“Break the Ice” was a project for my Identity Systems (aka branding) studio in fall of 2019. The project required up to come up with an issue (social, environmental, etc) and give it an identity. I chose an issue that doesn’t get the attention it deserves — the rapidly increasing loss of biodiversity in the Arctic as a result of global warming. I had to come up with a fully functioning identity for the issue, as well as develop a mock website that functions to promote, inform, create conversation, or spur action on the issue. My intention with this project was to create conversation around the issue by disseminating information, then promoting regular people (including people who are not usually in activist spheres) to do something every day to help these creatures.
If you’d like to see my full presentation deck, click here. (Not all the images will appear to be of high resolution because my website platform won’t allow me to post the full hi-res version, so please excuse some grainy images.) The presentation deck does a good job of explaining my process, my intentions, and the WHY behind every design decision.
Here are the deliverables I made. First I developed a versatile logo, which I used in the full type-image lockup, but also allowed the penguin to stand alone as a symbol of Break the Ice.
Second, I developed my art direction style to implement into social media. Here are some Instagram mockups that demonstrate the style, but also my copywriting and brand voice.
Third, I created some mockups for potential merchandise, swag, or physical items that integrate into the system I developed. I created an Apple Watch reminder that allows people to know what their daily action could be to help protect the Arctic. I also developed a credit card that rounds up every purchase to the nearest dollar and donates that money to Break The Ice to continue to do research and triage in the Arctic, and lastly I made a glass water bottle and buttons to show support for the organization but by minimizing waste, which contributes to the cycle of global warming.
And lastly, I had to develop a website to promote my intention behind this project, which is to inform, create conversation a spur action. I created this animation in After Effects, to show what the website could potentially look like when someone navigates through it. Per the requirements for this project, it did not have to serve as a functioning site, it just had to communicate our message. I decided to animate the website because it allowed me to use a new software I learned in 2019 (After Effects), which pushed me as a designer to develop a new skill set.
