When The Oceania Project began conducting Whale research expeditions in 1989, they needed a logo that captured the essence of their mission, the care and conservation of Cetacea through original research, dissemination of information, education, and networking. To achieve this Stephen focused on presenting the predominant view of Earth, the Pacific Ocean. Drawing attention to this view raises awareness of the ocean’s critical role in the Earth’s ecosystem. The Nautilus, unchanged for more than five hundred million years, was added as a symbol of the ocean’s ancient nature, while also giving it a voice through the shell’s resonance. An illustration of a mother and calf Humpback Whale was subsequently added to reflect the research focus of The Oceania Project expeditions. This logo has since continued to effectively communicate the main objective of the organisation: ‘To promote community awareness and co-operation to instigate and maintain the process of rehabilitation, preservation, and conservation of Cetacea and the Oceans’.
Creative Direction: Stephen Franklin
Graphic Design: Stephen FranklinIllustration: Stephen Franklin
Oceania was called out as the primary part of the brand name, providing a single focus whilst tying it to the symbol above.
The logo was used extensively throughout The Oceania Project’s marketing materials, as seen here with the Expedition brochure, and a variant of design created for The Oceania Youth Project.
More recent usages saw the addition of the “Caring for Whales & Dolphins” tagline as seen above on the Songlines CD Cover.
