CODA Automotive, a privately held all-electric car company headquartered in Southern California, sought to unveil its nontraditional vehicle in an equally nontraditional space. Instead of a conventional, sales-focused automobile dealership, CODA wanted to create a destination for visitors that would accomplish multiple tasks:

-Introduce a new and unknown company, brand and product
-Educate the public about a complex and unfamiliar new technology
-Inspire people to join the company’s ideological cause
-Launch a retail and marketing strategy that was recognizably distinct from typical car dealership models

CODA wanted to do all this in a shopping mall space (just 892 square feet) in order to communicate with audiences not specifically focused on buying a car, and to be more accessible to the everyday life of American families.

Shook Kelley was tasked with helping to define this complex problem and creating a design solution that could respond to these challenges. Due to the limited space available, environmental graphic design was emphasized as a key factor in communicating the story of the company, cause and product.The Shook Kelley design solution breaks sharply from a traditional automobile dealership format, favoring a more immersive, accessible and engaging experience. The evocative environmental graphics and targeted interactive technologies communicate the story of CODA’s cause and its technological capacities. The space also doubles as a community gathering destination for like-minded people, including both customers and employees, to engage in relevant conversation about the future of transportation and the environment.

Read the full case study with juror comments here: [http://www.aiga.org/justified-2012--case-study--CODA/]

A complex project that took a unique—and effective—direction. Visually appropriate and well-documented. They make a great case for understanding their audience and thinking through a new brand introduction. —Steve Liska