Sumatran Orangutan Society L E A F – Branding for conservation

Leuser Ecosystem Action Fund [LEAF] is an environmental organisation administered by the Sumatran Orangutan Society [SOS]. It was co-founded with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to protect critically endangered species and habitats on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Leuser Ecosystem is the last remaining location where orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers still coexist in the wild. Design studio Superfried were appointed to develop their branding.

Since there were four very different species involved, initial thoughts were to adopt a simple strategy via the use of typography, playing on the very apt acronym – LEAF. However, the results lacked impact and sufficient connection to what was truly at stake.

A change in strategy was required. With the focus back on the animals it was essential that the brand identity should feature all four species since they were all of equal importance. I initially looked for commonality amongst them, but they are a very eclectic bunch. Their heterogeneous nature also meant finding a distinct illustration style that would work for all to be rather elusive.

To maintain recognition – and a suitably serious tone – a simpler silhouette style was adopted. With the requirement to include four separate animals, space and scale would now be a challenge. For practicality the illustrations were subsequently overlapped, alternating between black and white, to achieve a more concise footprint for the logo marque.

Looking to the typography for the logotype, as usual a bespoke style was designed. With such a long name, the strong acronym was useful. A simultaneous acronym [vertical] combined with name in full [horizontal] composition was devised for the logotype. This was effective both in isolation or within a horizontal logo lock-up, with the logotype reduced to just the acronym at small scale. However, this would prove impractical for use when width was limited. So a roundel version was also developed.

The route was tested thoroughly via brand-led mock-ups – visuals shown – of stationery, merchandise and marketing material to ensure the system would be sufficiently versatile across all media and scenarios. To raise awareness and donations, campaign advertisements for use on social media were designed. To enhance their use of video, an animated brand logo ident was also developed. With direction, the client then subsequently applied the new branding system to their existing website.