About Us

Gigantic Idea Studio, Inc. is a place where strategy and creativity make a sustainable future possible. Our Gigantic team of professional strategists, graphic designers, writers, and digital media specialists have a passion for meaningful content and fresh creative work. In particular, we're enormously enthusiastic about environmental and socially responsible projects and clients.

Call it marketing-communications. Call it advertising. Call it public outreach or social marketing. We don't care much what you call it, as long as you call us.

Lisa Duba

Expertise: Graphic Design Art Direction Production Management Writing

"Even as a child I knew I wanted to be my own boss someday," says Lisa Duba. "I like the freedom and direct interaction with clients that self-employment gives me." The road to starting Gigantic Idea Studio was a fortuitous one, backed with solid experience and some great opportunities. Lisa now enjoys working with her business partner, marketing strategist and environmental communications expert Shana Levy. She helps public agencies and private firms realize their communications strategies with effective and attractive design solutions.

After graduating from University of Illinois, Lisa worked as a production manager at a busy in-house design department for a health care corporation. There she learned the hard way how deadline-oriented the design business can be. "I realized right away that you have to be very organized. You also have to create and maintain good relations with your production vendors. It's the only way to excel at managing dozens of documents in production at any given time."

The winds of change brought Lisa to San Francisco in 1995 where her first assignment as an associate of the Montague Communications Group was to tour the Altamont Landfill facility and write a feature article for their newsletter. "It was my introduction to the world of garbage – how our lives affect the environment and how important it is to reduce waste," she says. "From that point on, I realized I wanted a portion of my design career to include socially relevant subject matter. It started with waste reduction and pollution prevention. In the future I'd like to tackle other topics such as water and health issues."

Lisa's professional approach to projects creates an excellent working relationship with her clients. Realistic budgets, clear production schedules and frequent communication are part of her recipe for happy clients. "I have retained many long-term clients over the years, and most of my work is based on referrals. I think that's a strong sign that my clients are happy and can rely on me to come through for them.

"I've worked with Shana and Tim for years. We want our clients to know our team has been and will continue to be available for a wide range of services."

Shana Levy

Expertise: Social Marketing and Behavioral Change Strategy Environmental Issues Copywriting Concept Development

Ms. Levy has twelve years experience in environmental communications. She specializes in strategy, campaign concepts, content development and project management. She has worked in the non-profit, private and government sectors – all within the environmental arena. She has extensive expertise in the area of solid waste management. She is also knowledgeable about other environmental resource issues, including water, wastewater and energy. Her writing on a wide range of environmental topics has been published in numerous environmental publications, both domestically and internationally.

Shana has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Issues/ Conservation & Resource Studies from UC Berkeley and a Master's in Culture, Ecology & Sustainable Community, with a concentration in Environmental Entrepreneurship, through the Institute for Environmental Entrepreneurship at New College of California, Santa Rosa (www.greenmba.com). She has also completed a certificate in Critical Thinking and Change Management.

Shana is also a talented singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She is working to bring these talents more directly into her environmental sustainability work.

A recent interview with Shana revealed more about her personal views and motivations.

Q:You’ve been involved in the environmental field for a long time. What keeps you interested in this work?

A:This isn't just a way of making a living for me. Doing environmental work is the core passion and purpose in my life. I'm grateful that I realized this at a young age and was able to tailor my education and professional life to make me a more effective change agent.

Q:Changing public attitudes about the environment, or anything else, is a challenge. How do you approach this daunting task?

A:I believe in inspiring and enabling people to "do the right thing," not preaching messages of guilt, fear or shame. The environmental movement has relied much too heavily on these tactics, and they just haven't worked. We also need to do more than provide information. Persuasion and inspiration are just as important in helping the public change their behaviors.

Q:What do you find most satisfying about environmental public outreach work?

A:I get most excited when I see people's thinking "tip" from indecision or powerlessness to action. Over the years, our team has been the catalyst for this powerful moment many times. It's very satisfying to know that.

Services

What Gigantic can do for you:

Strategy

Communications Assessments
Marketing Plans
Public Outreach Campaign Development

Concept

Ideas & Slogans
Visual Identity
Multi-Cultural Themes

Content

Copywriting
News Releases
Radio & TV PSA Scripting
Video Scripting
Translation

Creation

Design & Layout
Illustration
Photography
Website Design & Implementation
CD-ROM Development
Kiosk Design & Development
Musical Jingles
Video Production

Related Services

Media Relations
Media Buying
Focus Groups
Assistance in Crafting Effective RFPs

Portfolio

ACWMA

Multi-Component Promotional Effort

PROBLEM

ACWMA runs a telephone hotline dedicated to recycling, composting, reuse and waste reduction. As part of their ongoing efforts to increase waste diversion rates, ACWMA promotes itself and its resources in order to give residents and businesses the tools they need to easily and effectively reduce waste. Due to a plateau in the number of calls to the hotline, ACWMA hotline managers wanted to develop a cohesive, multi-component campaign to increase awareness of their services.

APPROACH

Gigantic team members stepped back and reviewed the hotline promotions that had been done to date. Based on our evaluation, we hypothesized that the public was aware of the 8+-year-old hotline but not of the full range of information available. We set to work, brainstorming concepts, images and slogans. Of the five concepts we presented, ACWMA staff agreed that a "retro" movie theme and the slogan "That's Easy" would be a fun and adaptable theme for display ads and posters, as well as bus and BART signs. Each "spokesperson" pictured in the ad would ask the hotline representative how to recycle a multitude of unusual items. By using this "laundry list" approach, the ads let viewers know the hotline is about much more than just bottles and cans. This approach is also adaptable for seasonal and other time-sensitive information.

After developing the concept, we tailored the format and text to each campaign medium: BART signs, bus signs, newspaper ads, posters, and a telephone book cover ad.

RESULTS

The results from this campaign were impressive. Two months into the campaign, ACWMA staff (tracking calls with their sophisticated computer system) found that calls generated from our newspaper ads outnumbered calls from all other past newspaper ads combined. The hotline manager reported, in fact, that our campaign was proving to be more successful than many that had run much longer. Similar results were seen from the BART signs, making this ACWMA's most successful hotline outreach effort ever. Notably, this campaign was renewed a second year, with the phone book ad re-appearing on the '02-03 edition.

Berg Davis

Corporate Identity Modification and Development

PROBLEM

Jessica Berg and Yvette Davis, two young executives in the San Francisco public relations field, recently bought the company from their former bosses, Charlene Clarke and Bill Barnes. For over a year, they ran the company under the name "Barnes Clarke Associates" but changed the logo to signify the change in ownership. After enough time had passed for clients and colleagues to identify the company with Berg and Davis, they felt it was time to change the name to Berg Davis Public Affairs and evolve the corporate identity.

APPROACH

After interviewing the clients about their business philosophy and goals, then researching competitors' collateral materials, Gigantic team members gently evolved the logo to show the abstracted "B & C" letterforms to read "B & D." Deciding that a traditional and moderately conservative look would serve them best, we kept the colors and layout style they were currently using. To update the look and reflect the owners' style and sophistication, we chose softer typefaces to replace the rigid font they had been using. Papers were chosen to keep the look related to the previous materials. The name was made more prominent within the design, making the pieces bolder than before.

To celebrate the name change, the clients planned to throw a party for clients and friends. Gigantic developed clever text to simultaneously announce the name change and invite guests to the party.

The website was completely over-hauled to more closely relate to the look of the identity materials. We translated the spare layout style of the print materials to the web, using an elegant flash interface. The opening flash animation succinctly illustrates the transformation to the new logo and name. We built the logo transition so that it could easily be removed after six months.

RESULTS

The clients are pleased with the new look and feel it is serving them well. The invitation generated many compliments, and the turnout to the party was on par with the client's expectations.

Diversions

Triumphantly Successful Quarterly Communications Piece

PROBLEM

CCCSWA is a public agency dedicated to helping its member agencies (Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek and unincorporated Central Contra Costa County) meet state-mandated waste reduction goals. To keep residents up-to-date on recycling and other waste reduction opportunities, as well as to inspire action, the CCCSWA wanted a regular communications vehicle for its message.

APPROACH

Starting in 1997, Gigantic team members developed a newsletter to be inserted into quarterly garbage bills. The format is friendly, colorful and fun, and uses local interest to keep readers coming back. Columns include "Ask the Authority," which addresses a timely question in each issue, as well as seasonal waste reduction themes and pertinent service information. The newsletter also promotes the resources available through the Authority, such as reduced-rate compost bins, information videos and the agency's website. Each issue features custom illustrations and photography, often of local business owners and residents - even the local landfill.

After six years of continuous distribution, we recently redesigned Diversions to give it a more streamlined appearance, appropriate for the sophisticated readership. Gigantic handles content development, writing, illustration, photography and production management, making the regular distribution of this newsletter an easy task for the client.

RESULTS

In the summer of 2000, Gigantic wrote and coordinated a customer satisfaction survey that included questions about Diversions readers. Of the 60,000 residents who received the survey, over 9,800 responded - a 16% response rate (much higher than the response typically expected from such a mailing). Of the respondents, over 4,000 said they read Diversions "always", approximately 4,000 said they read Diversions "sometimes", and only 400 said they "never" read Diversions. Diversions has become CCCSWA's most important communications method.

Some readers are so devoted; one Lafayette resident told us she keeps all back issues in a binder for future reference.

Contra Costa County E-Waste

Program Identity Package for Electronics Recycling and Safe Disposal

PROBLEM

Electronic waste or "e-waste" is a growing part of California's waste stream. Rapid advances in technology results in millions of unwanted electronic products every year. Some electronics, such as TVs and computer monitors, contain cathode ray tubes (CRTs) that are now legally considered hazardous waste.

The information on how to safely dispose of CRTs and recycle electronics is constantly evolving. Twelve cities in Contra Costa County wanted to pool their resources to develop a system for communicating this ever-changing and often city-specific recycling and disposal information.

APPROACH

Gigantic created a template system consisting of a mini-portfolio, portfolio inserts, posters, banners, flyers and ads. We tied it all together with a logo, consistent colors and illustrations that give Contra Costa's e-waste recycling effort a strong identity.

The portfolio contains background and educational information printed on the inside cover. Resources and local contact information is printed on the back. Two-up, 8.5 x 11 template pages are preprinted with the program logo and a matching border. Each participating city can then print local drop-off or event location information and update it as necessary. Posters and flyers also contain a section for printing custom information.

The design of this system uses a modern "technological" feel to reinforce the subject matter.

RESULTS

The design was unlike anything the cities have done in the past and has been well received. The program was extremely cost-effective, with each city ordering only the quantity of print materials it needed. By pooling their resources, the printing costs become very affordable, as the per piece costs go down when quantities increase.

San Leandro Food Scraps

Diffusion Strategy Applied Over Time

PROBLEM

The City of San Leandro was one of the first communities in the Bay Area to begin a food scrap collection program as part of its waste reduction efforts. Residents, now accustomed to putting out a yard trimmings cart every week, were being asked to make another adjustment - collecting kitchen wastes and putting them in their green carts, along with yard trimmings. To help maximize participation in the program while minimizing contamination, the City asked Gigantic to come up with a plan.

APPROACH

The Gigantic team worked with the City to develop a tailored approach for their community. The program had been running for only a few months, so we began by employing an awareness strategy - the first stop on the diffusion path. We developed an ad that showed food as a recyclable material, equal in concept to a bottle or a can. After this ad ran for a few weeks, we developed a series of humorous display ads for the local paper that employed more of a persuasion strategy, by giving several good reasons why recycling food scraps is an important thing to do.

The next stage in the campaign took residents further down the diffusion path, using more persuasion techniques. A garbage bill insert gave residents additional reasons why they should recycle food scraps, including a step-by-step photo diagram of the complete food recycling cycle: from kitchen, to farm, to kitchen again.

Finally we promoted a compost giveaway program to confirm the food recycling behaviors among those who had adopted it. We designed a hang tag for attachment to the yard trimmings carts of those residents who were clearly participating in the food scrap program. The hang tag congratulated them on "hitting pay dirt" and provided them with a coupon for free compost from a local nursery. A similarly themed display ad in the local paper was timed with distribution of the hang tags.

RESULTS

As yet unknown. Look for updates in 2004!

Macworld Covermount CD

Covermount CD-ROM for National Computer Magazine

PROBLEM

Macworld magazine newsstand sales were flagging as pressures from two competing magazines devoted to Macintosh users ate into its market share. Both competitors drew customers to their products using, among other things, special CD-ROM bundles containing software and occasional freebies, such as stock photography, freeware applications and music. Macworld had created similar promotions in the past, particularly as subscription giveaways, but had no permanent CD project. Macworld needed to create a monthly CD-ROM containing demo software, fresh editorial, tutorial videos, tips, and shareware to maintain their authoritative voice and market dominance. Gigantic member, Tim, was brought in a few months after the start of this project by the newsstand circulations consultant. The initial CD-ROM developer had been unable to focus on both the editorial and technical aspects of the project, which involve contacting software companies, writing articles, coordinating several contributors, and packaging all this content within an easy and intuitive interface.

APPROACH

Within two months, Tim and the client had established interface standards, revised the product's design, created more efficient workflows, and provided project stability for Macworld. Circulation analysis for that first year showed that our product helped buoy newsstand sales, and newsstand distributors were pleased at the higher profits they saw from magazines that included the CD.

Over the next three years, the project and our involvement in it evolved considerably. Our initial task was to handle all editorial aspects of the project, including creating a master content map from which designers could assemble the visual interface. But faced with almost no money for editorial and art development, our team began looking for new and creative ways to spice up the project within our budget. Soon we were creating original illustrations, spot art, and doing primary art direction, in addition to our editorial tasks.

Two years into the project, the client and we were both dissatisfied with the appearance of the product. Additionally, the editorial aspects of the project had grown by approximately 25 percent, requiring much more work on our part as well as on the part of our interface development. At this point, it made more sense to have both functions reside with a single group. Thus, we offered to take over all development, including design and technical development, saving Macworld significant dollars in the process.

We completely redesigned the product, established design templates in both dedicated Macintosh and browser-based presentations, streamlined development, improved consistency, set up a project development archive, and improved the technical documentation for the project.

RESULTS

Macworld's newsstand circulation is now competitive with other Macintosh magazines. The CD-ROM we produce provides well over twice the value to the reader as the nearest competition within a more elegant and integrated interface. Taking over all development aspects for the project saves Macworld nearly 15 percent annually. Macworld has contracted with us to provide similar products for seven additional projects.

Alameda Beach Clean Up Day

Gigantic Media Relations Results in Front-Page Coverage

PROBLEM

The City of Alameda's Public Works Department decided to take part in California Coastal Cleanup Day by sponsoring its own local cleanup event. This first-time-ever event was a daunting task for the City, with lots of unknowns, as well as a tight timeline and budget. They were worried they might not get enough volunteers and the event would be a flop.

APPROACH

Gigantic worked with nine City partners to recruit volunteers for the event and promote the Department's efforts. We created and distributed a flyer and poster, employing surf-culture graphics to attract young volunteers. Working with organizations ranging from the Alameda Youth Collaborative to Alameda County Industries (the local recycling service provider), we helped get the word out to virtually every teacher and student on the Island about the cleanup and a trash can decorating contest.

We also created a banner to catch the attention of drivers on one of the City's main streets.

Finally we conducted a media relations campaign, issuing a news release to local newspapers and following up with phone calls and photos.

RESULTS

The event was a huge success. Over 200 volunteers signed up prior to the event and more appeared the day-of. These enthusiastic folks gathered hundreds of bags of trash and recyclables, while learning from their beach captains about marine debris issues. Girl Scout troops, after school programs and families transformed nine trash cans into impressive works of art that will help to inspire picnickers on the beach to dispose of trash and recyclables properly.

The media relations campaign resulted in four front-page articles and one follow-up story.

Santa Rosa Department of Public Works

Commercial Pollution Prevention Campaign

PROBLEM

Like most cities, Santa Rosa, California, was struggling with pollution problems in its waterways. City pollution prevention enforcement officers noticed that members of the outdoor cleaning industry (surface cleaners, window washers, carpet cleaners and mobile auto detailers) were particularly apt to dispose of waste-water improperly. These waste-water violations could result in serious negative impacts on human health and wildlife. Making the problem more challenging, most outdoor cleaning industry workers in the area speak little or no English.

APPROACH

Members of the Gigantic team recommended an unconventional strategy, steering the City away from heavy compliance language (threats of fines and jail time). Because using a legal "stick" can cause people merely to hide their violations better, our team emphasized intrinsic reasons for "doing the right thing" instead.

This comprehensive campaign included printed materials, a video and training sessions in English and Spanish. Printed materials were divided according to target audience, recognizing the significant language and other differences between management and workers. Pieces targeting workers were written in English and in Spanish. Importantly, however, they also relied heavily on graphics to communicate effectively with those with limited literacy in both languages. Materials for owners and managers contained more detailed content, including specific "how-to" tips, tailored for each business type within the industry. The City could then customize packets appropriately for outreach to each company.

We wrote and co-produced the 10-minute video, which evolved from a training video (implementation-focused) into a persuasion tool. Like the printed materials for workers, the video focused on reasons for doing the right thing, including protecting our children as well as the places in which we recreate. The video was in English and Spanish and featured actual cleaning workers. The host was a local radio celebrity from a Spanish station. Site locations were also local. We used this video in a number of bilingual training sessions with cleaning companies. The City also continued to distribute and use the video after completion of the contract.

RESULTS

Our project partners conducted a survey after the project was completed. The survey asked questions about the printed materials, video and training session. For all three categories, respondents scored our efforts very highly, the lowest average score in any category being 4 on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best).

Strategic Analysis for West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority

Comprehensive Public Outreach Assessment

PROBLEM

Like many regional waste authorities working to comply with California's waste reduction mandate, AB939, WCCIWMA had seemingly tried it all when it came to public outreach. From newsletters to bus shelter ads, their communications methods had gradually become more sophisticated over the ten years they'd been implementing waste reduction programs on behalf of their member cities. The result was better graphic design but disappointing diversion results and a lack of data linking public outreach efforts to these diversion figures.

APPROACH

Gigantic stepped in to assess what the Agency had done thus far and make recommendations about future outreach strategies and methods. Our assessment (usually called a marketing audit in the private sector) involved analyzing their outreach materials from three points of view: strategy, content and design.

Tasks included:

Evaluation

Implementation

Deliverables

Key Recommendations: More strategic planning of campaigns and pre- and post-campaign quantitative measurement for all future outreach.

RESULTS

The Agency has begun incorporating our report findings into their long-term public out-reach strategies. Executive Director, Steve Devine, reports that the diffusion table (explaining a strategic framework for public outreach) has been helpful as a reference and says the report is "very useful." No new campaigns have yet been undertaken; however Mr. Devine declared enthusiastically that he will call upon Gigantic to provide strategic advice the next time the agency begins an outreach effort.

West Contra Costa Used Oil Campaign

Motor Oil Recycling Public Outreach

PROBLEM

West Contra Costa communities were suffering from illegal dumping of motor oil into trash cans, landscaping, and storm drains. They also had a higher percentage than most communities of "do-it-yourself" oil-changers and an extremely diverse population. The Authority received a grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB), enabling them to address this problem more effectively.

APPROACH

Together with the Authority, members of our team first identified several key sub-populations making oil disposal decisions. They included African American men, Spanish-speaking Latino men, English-speaking Latino men, Southeast Asians, Filipino men, and Women (of all races/ethnicities). We then conducted focus groups with each sub-population and identified common and differing factors influencing their oil changing and disposal behaviors.

With the resulting insights, we crafted a multi-cultural strategy, with targeted campaigns for African Americans, Latinos and Southeast Asians. Each campaign employed different themes, communication vehicles, and design elements as well as the necessary translation. For example, our Latino campaign relied heavily on outreach at events (in English and Spanish) and recurring use of a "low rider" car with pollution prevention-themed murals. The Southeast Asian campaign emphasized the dangers of contaminated fish caused by illegally disposed motor oil - and the related negative health impact this has on families who rely on this food source.

Besides giving each group a culturally relevant reason to recycle oil (the "why"), all outreach materials also provided residents with the locations of the local certified oil collection centers (the "how").

Communications vehicles included billboards (including a mobile billboard on a truck using recycled oil), a brochure in English and Spanish, door-to-door education and distribution of "drainer containers" by minority youth, bus shelter ads, display ads in the local newspapers and Parks & Recreation calendars, flyers, a booth at community events, custom stickers for the containers with how-to and hotline information, press releases, as well as outreach through local community organizations.

RESULTS

CIWMB data indicates that West Contra Costa County saw an increase in the drop-off of motor oil at certified centers during and after the outreach campaign.