NEWS | Who We Are

29.07.10

Kootenay Career Development Society Article on Frolix Design
Cool Career - Creatologist
''Helping people to understand what's possible.'' Brad Steele, Senior Creatologist at Frolix Design defines the work he does as a graphic designer, work that involves branding, project management, marketing, illustration, and website design. The ability to communicate to clients, to talk to them and tell them why they need a designer is a strand that weaves through all of his work.

Brad has been in the business for 14 years; 9 of those years he has lived in Nelson, creating for companies such as Nortel, Selkirk College, Columbia Power Corporation, Whitewater Ski Resort, and the City of Nelson. Much of his work comes to him by word of mouth. The rest is through writing proposals and approaching clients who he wants to work with. What he enjoys about his work is ''having the freedom to create something effective.''

That effectiveness is what sets Frolix Design apart. Their website describes their work: ''Design is about creative problem solving in a graphic form. It's about knowing when to follow the rules and knowing when, and how to break them. We go beyond the obvious to give our clients a solution that fits - and gets noticed.''

Having flexibility is one of the reasons that Brad is drawn to this work. He has a keen interest in skiing, a passion that brought him to the Kootenays from Ottawa. It was in Ontario that he began his career after taking a graphic design course during his third year of an industrial design program. He changed direction, and moved into graphic design. From there, he began working in the field for a high tech company and then a dot com.

For people entering the field, Brad advises to go to school and get the education and then ''work in the industry for 10 years before going out on your own.'' For that experience, big cities offer the ability to gain the experience and the ''wide variety of skills'' needed to do the work.

Skills required for the job are organization and dedication. Though 15 centimetres of new snow entices him out on the slopes, Brad may have to work the night before to take the day off. Completing a project can also mean working evenings and weekends. Another challenge of the work is that vacations need to be carefully planned; taking any more than a couple of weeks off is very hard to arrange. He also advises that ''if you can't meet a deadline, you won't survive.''

Deadlines are an everyday occurrence for a creatologist. At any given time, Brad has 12 projects on the go. Looking ahead is vital to ensuring that he has work, so interlaced into his time is lining up new projects.

A typical day for Brad is 8 hours in front of a computer, answering e-mails, and spending less than l/2 of his time creating; 40% of his creative time is spent on creating web material and 50% is on print.

In thinking about the future of graphic design, Brad finds that it is getting ''harder and harder to make a living.'' With mass-produced products being offered on the Internet, for example, a logo for $49, companies may elect to go for cost savings. ''The value of design,'' is a hard concept to convey to people who are looking for a bargain. On the other hand, what Brad also sees about the future is ''more opportunity because of the Internet and hand-held devices.''

The future for Brad's work is about continuing to follow his passions. Combining his love of outdoors with his creativity, Brad has been developing websites for the skiing crowd. Backcountry Skiing Canada offers enthusiasts trip reports and new locations. Full of fresh ideas, Brad models the message he gives to clients: possibilities.

21.07.10

Whitewater Ski Resort to selects Frolix Design for rebranding
Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson BC is undergoing a transformation, they recently purchased a new chairlift from Aspen Ski Resort in Colarado. Once the chair is installed this summer it will increase their vertical to 2024' and their terrain by 750 acres. This is the first major developmnet for Whitewater in many, many years. In order to tell the world of this news they have selected Frolix Design to work with them for the 8th year in a row. We will help them rebuild their web site, various other marketing material, advertising and branding. Frolix Design is proud to carry on this long standing relationship with Whitewater and looks forward to helping them let the world in on their little secret here in the Kootenays.

24.02.10

Dispelling Myths: Recycled vs. Virgin
There are many clear and compelling benefits to purchasing recycled paper and yet some level of debate still exists in the marketplace about its benefits versus virgin fiber.  To help you navigate this debate, we are hosting a webinar on Tuesday, March 9th at 11am PST featuring Susan Kinsella, the Executive Director of Conservatree.  Susan is an expert on environmental paper and environmentally preferable product procurement issues.  In addition, we have compiled a short list of common debate points and our responses.

Fiction: FSC & AFF virgin fiber comes from sustainably managed forests.

Fact: In managed forests, trees are generally replanted, but replanting trees is not the same as preserving natural forests. Tree plantations are monocultures that do not provide the same wildlife habitat or support the biodiversity of natural forests. "In the U.S. South, where most of the trees used to make paper are grown, the area of natural pine forest declined from about 72 million acres in 1953 to 33 million acres in 1999. During the same period, pine plantations grew from 2 million acres to 32 million acres, and are projected to reach 54 million acres in 2040, in large part at the expense of natural forests."[1]  Increasing the use of recycled paper helps reduce the need to convert natural forests to tree farms.

Fiction: Recycled paper uses more energy to produce than virgin fiber paper.

Fact: Recycled paper may sometimes use more purchased energy from the power grid, but this is only because virgin fiber processes can burn wood waste to generate energy on-site (a process that has similar environmental impacts to other energy sources). "Recycled paper requires less total energy to manufacture than virgin paper, even when factoring in energy required to collect and transport recovered paper compared to energy used to harvest and transport timber."[2]  Compared with 100% virgin fiber paper, 100% recycled copy paper uses 44% less total energy.

Fiction: Paper has a low carbon footprint.

Fact: Globally, deforestation accounts for 25% of carbon emissions caused by human activity.[3] The decomposition of paper in landfills also produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Overall, it is estimated that compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by 38%.[4]

Fiction: Most paper is recycled already and therefore does not contribute significantly to landfills (paper is the most recycled product and recovery rate is growing).

Fact: Paper accounts for an average of 40% of landfill volume. In landfills paper decomposes and releases methane, a greenhouse gas. Recycling paper (and purchasing recycled paper) reduces the amount of waste we send to landfills and incinerators. When compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper is estimated to reduce solid waste by 49%.[5]

Fiction: Manufacturing recycled paper requires more water.

Fact: Making paper from recycled fibers both uses less water and results in less wastewater pollution than making paper from virgin fibers. When compared with 100% virgin fiber copy paper, 100% recycled copy paper is estimated to reduce wastewater volume by 50%.[6]

23.01.10

Kootenay Business features an article on Frolix Design and the new ventures Brad Steele and the company are undertaking. For a full read visit the site today.

27.11.09

Frolix Design publishes 'West Kootenay Touring Guide' and Backcountry Skiing Canada web site to create a communtiy around ski touing in BC and help people be safe and have fun. Buy your guide today!

21.11.09

Frolix Design Launches www.heliskiingcanada.ca web site to promote Heli Skiing operations and give potential customers a place to gain valuable insight into various operators before finalizing their dream vacation or simply a day of powder skiing.

21.10.08

Frolix Design Launches www.catskiingcanada.ca web site to promote Cat Skiing operations and give potential customers a place to gain valuable insight into various operators before finalizing their dream vacation or simply a day of powder skiing.

10.07.08

Frolix Design awarded Kootenay Rockies 'Powder Highway' web site design project.

18.06.08

Frolix Design completes re-branding of Kaslo Jazz Festival.

13.06.08

Frolix Design Instrumental in helping Nelson & District Credit Union Take Gold & Silver Credit Union Awards for Marketing Excellence at National Event in Whistler, BC.

The Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) Attracts entries from credit unions across Canada and recognizes the brightest achievements in credit union marketing, advertising and communications.

The Financial Hike - NDCU’s financial planning process, received top honours by winning an Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME). NDCU’s was also recognized for its entry in the Annual Report category by winning an Achievement in Marketing (AIM).

Frolix Design, worked with NDCU’s marketing team (made up of Tom Atkins, Rick Loewen, Bradley Roulston and Tom Murray ) to create an image that reflects the communities’ love of lifestyle, commitment to community and the desire for local banking solutions.

16.05.08

Frolix Design Launches e-commerce and database driven web sites for Lost Creek Press and Sundance Consulting.

07.02.08

Frolix Design completes re-branding of Columbia Basin Trust.

01.01.08

Brad Steele, Senior Creatologist of Frolix Design has obtained FSCXpert™ designation as awarded by the Forest Stewardship Council [FSC].

The FSCXpert™ program is an educational program and designation for individuals that are committed to responsible forest management, and who have the knowledge and skills to successfully source and manage projects that use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. 

As an FSCXpert™ Brad is a design professionals who is passionate about the future of our forests; a leader in promoting environmental and social responsibility within the industry; is an educator and mentor on sustainable product purchasing; and is a qualified advocate for the use of FSC-certified paper or wood products.

For more information please visit: www.fsccanada.org/fscx

17.12.07

Frolix Design launches new Retallack Cat Skiing web site, complete with new identity and branding.

10.10.07

Frolix Design launches new Red, White & You web site.

13.09.07

Frolix Design launches new Whitewater Winter resort web site.