OCEANITES | STRATEGY | BRANDING | LOGO

Counting penguins on the front lines of climate change.

Though isolated geographically, on an environmental level Antarctica is deeply connected with the rest of the planet: Both the continent itself and the Southern Ocean that surrounds it play a vital role in Earth’s oceanic and atmospheric systems.

It’s important to recognize that Antarctica is warming more rapidly than anywhere else on the globe. Yet for more than two decades Oceanites has been the only publicly supported Antarctic research program in the world. (And yes, counting penguins is part of it—with a hand-clicker and satellite photos if need be.)

The organization’s profound influence and reach belie its small size. When we first met, the Oceanites strategy and image hadn’t caught up with its well-earned reputation. To help them look and act like the distinguished presence it is we needed to move the brand to the next level, keeping the integrity of the mission intact.

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Showing the love to Antarctica’s ambassadors

When it comes to cuteness, a penguin is hard to beat. Combine those winning looks with abundant personality and you’ve got one charismatic little bird. Even more important to Oceanites, penguins have survived for 40-60 million years and have a lot to teach humans about adapting to a changing climate. A penguin logo was a given, but the one they were using was a flat, hand-drawn rendering of a lesser-known penguin species. For their new logo we chose an Adelie penguin—the “classic” penguin in most people’s minds—depicted in an illustrative style that referenced the ocean and breathed life into the enterprise.

Turning the spotlight on small players doing the world’s big work

We’re not talking about penguins here, but they did exert considerable influence. Although the Oceanites founder had originally planned to look at climate change through the lens of the world’s oceans, Antarctica wound up stealing his heart, with penguins leading the list of reasons why. The crucial role this icy continent plays for the future of the world only strengthened his truth-telling, conservation focus. By building on and solidifying that urgent and expanding mission we created the platform for a stronger brand identity.

Just hatched to fully-fledged

Once we addressed the logo, we needed to take Oceanites out into the world with designs for the business papers including cards, emails and letterhead. To help people connect with a location that defines “remote,” the business card design featured a map pinpointing the Oceanites physical site.

At the Pensery, we harness the power of design to elevate and publicize worthy endeavors. Our work with Oceanites was a deeply satisfying proof of concept.