BETH JOHNSON DOES HER BIT TO SAVE THE WORLD W/ COP26 BRAND CAMPAIGN
"I have learned you are never too small to make a difference. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming whether you like it or not.
~ Greta Thunberg
In November 2021, the UK hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Having attained huge annual significance within the climate change movement, 2021’s event attracted nearly 40,000 people to its host city—the largest political summit the UK has hosted in recent history—billed as a critical follow-up to the Paris meeting of 2015, which for the first time set out clear targets for the 196 states that attended.
Now at design consultancy Johnson Banks, Campaigning DPS alumni Beth Johnson worked for the United Nations after graduation to develop the identity for the COP26 summit identity.
Our task was to create a branding system for a series of events throughout the year, culminating in the conference itself. The brand identity had to appeal to a vast array of different audiences: from climate change activists to businesses and the press, to governments – demonstrating the UK’s commitment to taking a global lead in tackling climate change.
Previous conferences rarely boasted particularly strong visual identities. We were determined to find a solution that was memorable, distinctive and inspiring – and expressed the agreed positioning of ‘hope with a sense of urgency’.
The swirling-coloured globe illustrates that the climate has no borders, alludes to currents and weather systems – and is intentionally beautiful.
After an extensive design exploration, a route that began as a marbled green and blue sphere became the clear favourite. The swirling-coloured globe illustrates that the climate has no borders, alludes to currents and weather systems – and is intentionally beautiful. It deliberately avoids directly using recognisable country shapes and is designed to fascinate people, wake them up and compel them to take urgent action to save our precious planet.
Working with world-famous animators at The Mill in London, we created a globe that both spins and swirls, as shown. Key stills from this then became the symbols I used across a suite of launch literature and backdrops. The animations featured in different forms across all digital media.
A nationwide series of events across the country leading up to the conference, used a related branding approach, as shown below.
We will be working on and extending this brand identity throughout 2020 and 2021 – and pushing the Cabinet Office team to ensure that all materials used at each event will be as sustainable as possible. We will post updates here as new designs become ready to share.
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Portfolio: Beth Johnson Design