OCEAN AWARE LABEL-UNESCO PROJECT |
海洋意识标签-联合国教科文组织海洋保护意识项目
This project was developed in response to a live brief from UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, in partnership with the UN Ocean Decade initiative (2021–2030). The challenge asked us to reimagine how humanity views the ocean, with a focus on changing public perception, raising awareness of ocean science, and inspiring collective action for a more sustainable future.
In collaboration with UNESCO and the Ocean Decade initiative, we developed Ocean Aware — a global certification system designed to shift public perception of the ocean from something distant and invisible to something familiar, vital, and within reach.
Our solution was driven by a key insight: while many people care about sustainability, they often feel disconnected from how their everyday choices affect the ocean. Ocean Aware bridges that gap by embedding ocean knowledge into a simple, everyday action — making more informed choices at the point of purchase. With the line “Touch the ocean with every purchase,” the brand encourages small but powerful acts of ocean care.
Through primary research — including a survey of 293 people — we found that 85% of respondents felt the public lacked accessible ways to learn about the ocean, and over 75% found it difficult to understand how their behaviors impact marine ecosystems. In response, Ocean Aware offers a clear, visible, and credible trustmark — a certification for ocean-positive products and services backed by marine science, inspired by systems like Fairtrade and LEED.
The certification assesses businesses based on criteria including sustainable sourcing, plastic reduction, pollution prevention, marine conservation support, carbon footprint reduction, and transparency. Products must come from certified producers and follow strict standards to minimise harm to the ocean — from sourcing to packaging to supply chain practices.
Visually, the brand identity had to balance credibility and care. The logomark combines the form of a wave with a human hand, symbolising the mutually beneficial relationship between ocean and humanity. The colour palette, featuring a light-hearted azure blue and a vibrant yellow-green, reflects the tone of vitality, optimism, and care.
Typography choices blend contemporary edge with legibility: Power Grotesk and Monument Grotesk form a graphic system that is both direct and distinctive, creating a balance of personality and clarity across touchpoints.
The visual system is flexible and expressive. Curved type paths echo the logo and water movement, while playful water drop forms and puddle splashes add energy and dimension. These elements carry through in key visuals, posters, environmental signage, packaging, merchandise, and staff materials.
Built to exist across physical and digital realms, the brand ecosystem includes labelling applications, public-facing campaigns, retail partnerships, social touchpoints, and immersive education spaces. A sub-initiative, OceanNext Workshops, extends the brand into cultural engagement — using creativity, performance, and hands-on mapping activities to inspire ocean literacy among younger audiences. From certification marks to environmental signage to merchandise and mapping tools, the identity holds a single throughline: reclaiming everyday choices as agents of ocean change.
By turning the act of buying into an act of believing, Ocean Aware repositions the ocean not as a distant expanse but as something you can hold in your hand — and something that, ultimately, holds us all.
本项目基于联合国教科文组织政府间海洋学委员会(IOC)与联合国“海洋科学促进可持续发展十年(2021–2030)”倡议的联合命题展开,旨在重新构建人类对海洋生态的印象,重点关注公众认知的转变、海洋科学的传播以及激发集体环保行动,从而推动更加可持续的生态未来。
在与联合国教科文组织及“海洋十年”倡议的合作中,我们以小组的形式设计并提出了 Ocean Aware(海洋意识) 标签系统: 一个面向全球的认证机制,致力于通过贴近生活的方式将公众对海洋的认知从遥不可及的生态环境转变为熟悉、重要且触手可及的一部分。
我们的方案灵感来源于一个观察:尽管许多人关心可持续发展,但他们往往无法将日常行为与海洋健康之间的联系具象化。Ocean Aware 正是为了弥合这一认知落差,通过简单的日常行为 — 购买决策,将海洋知识嵌入消费者体验中。品牌主张“用每一次消费触及海洋”,鼓励人们通过微小但有力的行动参与海洋保护。
通过初步调研,我们发现有 85% 的受访者认为公众缺乏获取海洋知识的渠道,而超过 75% 的人表示难以理解自身行为对海洋生态系统的影响。因此,基于如公平贸易(Fairtrade)和绿色建筑评级(LEED)等现有体系的成功,Ocean Aware 致力于提供一个清晰透明且可信赖的标签标识,即以海洋科学为基础,对产品和服务进行认证。
该认证机制将一系列企业行为纳入评估标准,包括:可持续采购、塑料减量、污染防治、海洋保护支持、碳足迹削减和透明度等维度评估企业。所有认证产品必须来自合规生产商,并遵循从原料到包装再到供应链的严格标准,最大限度降低对海洋的负面影响。
在视觉识别上,品牌需要同时传达“可信”与“关怀”的气质。标志图形结合了“海浪”与“手掌”的意象,象征海洋与人类之间互利共生的关系。我们用视觉修辞的方法将卷起的海浪比喻成“用手掌握住未来”,以此传达我们的品牌目标,即通过简单的个人行为了解并改变整体的生态环境。品牌色调以轻盈的“海洋蓝”搭配充满生命力的“黄绿色”,营造出乐观、自然且充满活力的整体基调。在严肃的海洋科学之上,我们选择用跳脱且醒目黄绿色点缀,使目标人群可以带着轻松的生活态度清晰直观地识别我们的品牌标签。
字体选择上,我们用 Power Grotesk 作为标题字体,与 Monument Grotesk搭配形成统一的视觉语言,兼顾当代感与可读性,使品牌在多样化媒介以及触点中既凸显鲜明个性,又保持清晰表达。
品牌视觉系统灵活而富有表现力。文字沿曲线排布,呼应水流与标志造型;水滴与水洼泼溅的图形元素则赋予画面动态感与趣味性。这些设计贯穿于品牌核心视觉、海报、环境导视、产品包装、周边商品及工作用品中,形成统一且富有识别度的视觉语言。
Ocean Aware 的品牌生态覆盖线下与线上多个维度,包括产品标签、公共宣传、品牌联名、社交媒体运营与沉浸式教育场景。同时,我们还提出了子项目 OceanNext 工作坊,以创意活动、表演互动与地图构建等方式与年轻群体沟通海洋知识,深化品牌在文化层面的参与与传播,创造更广泛的公众共鸣。
从认证标识到环境导视,从周边产品到地图工具,Ocean Aware 始终围绕一个核心理念:让每一次日常选择,成为改变海洋命运的机会。它不仅让“购买”成为一种环保信念的表达,也让遥远的海洋回归到我们的日常中,成为我们“可以触到的未来”,同时也承载着我们共同的明天。
Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Initial Visual Routes for the Logo | 设计过程-初期设计尝试Fi nal Design Solution | 最终设计方案推导