In August 2020, The Trustees released the first of a series of research reports on the state of the Massachusetts coastline entitled “State of the Coast.” Opus created the Coast Report design which focusses on the North Shore. We worked with Tom O’Shea, Director of Coast & Natural Resources, and Christine Boynton, Manager of Coastal Communications. Our goal was to help create a communication tool that encourages dialogue and action.
Report Design
The research report contains many custom charts, maps, and infographics. They are all designed to help readers understand the main impacts on coastal towns. The risks and strategic approaches needed to protect the shoreline from storm surge, sea level rise, and climate change are also included.
The Trustees is the nation’s first and Massachusetts’ largest preservation and conservation nonprofit. They protect and care for the landscapes, farmsteads, coastlines, and cultural heritage of more than 100 special places in our state.
State of the Coast Report Design
One of the highlights of working on the coast report design was learning from Tom, Christine and the Data Mapping and Environmental Scientist from Woods Hole, Brittany Hoffnagle. In our weekly meetings, Brittany would share her screen and in real-time, show the GIS data. She would quickly isolate variables while we worked to find the right form for visualizations. We learned about shoreline features such as salt marshes, developed banks, and armored coastlines. Casey designed a beautiful infographic that makes it easy for people to understand and compare those features. We looked at 13 towns from Swampscott and Marblehead, out to Rockport and up to Salisbury, the northernmost town.
We were honored to participate in the process of designing this report. Tom and Christine were always so open to ideas and helping us learn so that we could be super thoughtful about the design. We look forward to working with The Trustees again.
In creating the inaugural issue of an annual report about climate change on the coast, our non-profit turned to Opus for their expertise not only in design, but also for their creative strategy. Their guidance and support was invaluable, as we worked to translate technical subject matter into a beautiful document, accessible and compelling to multiple audiences. The artistry and detail-oriented attention that went into this project was greatly appreciated—Lily’s team consistently went above and beyond. I can highly recommend this team!
