Ni Hao-dy! 你好! x howdy!
Chris Lee here, a motion designer + illustrator.
And I’ve got happy feet!
(Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute)
Identity Design
This rebrand of MBARI re-envisions the private, data-focused, and inward-facing instutute into an outward-facing, story-focused, and personable team of scientists and engineers. It distinguishes itself from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s brand while preserving its own independent, pioneering, and collaborative spirit.
Mission:
MBARI is pioneering marine science with daring
technology, to inspire a spirit of wonder and
understand how the deep sea connects us all.
This logo icon references sonar and bathymetric scans of sea floor terrain, with its shape language also implying the motion and rhythm of the ocean. The three layers focusing on the vertex of the “M” not only reference the location of MBARI’s deep sea research (the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon), it also represents the goal of research: to dive deeper.
The logotype is condensed and feels tall, to give a sense of height and depth.
To most people, the deep sea is a place of unknown dangers or being void of life. MBARI’s research and photography counters that assumption. The brand colors are naturally found in bioluminescence and stunning organisms such as the Bloody-belly Comb Jelly, and represent MBARI’s dedication to research and their pioneering spirit.
MBARI’s new tagline, “Inspire deep wonder,” is set in Trade Gothic Condensed which is used for headlines and subtitles. For body copy and captions, DM Mono will be used.
Both typefaces are vertically taller for the sense of depth. The monospaced typeface implies digital data and structure, while having some unique glyph attributes for personality.
This system of dots pull inspiration from graphs, maps, and the frames of specie identification systems. It also calls back to the mission statement, where technology is represented by points and the connections of those points represent the pioneering and collaborative nature of MBARI.
These graphic elements are used to imply design grids while also being used to emphasize specific content. Paired with color gradients of the brand colors, this design system encourages to wonder and go deeper in the subject of deep sea research.
Brand Posters:
These posters focus on information and content. This poster series highlights bioluminescence from deep sea research. The use of humor in the copy writing portrays MBARI as a team of relateable and charming scientists and engineers, who are excited to share their findings.
Original film poster for the 2014 film.
Social Media:
Website: