What does sustainability look like? - February 2024 Edition

Welcome to the February instalment of ‘What Does Sustainability Look Like’ - the Edge Impact creative team’s analysis of their favourite purpose-led design, sustainable brands and impactful ideas from the world of sustainability creative.

This month was defined by nature, and has brought ideas inspired by the world around us into the projects we’ve been working on.

All commentary and opinions are our own and come from Jord, Caz, Alanna, Jaymee and Alex.

The Bob Brown Foundation's nationwide protest, aptly named March in March, stands as a powerful plea for an immediate halt to the devastating logging of native forests.
 
Shortly after the announcement of the event, a capsule visual identity was revealed, breathing life into the critical issue and significance of the movement. Renowned Naarm-based artist Minna Leunig lent her creative prowess to the cause, crafting illustrations that echoed the unique beauty of diverse Australian landscapes and wildlife that are needing protection. The carefully curated colour palette, bespoke typeface, and captivating illustrations became the visual heartbeat of the initiative fostering unity and cultivating a shared sense of identification with the cause.

The core expression of the March in March is a testament to the transformative power of a consistent visual language. Even on a small scale, a visual identity can foster a sense of belonging and belief in a cause and connect people with a shared purpose.

Whether it be a typeface, colour usage, bespoke illustrations, or other graphic elements, the three basic ingredients employed here underscore the potency of a thoughtfully constructed identity. When applied consistently the core brand system evolves beyond mere visual markers — they become the pillars of a recognisable, practical, and engaging brand. This process mirrors the approach taken in developing any visual identity: a meticulous foundation followed by systematic expansion, ultimately cultivating an impactful brand ecosystem.

 
Mill is a smart bin that puts food waste to use in the most genius way, by turning into chicken feed. With a product this great, comes a brand that articulates its use, purpose and benefits in a successful way, such as how Manual Creative has achieved. 

The task at hand being that it’s not just about selling the product, nor just digging deeper into the issue of food waste by educating customers. But, also inspiring and igniting change in behaviour to ultimately take action. 

The creative approach that Manual Creative takes “Celebrate the scraps, Ground it in science and Bring it in full circle”, is only a reminder of what we as a sustainability consultancy at Edge Impact have the resources and ability to do in our collaborative science, strategy and storytelling approach. Which often, I must say take for granted.

Having the opportunity to recently work on a branding project for ‘Kai Keepers’, an initiative launched by Restaurant Association in collaboration with Edge Impact. It was a no brainer that I would go back to Mill for inspiration. I can only choose one picture to display, but from the logo idea, the art direction of photography, copywriting and the simple yet informative infographics (please have a look for yourself). I would say it’s probably one of my favourite branding projects, and often wish that they offered Mill bins in Australia. 

So what is it that I feel makes Mill a best in class example of sustainable design for me?  
The thoughtfulness of approach, the delightful array of immersive inspiration, science backed, problem solving, the shifting of perspective, and a beautiful brand that achieves clarity, understanding, and delight.

During my recent visit to Melbourne, I unexpectedly came across the Works of Nature exhibition by Marshmallow Laser Feast at the ACMI. This captivating showcase featured an array of immersive, digital pieces that skillfully utilised creative technology to deepen our understanding of the intricate systems that govern our environment.

With its innovative approach, it prompted us to reflect on our place in our shared ecosystem. The overarching question posed by the exhibition resonated: What can we learn from nature to better prepare for the future?

The immersive experience was nothing short of compelling, offering a unique perspective on the hidden systems that sustain our environment. As I delved into the exhibition, I found myself surrounded by mesmerising digital landscapes that artfully captured the delicate balance of nature.

One particularly awe-inspiring moment was spent beside a colossal Ceiba Pentandra from the Colombian Amazon. Its majestic beauty exuded a sense of tranquility, yet an underlying disquiet lingered. The fragility of our ecosystems, brought to the forefront by Marshmallow Laser Feast, left an indelible impression. It served as a poignant reminder of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the urgent need to safeguard it.

The exhibition seamlessly wove together art and environmental consciousness, emphasising the critical importance of our natural surroundings. Nature, as the planet's life support system, provides us with essentials like fresh air, clean water, fertile soil, nutritious food, rich biodiversity, our climate, and the natural recycling system. The immersive experience served as a powerful reminder that the preservation of these systems is not only essential for the environment but for our own well-being.

And it got me thinking: How can we leverage our technical expertise and visualisation skills to enhance our nature-based solutions? How might we craft solutions that not only captivate but also contribute to a deeper understanding of the pivotal role our environment plays in the realm of sustainability?

The profound impact of Works of Nature lingered, urging me to contemplate our responsibility as stewards of our Earth. Marshmallow Laser Feast succeeded in not only creating a visually stunning exhibition but also in fostering a heightened awareness of the delicate ecosystems we depend on.

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) has recently undergone a brand identity refresh at the hands and cursors of Wolff Olins, marking a significant shift toward sustainable impact and community engagement.

The brand voice in the core message, "Do right by nature," encapsulates NYBG's active commitment to environmental stewardship and reflects the vibrancy of New York, fostering the connection of those who care about plants, fungi and the planet.

The bespoke typeface, NY Botanical Gothic, encapsulates a cocktail of characteristics. It is bold - but refined, strong - but dainty, sharp - but smooth. It combines urban energy with natural aesthetics, symbolising NYBG's proactive stance in environmental preservation.

My favourite part of the brand though, is the dreamy photography that uses strong depth-of-field and exaggerated angles to offer diverse perspectives and invite visitors to see themselves as integral to the ecosystem.

All of this emphasis on action comes together to amplify NYBG's ecological initiatives, inviting diverse audiences to embrace their role as stewards of the environment. Through programs like the Centre for Conservation Strategy, NYBG addresses climate and biodiversity crises, leveraging its brand presence for meaningful change.

As cliché as it might be, I’m constantly inspired by Google and their ability to so effortlessly bring together amazing initiatives, technology and storytelling. I’m especially inspired when they combine sustainability with their ‘Arts & Culture’ platform, which is genuinely one of the best education platforms ever.

Which is what they have done here.

‘The Invisible Forest’ showcases a collaboration between CSIRO, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), The Nature Conservancy, Great Southern Reef Foundation and Kelp Forest Alliance who have come together under Google’s Under the Digital Future Initiative banner (what a line up).
The project aims to help restore the vast (and largely unknown) kelp forests that form part of the great southern reef in Australia by using Google Earth, Cloud and Ai integration to understand which kelp varieties are resilient to our warming oceans, then regrowing more of these varieties to restore the reef forrest which are home to thousands of marine organisms, from fairy penguins and leafy sea dragons, to the critically endangered red handfish.

Using the Arts & Culture platform, Google has created a content rich experience which brings to life the natural beauty of the forests through amazing imagery and video but then educates through insightful short documentary films, articles and interactive maps.
They have also created a lovely piece of bespoke, kelp inspired type to promote it.

The cross-connection of the different content is amazing and creates an understanding of how important this initiative is within the first initial scroll, then with each click you are further immersed and served inspiring, sometimes playful, but beautifully crafted content that extends the experience further and invites action.
I particularly love the seamless connection between science, art and indigenous culture in the collaboration with artist Emma Robertson.

I got lost investigating each area of the site, but left with an understanding of an incredibly complex initiative and how it works, more importantly I understand why. Communicating initiatives like this is an important piece of driving action and connecting people to amazing ideas.

They are by no means perfect, but Google does a great job of both doing the important work and telling the story of it so well.

Stay tuned for more of what delights us from the world of sustainability creative next month.

Or if you were hoping for something a little more technical, head over to our insights page for the full range of thoughts, ideas and opinions from the brilliant minds at Edge Impact.