The Nutshuis garden is an organic urban garden with fruit and nut trees. Energy is generated by solar panels. Local residents tend a small vegetable patch in the complex, and bee hives have been strategically positioned. The beautiful green oasis had been transformed from a former parking lot. Our studio was asked to come up with the concept and design of their opening campaign.
Growing paper flyers, silkscreen seed posters, plant signs, honey jars, guerrilla marketing
Process
I had previously worked on the Nutshuis corporate identity and monthly programme for Studio Duel. I wanted to use the same linguistic approach for the announcement of their new public garden as I had for their corporate identity. The campaign also had to be as sustainable as possible and focused on local promotion in The Hague.
I gave the flyers names of flowers and plants that would be grown in the garden as a kind of mysterious poetry. They were silkscreen printed (soy base) on growing paper so the flyers would make a beautiful flowerbed when placed in soil. The posters were also silkscreen printed, but with actual cress seeds that would form the word ‘open’ when they sprouted. Via social media and on the posters themselves, we asked people to water them. In public spaces around the city, we placed custom made wooden plant signs that announced 'more garden in the Nutsgarden'. Empty honey jars were given to people to promote the bees and their very own 'NutsHoney'. The flags around the building contained different adages about gardens, flowers and plants.
I personally enjoyed seeing how actively people got involved in the campaign and how people talked about it. It was also great to experiment with new printing techniques and materials (many thanks to DeKijm&Zn), while literally making it as green and sustainable as possible.
I gave the flyers names of flowers and plants that would be grown in the garden as a kind of mysterious poetry. They were silkscreen printed (soy base) on growing paper so the flyers would make a beautiful flowerbed when placed in soil. The posters were also silkscreen printed, but with actual cress seeds that would form the word ‘open’ when they sprouted. Via social media and on the posters themselves, we asked people to water them. In public spaces around the city, we placed custom made wooden plant signs that announced 'more garden in the Nutsgarden'. Empty honey jars were given to people to promote the bees and their very own 'NutsHoney'. The flags around the building contained different adages about gardens, flowers and plants.
I personally enjoyed seeing how actively people got involved in the campaign and how people talked about it. It was also great to experiment with new printing techniques and materials (many thanks to DeKijm&Zn), while literally making it as green and sustainable as possible.
This project was done as part of my work at Studio Duel.
