Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium Visual Identity

Tags: Branding , Digital , Environmental , Print , Consumer , Institution , Seattle Aquarium

The Challenge

The Seattle Aquarium had a brand problem—in the best possible way. They found themselves directly at the heart of a fast-revitalizing Seattle waterfront, and they are about to open their beautiful, brand new Ocean Pavilion and launch an all-new website. If ever there was a moment to make sure your brand house was in order, this was it. The challenge was that (like many brands) they had evolved organically. The visual identity was inconsistent, and now they had a whole host of new design elements and marine creatures to incorporate into it.

The Outcome

We worked with all the different stakeholders at the Aquarium and the different design teams working on the physical spaces to identify the core elements across different visual systems and distill them into a cohesive and compelling brand identity. We built a robust guidelines document, chock full of real-world applications and examples to ensure that the many different teams and vendors that represent the Aquarium (including us!) have the tools they need to bring this brand to life.

With applications ranging from wayfinding signage to social media posts, it was essential that the brand had the flexibility to speak to different audiences and occasions while remaining consistent and recognizable.

The aquarium is first and foremost a scientific and conservation organization, so we had to ensure that the animals and habitats were rendered accurately and compellingly across different executions.

The refreshed identity system incorporates unique layering of animals and habitat elements with a distinct gradient system that reflects the dynamism and diversity of our one ocean.