Firebelly

Firebelly Design- GDUSA Going Green
Based in Chicago, Firebelly uses green as their design philosophy.

Built on a maxim of good design for good reason, Firebelly Design was formed as a socially responsible design studio in 1999 by owner and creative director Dawn Hancock. The studio helps forward-thinking organizations tell their brand story through ethnographic research, authentic messaging and award-winning design. Firebelly's designers, developers and strategists work hard at changing the world through a pragmatic blend of ethical practice, socio-political awareness and cultural relevance. In other words, we create positive world change connecting authentic companies with real people in socially responsible ways.

There was never a conscious decision to be "green" or look for innovative, cost-effective methods of delivery — it was just "the way."

Why did your firm become interested in environmentally friendly graphic design? As a socially responsible studio, "environmentally friendly design" was inherent from the very beginning. There was never a conscious decision to be "green" or look for innovative, cost-effective methods of delivery — it was just "the way." Because concepts like community, sustainability, transparency and authenticity factor into everything we create and the channels by which we deliver messages, environmentally friendly design has always been automatic. Even for high profile clients demanding quality and luxury above all, we've found smart, sophisticated ways to integrate sustainability and environmentally considerate materials and deliverables. We love demonstrating to our clients, peers, competition and ultimately the end user that it is possible (and often easier) to be profitable/successful while supporting your community and the environment.

Has there been a client or internal project or initiative of which you are especially proud? Our approach to pro bono work is especially important and exciting for us. For the last six years, Firebelly has awarded our annual Design + Marketing Grant to nonprofits in need. Providing recipients with an entire year's worth of creativity and strategy, we try to improve grantees from the inside out. Using principles of sustainability, we equip the organizations with skills that ensure continued growth long after the grant is over. Past recipients include: Faith in Place, Illinois Safe School Alliance and Arise Chicago.

Does 'Green' help you in your sales and marketing efforts to keep or gain new clients? Because of who we are and the types of clients we engage, being socially responsible and forward thinking (and in turn, green) continues to bring us like-minded clients and projects. Fortunately, we haven't had to invest in sales and marketing efforts to promote our methodologies and expertise. Consistency, word-of-mouth and genuine relationship building has been the best way to keep and gain new business.

As a practical matter, is the recession making it harder for you or your clients to be green? There's a big difference between being profitable and looking for profit maximization. We're honest about who Firebelly is, why our methods work and what we're capable of. Clients appreciate our optimism, outlook and the fact that we operate a lean studio. Thanks to our size, experience and dexterity, Firebelly is very comfortable taking risks. This frees us up from a lot of the restraints that large, more traditional agencies suffer from during an economic downturn. On the flip side, the recession is forcing companies to look critically at ways to differentiate themselves and find new, smarter ways to do business — sustainability can resolve both those concerns. So for us, the recession makes being green easier, more exciting and better for business. But it requires serious self-reflection, and making changes that are often disruptive to traditional business practices and discordant with the status quo.