Explaining behaviour rather than technology

The communication challenge was not to explain energy systems in technical detail. It was to make everyday behaviour visible.

Residents needed to recognise familiar situations — heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, laundry, water use and standby electricity — and understand how a small change in behaviour could reduce consumption.

That made comics particularly useful: a short sequence can show the problem and the alternative without requiring a long explanation.

Visual-first communication across language barriers

The strips were designed so that the main message is carried by the images rather than depending on continuous written explanation.

Some panels include numerals or short labels where they help clarify a practical point, but the core action remains visual.

This was particularly relevant for communication with diverse housing populations, including residents who may not speak French fluently or who find text-heavy material difficult to use.

The aim was therefore not “wordless comics” as an absolute rule, but communication that remains understandable even when written language is limited.

Foxy & Major Domo — recurring characters for energy awareness

The series is built around two recurring characters:

• Foxy — a curious, relatable fox navigating everyday household situations
• Major Domo — his robot companion, usually pointing towards the more efficient solution

Using the same characters across the series creates continuity and recognition. The viewer does not have to decode an entirely new visual world for every topic.

The characters also keep the tone approachable. The subject is energy efficiency, but the communication does not need to feel bureaucratic or punitive.

Creative Direction from brief to visual scenario

Marie Fedou provided the themes and practical communication objectives for the series.

I then translated those subjects into visual scenarios: deciding which everyday situation would communicate the idea most clearly, how the contrast between inefficient and efficient behaviour should work, how the characters should act, and how the information should fit into the two-panel format.

That process combined scenario development, storyboarding, character direction, page composition and final illustration rather than simply illustrating a finished script.

Topics developed across the comic series

• heating and thermostat use
• summer cooling and shutters
• natural daylight and lighting
• water-saving behaviour
• showers versus baths
• energy-efficient cooking
• laundry drying
• vacation mode
• standby electricity and device shutdown
• everyday household energy costs

The recurring format meant each new subject could be added to the campaign without reinventing the visual system.

Why comics work for public-information campaigns

Comics are useful when information needs to show behaviour over time.

A diagram can show an object. A pictogram can identify an action. A short comic can show someone making a choice, seeing the consequence and changing what they do.

That makes sequential illustration particularly well suited to behaviour-change communication, resident education and public campaigns where the objective is not only to provide information, but to make a practical action easier to understand.

Accessibility through visual structure

The accessibility of the series comes from several decisions working together:

• short two-panel sequences
• recurring characters
• clear actions and body language
• limited dependence on text
• consistent reading order
• familiar household environments
• strong contrast between the problem and the better alternative

The result is communication designed to be scanned quickly and understood through context, even when the viewer does not read every word.

Communication for housing & energy-transition programmes

The comic series was used within social-housing and resident-awareness contexts in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

This kind of communication sits between public information, education and behavioural guidance. The audience is broad, and the material has to remain useful outside a specialist sustainability context.

That is why the domestic situations are intentionally ordinary. The point is not to make residents feel that they are studying energy policy; it is to show what one practical action looks like in everyday life.

About SUSTAIN-D

SUSTAIN-D is based in Toulouse and works in housing-related social project management connected to ecological and energy transition.

Its work includes resident participation, awareness and behaviour-change programmes associated with housing and urban-renewal projects.

Visit SUSTAIN-D →

Disciplines applied to the project

• Creative Direction
• Business Comics
• Sequential Illustration
• Character Design
• Visual Storytelling
• Public-Information Illustration
• Behaviour-Change Communication
• Information Design
• Accessibility-Oriented Visual Communication
• Vector Illustration
• Print & PDF Production

Workflow & production

• theme and communication objective
• scenario development
• storyboarding and sketching
• character posing and expression
• two-panel composition
• vector illustration in Adobe Illustrator
• consistent modular layout
• final PDF and print preparation

The modular format made it possible to extend the campaign with additional topics while preserving the same characters, scale and reading rhythm.