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Previously known as Fundacion Parke Nacional Arikok, ACF is the appointed nature conservation organization on Aruba.
From our very first meetings, the ACF leadership made it clear how little they were motivated to boost the economy, attract tourists to the national park, or promote associated activities like horseback riding and Jeep safaris. In fact, they worried that this sort of ‘progress’ would further threaten the resilience of local ecosystems. Approaching our team at How&How for a rebrand, they genuinely just sought to protect the island’s natural environment in collaboration with local communities.
ACF: 1, Capitalism: 0
Sincerity as a source of power
Inspired by the purity of ACF’s intentions and its sole responsibility to protect most of the island’s biodiversity, we positioned the ACF as Aruba’s Voice of Nature: an organization dedicated to speaking up for the needs of the island, particularly those which aren’t easily observed.
This strategy naturally elevated the role of language within the identity, which we used as a medium to remind locals of their oneness with the natural world.
The difficulty of observing environmental degradation is also something we explored in much of our messaging – prompting people to consider that just because they don’t notice something doesn’t mean it isn’t happening; that just because we can't understand the language of shoco owls doesn’t mean their needs are unimportant.
It’s by elevating this discomforting truth in the brand that we were able to make ACF’s self-defined role as a spokesperson come across as relevant and valuable. It’s the underlying problem that the brand responds to, and ultimately what makes the identity click.
Tonally, this approach led us to adopt more of a spiritual voice than a practical one. It allowed us to elevate above asking people to pick up their litter with a stern sense of authority, to speak more deeply about our universal relationship with the Earth.
In practice, this was documented in three personality traits: compassionate, soulful and grounded.
Our strategic metaphor also laid the groundwork for our visual identity, which draws on iconography to bring focus to the needs of specific species and ecosystems.
When the icons, message and personality come together to form a cohesive system, we start to see more than just the outlines of an organization – we see a brand that stands for something, and whose role in the world can be understood by the average person
Now stop reading this article and go put your toes in the grass or something.
Credits:
Creative Director - Cat How
Associate Creative Director - Christian Beck
Senior Designer - Lucy McGinley
Senior Digital Designer - Hannah Leggett
Motion Designer - Joana Fatela
Animation - Eilidh Reid
Junior Designer - Carl Doneza
Copywriter - Josephine Heintz
Head of Strategy - Jack Wimmer
Previously known as Fundacion Parke Nacional Arikok, ACF is the appointed nature conservation organization on Aruba.
From our very first meetings, the ACF leadership made it clear how little they were motivated to boost the economy, attract tourists to the national park, or promote associated activities like horseback riding and Jeep safaris. In fact, they worried that this sort of ‘progress’ would further threaten the resilience of local ecosystems. Approaching our team at How&How for a rebrand, they genuinely just sought to protect the island’s natural environment in collaboration with local communities.
ACF: 1, Capitalism: 0
Sincerity as a source of power
Inspired by the purity of ACF’s intentions and its sole responsibility to protect most of the island’s biodiversity, we positioned the ACF as Aruba’s Voice of Nature: an organization dedicated to speaking up for the needs of the island, particularly those which aren’t easily observed.
This strategy naturally elevated the role of language within the identity, which we used as a medium to remind locals of their oneness with the natural world.
The difficulty of observing environmental degradation is also something we explored in much of our messaging – prompting people to consider that just because they don’t notice something doesn’t mean it isn’t happening; that just because we can't understand the language of shoco owls doesn’t mean their needs are unimportant.
It’s by elevating this discomforting truth in the brand that we were able to make ACF’s self-defined role as a spokesperson come across as relevant and valuable. It’s the underlying problem that the brand responds to, and ultimately what makes the identity click.
Tonally, this approach led us to adopt more of a spiritual voice than a practical one. It allowed us to elevate above asking people to pick up their litter with a stern sense of authority, to speak more deeply about our universal relationship with the Earth.
In practice, this was documented in three personality traits: compassionate, soulful and grounded.
Our strategic metaphor also laid the groundwork for our visual identity, which draws on iconography to bring focus to the needs of specific species and ecosystems.
When the icons, message and personality come together to form a cohesive system, we start to see more than just the outlines of an organization – we see a brand that stands for something, and whose role in the world can be understood by the average person
Now stop reading this article and go put your toes in the grass or something.
Credits:
Creative Director - Cat How
Associate Creative Director - Christian Beck
Senior Designer - Lucy McGinley
Senior Digital Designer - Hannah Leggett
Motion Designer - Joana Fatela
Animation - Eilidh Reid
Junior Designer - Carl Doneza
Copywriter - Josephine Heintz
Head of Strategy - Jack Wimmer
Further Reading
