Figure I.

Bottle water selection at the supermarket

Convincing people that tap water is safe and convenient to drink
is the only way to change consumption habits on a long term
basis. Branding Vancouver's tap water and creating an exten-
sive communication campaign is the key to reversing the bottled
water trend.

Getting Involved// In order for this project to be successful, the
initiative must go beyond the individual and become a city wide
effort. For example, local shops can put up a V-Tap sticker in their
window, meaning that pedestrians and cyclists can enter to refill

their water bottles. They gain public approval and create a wave of

potential clients. Another idea is to facilitate tap water access by
highlighting water fountains in public places on existing signage.
This reassures sceptics because they recognize the V-Tap brand
and trust the quality of the product (Fig. 3). Metro Vancouver and
the BC Ministry of Environment have to get on board as well. It
is their ethical responsibility to get the project off the ground by
finding funds, developing the program with a team of experts and
implementing it throughout the city.

DESIGN METHODS// A Consumer Society// Consumers are
fueling the economy more than ever before. People feel indebted
to buy products which they want, but do not really need. The
media sends the message that our emotional desires (self-worth,
sexuality, confidence, etc.) can only be filled by a purchase. Today
our identity is created by the products we buy and bottled water
companies are aware of this. Consequently, they market the added
value of their product, from its beautiful packaging to its supposed
health benefits (Palmeri, 2009). Consumers subconsciously ask:
what does this type of water say about my values as an individual?
Often, buying bottled water is more about a social status than it is
about quenching a thirst.

Assessing Values// Constantly reminded how dangerous the
world around us is, shoppers want to feel in control. They take
extra precautions when it comes to their three most important

values: family, health and safety. Money, or the environment
for that matter, are only secondary. A brand has to share and
communicate these values to create a strong consumer relationship
(Healey, 2008).

Communicating a Brand Message// According to Business Week,
the bigger an advertising budget, the stronger a brand becomes
(Palmeri, 2009). Frequent exposure to it creates more impressions
on a person, which in turn creates more responses. For this rea-
son, many marketing strategies are developed to increase the
consumer awareness, such as product placement (Fig. 1). How-
ever, developing a visual identity is not enough. V-Tap needs
to have more scope. Having exhibitions and advertisements
scattered around the city can better inform the public about their
tap water and increase the brand’s visibility (Fig. 4). This strategy
is essential to the branding project.

DESIGNING A COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN// What is a
Brand?// A brand is not something tangible. As Matthew Healey
affirms in his book What is Branding, it is the idea of the product
as it exists in the mind of the consumer. This “reputation” is influ-
enced by advertising where an affectionate bond is created with
the brand. Consumer behaviour is emotional, not rational. “Peo-
ple create brands to bring order out of clutter” (Neumeier, 2007).
Brands make a product stand out. Interestingly, people think
that a branded item is superior to one that is not, so branding tap
water is very relevant. The quality previously associated with the
branded bottled water can also be associated to tap water.

Strategic Design Choices// Tap water’s visual identity must
have an aesthetic that inspires confidence while being easily
distinguishable (Fig. 5). I chose cyan blue as the primary colour
for V-Tap because it is a colour which stands out and symbolically
refers to clean water. Yellow and green have an association with
pollution, red with danger, etc. The logo depicts a drop of water.
I intended it to be literal, not symbolic. Everything about V-Tap’s

SUSTAINABILITY 27