SomeOne rebrands Eden Project around “notions of balance” and interconnection
Curved lines run throughout the identity, including the joined-up lettering of the wordmark, representing the fact that there are “no straight lines in nature”.
SomeOne has designed the Eden Project’s new identity, which centres around the interconnection between humans and nature.
What was once a barren landscape in Cornwall was transformed into a “global garden” known as the Eden Project when it opened in 2001, with the world’s largest indoor rainforest enclosed in one of its biome domes. While the educational charity and visitor attraction is based in Cornwall, its new brand architecture has been designed in preparation for the Eden Project’s expansion into new locations, including Morecambe and Dundee.
The Eden Project’s new identity has been “streamlined” to allow for easier co-branding with partner organisations and looks to reinforce its “sagacious position as a leading voice in the environmental movement”, says Someone founder and executive strategic creative director Simon Manchipp.
He believes that the Eden Project’s ability to “provide clear and actionable approaches to help avoid threatening environmental events” is what sets it apart in its field. The design work – which was won via a competitive credentials pitch – marks the Eden Project’s first rebrand in its 22-year history.
SomeOne’s main aim was to refresh its visual identity and “formalise its unique, positive approach to the discourse around environmental issues”, according to Manchipp. The Eden Project’s new strategy devised by SomeOne is built around the phrase “transforming negatives into positives” and the visual work encompasses typography, colour systems, visual themes, photographic guidelines, animations and copywriting.
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“Organic forms, connectivity and positive transformation” inspire the visuals, he says, adding that there are “no straight lines in nature”.
The Eden Project’s new bespoke wordmark features interconnected, rounded lettering. It aims to highlight the connection between “humankind” and nature, as the two are often spoken about as separate entities when they are in fact “inextricably linked”, says Manchipp.
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The studio’s lead designer James Bell explains how the idea of “restoring the planet back to its natural balance” informed the identity. A single curved line runs throughout the identity, which was found to “evoke and provoke notions of balance in audiences”, Manchipp reveals.
He adds that illustrations also adopt curved forms and look to convey “a challenging journey that will inevitably contain highs and lows”.
As well as the brand identity, SomeOne also devised a new nationwide campaign for Eden Project and an identity for Eden Sessions, which is a series of outdoor music concerts held annually against the backdrop of Eden’s famous biome domes.
In a bid to differentiate from the core brand and “inject an element of vibrancy”, Manchipp says SomeOne opted to us purple for the Eden Sessions “to punch through in comms”.
The logo is devoid of any symbolism of the place- looks more like a logo for a generic wellness brand, or an energy firm attempting to green its credentials. Flowing type and curved letterforms to represent nature wouldn’t pass muster at a first year degree course- where is the iconography, the stamp, the ‘brand’ of such an important UK ecological site? Disappointing work.