Shark Conservation Fund Branding for endangered species

The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was established in 1998 with the intention of protecting the world’s last wild places. Having worked with us on numerous projects – World Oceans Day . LEAF . Don't Let Them Disappear . Elephants . QRFN – they appointed design studio Superfried once again to develop the branding for a global partnership set-up to protect sharks and rays.

The client requested that if possible the brand identity should simultaneously represent both species and their natural habitat, since they would be aiming to protect all three. With this in mind the initial strategy was to conduct some research looking for similarities in form of rays and sharks. Likewise to convey their habitat, waves and their fins were conveniently close in shape.

Initial visuals and designs were tested with a view point from above and in profile. The latter route was a stronger direction since even at the smallest scale it was clear that the organisation were protecting sea life.

The similarities in form meant it was possible to convey all three within one logo marque. Use of negative space revealed the ray residing within the outline of the shark. Use of a lighter path weight created the distinct presence of waves which simultaneously formed the sea creatures. After further testing, it was felt that the ray had a tendency to disappear in close proximity to the shark. To graphically resolve this, the shark was switched from outline to block colour to create greater distinction between the creatures.

With the final design solution selected, mock-ups – visuals shown – were developed to ensure the new marque was sufficiently versatile to work across all media and scenarios. To create a stronger presence for video and social media content, an animated logo ident was designed and developed.