Justin Kropp

"In short, the mission of the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is to maximize energy efficiency while promoting economic development, reducing reliance on foreign energy supplies, and improving the environment."

The MEA challenged the Center for Design Pracice at MICA to develop a campaign for them that would 1) raise awareness of the need to reduce energy consumption in Baltimore 2) help a statewide push to reduce that consumption 15% by 2015 3) give the MEA a more approachable and friendly presence in the community 4) empower and motivate people to act on these initiatives by using a more creative method of delivery.

For the first round of deliverables we a developd a series of posters to be placed all around Baltimore—from bus shelters to college housing residencies. Each poster contained a number, an icon, and a money saving tip.

Our solution began with brainstorming sessions, one with John Bielenberg of Project M, in order to determine the essence of the project. We had to be careful in the way we framed the message in order to reach the target demographic without distancing others.