Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (led by Monterey Bay Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, and National Aquarium) asked us to develop a campaign to encourage their visitors to decline disposable plastics and choose ocean-friendly reusables instead.

But for many of the aquariums, this was the first time they'd waded into environmental advocacy. How do you talk about conservation to such a big audience? And what do you ask people to do? 

The campaign “In Our Hands" avoids doom-and-gloom messaging about abstract consequences, and instead emphasizes the responsibility that is literally in our hands. Critically, this brand framework can be applied to different local bodies of water, to be inclusive of aquariums confronting freshwater pollution.

As a marquee visual motif, we developed a series of illustrations of uncanny sea creatures made out of plastic trash – to visualize the slow yet significant transformation that plastic waste is having on our oceans and rivers.

We built a streamlined long scroll microsite to introduce the issue, but then quickly guide audiences to practical and easy-to-take personal actions of support. 

The web experience also features a customizable social image generator, where supporters can select a favorite animal and learn the best ways to protect them through everyday choices.

CREDITS

Produced by Blue State Digital for the Aquarium Conservation Partnership

Concept, branding, and creative direction: Chris Royalty
Design: Jenna Steely & Halina Mader
Strategy: Jackie Cheng & Ehrik Aldana
UX: Sarah Papp
Web development: John Moore
Account and project management: Katie Wiley, Kacey Read, Manuel Gallardo, and Derreck Fuschino