Living visual identity

Turning ecosystem sounds into a design language.

Insight

Our planet’s voice.
Earth is fascinating. It’s beautiful, it’s complex and it’s ever-changing. But some changes have a massive impact on our society, just like they do on our climate.

Data shows that, when it comes to these changes, audiences don’t know who to listen to. So, when creating Planetary Guardians’ brand positioning and visual identity, AKQA Bloom brought them the most important voice to listen to – the Earth’s voice.

Idea

Listening to the Earth.

Going beyond design elements, AKQA Bloom established a visual identity backed by an inventive concept: logos powered by the Earth’s voice.

Collaborating with Aza Raskin’s Earth Species Project, the masterful design employs machine learning to transform sounds emitted by nature into 3D shapes that become hero logos.

Currently, the visuals represent the Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon Rainforest and the Arctic tern, but this is just the beginning. The brand will keep evolving, just as our planet does.
Impact

Beyond visual elements.

The logos are more than intriguing visuals. They offer science in a uniquely creative format, becoming a tool that helps humanity be synchronised with the Earth. After all, our planet doesn’t need us to give it a voice; it needs us to listen.
“The key here is a shift of mindset, moving away from a situation where we simply are pushing ourselves into a dark future, where we instead backcast our future and we say, what is the playing field on the planet? What are the planetary boundaries within which we can safely operate?”

Johan Rockström, Professor in Environmental Science and pioneer of the Planetary Boundaries framework