circumventing procurement policy by purchasing graphic designseparately fromothercommunication functions. It isnotuncommonto find requirements forgraphicdesign lumped togetherwithother services suchasprintingandmediabuyingunder a singleprojectprocurement tenderbut there isnoreasonwhythedesignelementcannotbepurchasedseparate totheseother,non-creativefunctions.Letuslookatanexampleofbudgetsplitacrossatypicalcampaign.

Mediaspace £45,000.00Printing £20,000.00

Postageandmailing £18,000.00Doorstepping £12,000.00

Designandartwork £5,000.00

TotalCampaignBudget £100,000.00Byprocuringallservicesasasingleprojectprovision,aLocalAuthoritywouldbeobligedtofollowafull,open tender process. However, the value of the design element independent of the other serviceswouldenablethemtoselectadesigncompanydirectlywithouttheneedforopentenderandassuchselecta supplierwitha far greater focusupon their ability todeliver something thatwillwork ratherthan simply “looknice”. Theywouldbe able to choose a companybasedupon recommendation andopendialogue,allowingthedesigntobeproperlydevelopedanddeliverthebestresult.As stated earlier and as demonstrated here, graphic design is often the cheapest component ofcommunicationsyetthemostcriticaltoitssuccess.ApplyingappropriatebudgetAlthoughdesignmaybe the least costly campaign component,budget still needs tobeapplied toanappropriate level to get thebest resultsbut specifying thatbudget canbe tricky.However, therearesometoolsandtipstohelptheprocess,thefirstofwhichistoconsiderwhereyouwanttobeonthefollowingdiagram:

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity Youcanrequestadesignbeproducedveryquicklybut it isunlikelytoneitherbecheapnordeliverthebestoutcomes.YoucanrequestadesignbeproducedascheaplyaspossiblebutitwilltakelongerandnorwillitdeliverthebestresultsYoucanrequestadesignthatdeliversthebestresultsbutthiswillneitherbequickorcheapThechancesarethatyouhaveputyourimaginarydotbang-smackinthemiddleofthetriangle;thebestcompromiseallround.Butthinkagain!Thefactisthattheadditionalcostandadditionaltimetomoveyourdottothetopofthetrianglefromthemiddleismarginalbutthedifferenceintheoutcomesthecampaign will attain will be profound. More people will see it, read it and act upon it. Thus morematerialwillberecycledandmoremoneysavedindisposalcoststolevelsthatwayexceedthemodestadditional,initialinvestmentindesign.Under-investmenton the initial designalso runs the risk that the campaignunder-performs requiringadditionalspendfurtherdownstreamtoremedyanyshortfallininperformance.Itisinterestingtonotethatthethreecampaignexamplesdescribedearlierwereallthemostexpensiveoptionsavailabletotheclientsatthetimeofprocurement.Asusefulasthisexercisemaybe,itstilldoesn’tprovideanyindicationofthebudget,bywhichwemean‘money’ thatneeds tobeallocated.Thisagainunderpins theneed to removedesign fromthe tenderprocessastheonlywaythiscanbeaccuratelyidentifiedisthroughopendiscussionwithadesignagencyandassessmentoftheircapabilities.The design industryworks like any other professional service by charging on an hourly basis but oneshould not be tempted to compare the cost of agencies based purely on their hourly rates. A largeragencywithexcellentcredentialsmight forexample,charge£150perhour for its services,whereasasmalleragencymightchargejust£50.Itwouldbetemptingtogowiththesmalleragencyifthiswastheonlyguidingprinciplebut itmaywellbe that thesmalleragency takes sixhours todosomething thelargeragency (withall its resourcesandexperience) cando in two.Theendcost is the samebut thechancesare,themoreexpensiveagencywouldhavedoneabetterjob.Thisisanextremeexampleandthereisofcoursenothingtosuggestasmaller,cheaperagencycan’tbeasgoodasabiggeronebutthepointisthathourlyratealoneshouldneverbethedefiningfactorinchoosinganagency.

BestOutcome

DonequicklyLowestcost

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity Earlydiscussionwith thedesignagencywill enablebudgetoptions tobediscussed.GraphicDesign ishighlyadaptabletoneedaswellasabudget.Butthiscannotbedoneundertheprocessofopentenderwhichisanotherkeyreasonitshouldbeavoided.TheicebergprincipalIfweinverttheexamplecampaignbudgetcostsshownearlierandlikenacampaigntoaniceberg,whatweseeisthedesignelementbeingthebitthatpeoplesee;thebitpokingabovethewavessupportedbyasignificantlymoreexpensivearrayofservicesthatremainunseenbelowthesurface.ItItcoststhesameamountofmoneytoprintanddistributeapoorlydesignedpieceofliteratureasonethathasbeenwelldesigned.Giventheinvestmentbeingmadeforthewholecampaign,spendingwellon thedesignensures that asmanypeople see the iceberg as is possible. Theadditional costwill bemarginalandthebenefitsgreaterbymanyordersofmagnitude.

Above:Anillustrationshowingthe‘IcebergPrincipal’.Belowthewaterline,allsupportcostsremainthesameyetmodestadditionalspendondesigncantransformtheimpact(ifyoupardontheunfortunateuseofthewordinthiscontext)andreacha

campaigncanachieve.©EnviroComms

EnviroCommsInsightThoughtleadershipfortheInternationalWasteManagementCommunity 4.SUMMARYAs a tool of Behavioural Change, Graphic Design is often overlooked, undervalued and sometimesignoredaltogetheryetitremainsahugelysignificantandmassivelypowerfultoolthathasproventobeacriticalcomponent inshiftingbehavioursof residentsacrosssomeof themostsuccessfulwasteandrecyclingcampaignseverrunaroundtheworld.Thepremiumrequiredtoapplygooddesigntoprojectsisoftenmodest,yetthereturnsintermsofoutcomesarecompelling.Theapplicationofgood,strategically-drivengraphicdesigncanenablelocalauthoritiestocompeteheadonforattentionamongstaseaofmulti-millionpoundcorporatecampaigns,andevenriseabovethemtogetkeymessagestoresidentsandmotivatechange. AboutEnviroCommsInsightEnviroCommsInsightisathoughtleadershipprogrammeofferedbyEnviroComms,theworld’sleadingproviderofbehaviouralchangecommunicationsforthewasteandresourcerecoverysector.Workinggloballyacrossmanyvaryingregionsenablesustogainfirsthandexperienceofhowbehaviourchangecanbestbeusedtoachievesocialgainsandeconomicimprovements.Our aim is to share this learning and experience with the wider, global wastemanagement community through publishedpapersavailableonourwebsite,conferenceparticipationandcommissionedstudies.AbouttheAuthorsStephenBates is oneof theworld’s leadingexpertsonbehavioural change forwastemanagementand thedevelopmentofcommunications needed to stimulate change. In theUK, he hasworkedwith over 130 local authorities and is the strategicarchitect behind some of the most effective campaigns and initiatives of their type. Internationally, he has worked forgovernmentsanddonor institutions inover20countries,particularly in transitioneconomic regions.He isamemberof theCollaborativeWorkingGroupforSolidWasteManagement inLowIncomeandDevelopingEconomicRegionsandisaprolificspeakeronthesubjectofBehaviouralChangeinWasteManagement.PaulClark isCreativeDirectoratEnviroCommsandthemostexperiencedcreativeinthewasteandresourcerecoverysectorhavingdevelopandledonthedesignofover100recyclingrelatedcampaignsandpublicationsfordeploymentintheUKandinternationally.ConferenceContentThispaperisavailableforpresentationatconferences,deliveredbytheAuthor.ContactStephenBatesDirector:EnvironmentalCommunicationsConsultantsLtd(EnviroComms)3TheCapricornCentre,CranesFarmRoad,Basildon,EssexSS143JA.UKT:+44(0)1268461210M:+44(0)7970717041F:+44(0)1268271859S:sbenvirocommsE:stephenb@envirocomms.comW:www.envirocomms.com