Solar energy start-up company Homesun will launch a marketing campaign designed by Someone later this year.

Homesun, which is offering to install and maintain free solar panels in UK homes, launched at the end of last week with branding and digital design by Someone. Homesun claims to have received 27 000 requests for solar panels in its first few days of trading, more than twice what it expected in its first week.

ǃÙThis has meant that we might be requesting Someone to produce some additional marketing collateral and help us to evolve our sales
literature to reflect this initial impact,ǃ٠says Homesun marketing director Sue Welland. Homesun appointed Someone in April on the strength of the consultancyǃÙs previous work.

The company talked to four other unnamed design groups before selecting Someone. The solar energy company briefed Someone to create branding and marketing materials that would ǃÙhave broad appeal and attract as many people as possibleǃÙ, says Someone founder Simon Manchipp.

ǃÙWe are trying to make a complicated issue look really simple and approachable,ǃ٠Manchipp says. ǃÙMost energy companies are faceless and corporate, so we decided to zig while they zag by giving a human touch to the company,ǃ٠he adds.

Someone appointed Kingston University graphics graduate Sarah Cupitt to create naive illustrations for the marketing materials and website. The group became aware of CupittǃÙs work after she joined them as an intern.

ǃÙFor a long time solar energy has been presented as very technical, but we are democratising this energy source and opening it up to a completely different audience, so the branding had to be about simplification,ǃ٠says Welland. ǃÙThe crucial, original branding element is the photographs with overlaid illustrations.ǃÙ

A bespoke typeface was created by Someone designer Helen Altoungarian for the Homesun logo. Manchipp says the logo is not as important as the illustrations. ǃÙThis project follows our theory of the death of the logo.

The logo was designed to complement the illustrative approach, which is the key part of the brandingǃÙ. Homesun is expecting competitors to enter the free renewables market around Christmas time.

Who is funding ǃÙfreeǃ٠solar panels?

HomesunǃÙs solar panel scheme is free to UK homes and paid for by energy companies

In April the Government introduced legislation making energy suppliers pay householders or communities who generate their own renewable electricity

Homesun intends to introduce other free renewable energy sources in the coming year