Forgotten Forests
Designed to coincide with World Oceans Day 2021, How & How worked with SeaForester (who provided copy content and research references) to create a campaign which urged people to think differently about their “blue front yard”, and the huge potential of the forgotten forests of seaweed underwater.
The concept of the campaign was “seeing the sea like land” — and centred on the idea of turning what we consider cultivatable space, on its head. Humans tend to focus on what we can see on dry land, and often overlook the potential of what is growing (or could be grown) underneath the water, and away from sight.
How & How developed ethereal photographs of kelp, and traced coastal map lines around them — suggestive of the frilly textures of the kelp fronds, but also of maps and topography. They created sea kelp shapes made from the drawn outline of physical areas of land, in an effort to make the two seem interchangeable.
“If we can grow forests underwater much like we do on land, then we could be giving ourselves an incredible fighting chance in mitigating the effects of climate change. We just need to think differently.”
Wulkan Display was chosen as the display font due to its sharp, exaggerated elements; thin hairlines and ball terminals — suggestive of the blades, cords and floats (pneumatocysts) of kelp. Gentle animation was used to show the seaweed bobbing, drifting and moving with quiet optimism; while a colour palette of calming turquoise and lavender was used to reflect positivity. Wulkan is paired with GT America Mono.
