Not long ago, design, creativity and communications weren't considered essentials for conservation organisations and movements. This meant that the amazing work on the ground wasn’t adequately portrayed to stakeholders, funders, potential staff, or partners. Conservation messages and design often lacked engagement as they were crafted from the conservationist perspective without having their target audience in mind. 

Thankfully, nowadays, it is valuable for an organisation to have a communications and design team — that’s if the organisation wants to stand out from the rest! Messages are now being created for and with their audiences in mind, and impactful key messages are being shared in engaging and insightful ways. 

Research shows that generating knowledge and awareness towards protecting the environment, including the oceans, rarely produces behaviour change.* However, understanding the environment surrounding us is certainly a good starting point, especially if the message is accompanied by engaging images that make it stand out.

When I started my career as a graphic designer, it was clear to me that the knowledge of how to market a product (and make it look attractive) could be equally valuable to implement in environmental messages too. My experience has given me the tools to provide new ways of communicating complex scientific concepts to non-specialist audiences, bringing people closer to the ocean by giving them a deeper connection to and understanding of it. 

Through my experience working with conservation NGOs, I’ve been able to elevate their branding and communications in a way that truly represents the value and scale of their work. For me, that is one of the most important aspects of design in conservation. You’re giving the organisation  – and the communities, ecosystems, and livelihoods they represent – a face and a voice.

This isn’t something that I’ve been able to build on my own; bringing people from different areas of expertise together enables the creation of accurate narratives that communicate an organisation’s work and mission. Design brings that extra layer to conservation; it makes it “sexy”, interesting, and trendy, and that is something that we need if we want to get individuals and communities involved. 

Essentially, design in conservation is important because it provides:

  • Brand coherence: it creates credibility around your organisation and your mission. As an organisation, you will certainly create a wide range of marketing materials, each with a different purpose. That’s why it’s essential to have a Brand and Communications Guidelines, to keep the content and design consistent.

  • Good first impressions: a bad initial image can reflect badly on the conservation impact you have on the ground. Good design and streamlined communications are essential to reflect the hard work you do.

  • Recognition: it's important that your audience, from funders to volunteers, are able to differentiate your organisation from the rest.

  • Efficient communication: using creative thinking and design can provide your organisation with a new avenue to communicate complex conservation messages. 

  • Targeted messages: when creating a new design, always make sure you involve your audience in the design process, this way, you will make sure that what you are communicating is tailored to their needs. 

Recently, The Reef-World Foundation released the Green Fins’ new logo, which is a particular milestone for the brand. Before then, the brand's logo hadn't changed in 18 years! However, during this time, the initiative has adapted to the ever-changing needs of the marine tourism industry and to the many challenges faced by our ocean. This needed to be translated into the brand, and a logo is one of the most important elements of a brand, this had to represent that evolution. 

The logo caught up with the brand standards, and it’s now coherent with the rest of the initiative’s materials. It’s easy to recognise as it follows the brand guidelines. It represents the Green Fins’ message and the community behind it, as they played an essential part in creating the design. Reef-World takes pride in giving the deserved importance to design and communications in all aspects of the work that we do. 

We have witnessed the difference this has had in our work and how it is perceived. We believe that a multidisciplinary approach to marine conservation will take us and our mission further, enabling us to accomplish our mission of inspiring and empowering people to act in conserving and sustainably developing coastal resources, particularly coral reefs and related ecosystems.

 *https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00273/full