When you think about deforestation or the disappearance of certain ecological elements, the first things that might come to mind are rainforests vanishing or icebergs melting.
While these are very real problems the environment is up against, the forgotten forests-also known as seaweed forests-are dissolving quickly due to pollution, ocean heatwaves, and other factors. Alarmingly, a recent study from researchers at UC Santa Cruz analyzed 34-years worth of satellite imagery and discovered that 95% of the kelp forests off California and Mendocino county coasts were now gone. Restoring the seaweed forests could be a significant step to decreasing climate change and limiting biodiversity loss within the realms of the ocean.
To help create some much-needed change and avoid collapse, SeaForester is a campaign working to raise awareness of the colossal environmental advantages of rebuilding kelp forests. How&How, a digital design agency with offices in London and Lisbon, recently partnered with SeaForester to help raise awareness of their seaweed forest mission for World Oceans Day 2021.
The concept of “seeing the sea like land” was born, and that theme surrounds the entire branding system. Seaweed inspired much of the visual elements, from its wavy ethereal nature and its frilly texture to the color palette of the marine plant. Throughout the identity, you’ll find animations that visualize the bobbing and drifting motion of seaweed. The display font at the heart of the campaign, Wulkman Display, was picked due to the typeface’s sharp and stylized elements and the thin hairlines and ball terminals that are reminiscent of the shape and nature of the seaweed plant.
The beautiful details throughout are sure to inspire viewers to learn more about our seemingly hidden Seaweed forests. Through this impactful source of educational materials, the hope is that they can raise alarm to the issue and create a lasting impact; with beautifully designed branding comes interest, with interest comes education, and with education, hopefully, comes change.
