Case Studies
Totology
Brand Strategy, Logo + Identity, Advertising, Photoshoot, Website
TOTO USA approached us to conceptualize, create and execute their green campaign. TOTO is no stranger to the concept of sustainability, having practiced sustainable manufacturing processes for over 40 years and pioneered some of the most eco-efficient plumbing and bathroom products available today. With many companies also advertising their sustainability and social responsibility, we knew that the messaging for the campaign was no walk in the park. Our task was to work on a completely new green brand strategy, which extended to naming, brand identity design, a three-ad print campaign, marketing collateral (online and offline) and trade show booth graphics.
“We definitely didn’t want to ‘green-wash,’ and we most certainly didn’t want to preach. We wanted to engage and to educate.”
—Sam Edwards, Creative Director
Totology Brand Strategy and Identity
Introducing Totology — TOTO’s corporate philosophy in action. The SKAGGS team took a trip to the TOTO USA headquarters in Morrow, Georgia, for a tour of the plant to see just how green they really are. It is the greenest, most productive factory we’ve ever come across. Inspired by this fantastic dedication to sustainability, we set to brainstorming about how we could communicate TOTO’s corporate philosophy, innovation and sustainable values in totality. All of these factors combined got them where they are today.
“Their work and products are unique to say the least, so creating a term that specifically related to them was a natural and successful progression. We created the Totology “ecosystem” to show how all of these components work as a whole and how each influences the other.”
—Bradley Skaggs, Creative Director
We developed a logo that is fresh and contemporary, but that still maintains a classical feel.
“Visually, our aim was to mix the mechanical with the organic. Take the ‘o’s, for example; they’re really geometric, the organic feel comes from the ‘Adobe Caslon’ font. We edited the “g” to add a little playfulness—you can see that with the ear on the tip.”
—Joe Guzman, Senior Designer
The Photoshoot
It took almost two months of planning, one trip from El Paso to Dallas and back, 1,000+ five-gallon water bottles, three trucks, two tractors, one buggy and a whole lot of man (and woman) power to show that TOTO’s High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) are all about saving water—lots of water. It’s proven that TOTO’s HETs can save up to 24,655 gallons of water in just one year. A fantastic amount, but just how much is that visually? That was the first question we asked ourselves and one that drove the concept behind the photo shoot.
Bradley and Sam headed out to El Paso, Texas, with a stellar crew to shoot what was to be one of the most memorable on-location shoots SKAGGS has partaken in. In case you’re wondering what happened to the bottles and water? The water was non-potable and was given to the rancher for his cattle and all of the bottles were recycled in El Paso.
The Print Ad Campaign
With this campaign we found that the beauty lay in the simplicity of the message, so with the first ad we really wanted to focus on the meaning and introduction of Totology. By posing a question, we engage the user and reinforce the idea that while TOTO doesn’t have all the answers, their water conservation and innovations contribute towards a better world.
Booth Graphics, Brochure and Website
K•BIS — The Kitchen/Bath Industry Show is one of the largest kitchen/bathroom industry conferences of the year. It features some of the most revolutionary and innovative products in the kitchen and bath industry, and gives attendees the opportunity to experience the products firsthand. In previous years, we’d used imagery to communicate the TOTO brand message. This time, however, we wanted to do something totally different. In keeping with the Totology message, we created eye-catching illustrations to show how the technology and products work, as well as communicate important facts about the various products being shown.
“Graphically communicating how TOTO’s complex, innovative new technologies work presented a unique challenge. Taking color cues from the logo, we developed clean illustrations and paired them with facts and figures explaining the benefits of the totology ethos. We applied this system to showroom graphics, brochures and the website.”
— Elspeth Maxwell, Senior Designer
Visit www.whytotology.com to see more of our graphical work for totology.
The TOTO Gallery
For the TOTO Gallery ICFF event at their SoHo showroom, we brought back the infamous water bottles from El Paso (not literally; those had been recycled) and applied the same principles of visually showing just how much water TOTO’s High Efficiency Toilets can save. Stacking 1,295 gallons’ worth of empty bottles inside the showroom was a challenge, but the result is a stunning demonstration of how small changes can make a big difference.
“The feedback from the ad shoot was phenomenal and it proved we were on the right track. Visualizing the massive quantities of water that can be saved using TOTO products really resonated with people. For the TOTO Gallery, we decided to pursue this concept but on a smaller scale. The results are unique and interesting.”
—Bradley Skaggs, Creative Director
Check out our gallery of Behind-the-scenes photos and SKAGGS video in El Paso in El Paso, as well as the TOTO Gallery opening.
