I pitched and won the business, then directed the rebrand and the PSA campaign.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had an identity problem. Namely, that it didn't have one at all. Out of 600 Utah households surveyed, less than 3% actually knew the Utah DEQ even existed. Those that did assumed it was a finger-wagging, government regulatory bureaucracy.

The approach:
Create a new public face that brought the DEQ out of obscurity and positioned the department as an impassioned and helpful group of citizen advocates and credible, approachable environmental health experts.

The work:
In honor of the department’s 25th anniversary, show off DEQ’s friendly and relatable nature with a more consumer-facing visual identity designed to represent the three elements of the environment that DEQ protects for the Utah citizenry: air, land and water.

A PSA campaign positioned the DEQ’s approachable professionalism as the antidote to public confusion—personified by quirky guy-next-door character named Phil. We aimed to make the humorous PSA videos feel as friendly and unexpected as the new brand. We also created a Twitter account for Phil, our misinformed environmental enthusiast.

The results:
Judges Choice and Gold award at American Ad Federation awards
Personal commendation from Governor

The team:
Creative Director/Director: Alexandra Fuller
Account Director: Jen Riley
Producer: Craig Steiner
Design Director: Tosh Brown
Designer: Henry Smith
Writer: Matt Reschke
Art Director: Chris George