SolShare Energy
Railyard 2020 / Research, Brand Strategy, Visual Design, Videography
SolShare is BC’s first community-owned solar investment program. Through their accessible investment model, SolShare develop’s solar projects for local communities that offer financial, social and environmental returns.
We had the opportunity to work with the management team to create ready-to-use marketing material to inspire retail investors to invest with Solshare. It was such a pleasure to work with the SolShare team!
Approach
Virtual Brand Sprint
To kick-off, we held a virtual brand sprint with the SolShare team to align on some key elements of the brand. Through a series of exercises, we were able to gain insights on the brand’s personality, character and audiences. From there, we synthesized the information and created a comprehensive strategic foundation that would inform the visual language and marketing collateral.
Bringing the Brand to Life
Iconography & Illustrations
To bring the brand’s approachable, optimistic characteristics to life, we created a set of icons and illustrations to serve as building blocks for the marketing collateral. We used a fun, quirky and free-form style to add personality to the illustrations and unified the elements by using a yellow gradient. By taking this approach from the beginning, we were able to create a simple, yet unique, visual language for the brand. These assets were used to create an infographic, social media and slidedeck templates, and an explainer video.
Telling the Story
Explainer Video
An exciting element of this project was creating an ‘intro-level’ video to explain what SolShare is, what they offer and how to invest with them. With SolShare’s unique investment model, it was especially important for us to convey how it works in an accessible way. By working collaboratively with the SolShare team, we created a script and mapped out a storyboard that was quick, engaging and easy to digest. The friendly tone of the voiceover coupled with the animated icons, bring a warm and inclusive feel to the video.
Impact
With the creation of inclusive, accessible marketing collateral, prospective investors can now easily grasp SolShare’s value proposition and investment model. We are excited to see what’s in store for the SolShare team!
Testimonials
"As an early stage social enterprise, we were in dire need of marketing and communications collaterals to tell our story and help establish our brand. Railyard delivered on that.
Working with Railyard was a fantastic experience for our team at SolShare Energy. They dug deep to understand our uncommon business model, and found ways to convey it in appealing and accessible ways. A fantastic group of young professionals, guided by cracking leadership.
Thank you Railyard (Yardies)!"
Maureen Cureton, Board Member
"Working with the Railyard team was one of the best decisions we’ve made. The entire process from project scoping, to the design phase, to the final products, was exceptionally well done. The team was able to take a complex product and develop collateral that was high quality, engaging, and visually delightful. They went above and beyond our expectations - we’re extremely thankful to have partnered with Railyard and will do so again in a heartbeat!"
Bruno Lam, Board Member
"The Railyard Team delivered a quality product in a timely manner and exceeded our expectations. They were attentive to our feedback and took the time to understand our business model. We were very impressed with the professionalism and talent."