by Laura Roach

This February marked the one year anniversary of ZESstudio, design studio and business partner of the Green Alliance. Zach Smith, founder of the fledgling company, is the mastermind behind designs frequently observed on the Seacoast for venues like the Stone Church and the Newmarket Farmers Market. He also recently renovated the monthly GA newsletter with a professional touch that we, here at the GA, are very pleased with.

Not only does Smith have a good eye for design, he also follows a strict code of "inner-office ethics" which he incorporates into his business whether he is designing logos, photographing or consulting a client on the layout of a building. His ethics are about maintaining a sustainable business model while remaining environmentally conscious. His efforts on this front include a "zero paper" policy which demands that all business contracts and designs are sent digitally in PDF form. The studio itself is heated with biofuel provided by Simply Green.

Perhaps the most incredible attribute of ZESstudio is the amount of pro bono designs it releases. In exchange for advertising, Smith may spend up to 50 hours making a poster for the Stone Church or another local business. Generally he does not complete the "grunt" work himself. He will sketch a design and pay a contractor to finalize the image on Adobe InDesign or Adobe Photoshop. But in the case of his donated work, Smith does the whole project from start to finish. In this way he is supporting other local firms and his philosophy of sustainability.

When interviewing clients like the Green Alliance, Smith is very attentive to their ideas. “A client will lay out his philosophy and what he is trying to achieve, a more modern or a classical aesthetic, a simple or complex layout" and then Smith will go to the drawing board. He does not have any employees, so any technical work that he does not do himself he contracts out, such as html coding for web design.

ZESstudio also draws building designs, especially in conjunction with other firms. Smith is in the process of acquiring his architecture license but he contributes designs to architecture companies. He is currently drawing the plans for a school for Barker Architects in Concord.

When it comes to buildings, Smith likes to stick to his green philosophy within the budget constraints of his clients. While he generally follows the principles of LEED (a certification process conducted by the US Green Building Council) when designing a building, he does not often suggest clients become LEED certified. In his opinion, the money spent (around $20,000 for a commercial firm) on the certificate could be better spent making the building even more sustainable.

ZESstudio implements a philosophy that is parallel with so many Seacoast businesses, including the Green Alliance. The all-encompassing design firm is a valuable asset to this community as it promotes farmer’s markets and other events the Seacoast cherishes. So, on your birthday, here’s to you ZESstudio.

For more information on ZESstudio visit http://www.zesstudio.com/aboutus.html.
For more information on the Green Alliance visit http://www.greenalliance.biz/.