Sumo creates climate show

An inflatable dome designed to educate people about climate change will emerge in Newcastle-upon-Tyne next week, with branding and exhibition design by Sumo Design.

The £800 000 Climate Dome project is run by Carbon Neutral North East and is 50 per cent funded through the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its Tomorrow’s Climate, Today’s Challenge programme. Newcastle consultancy Sumo was appointed to create the visual identity following a five-way pitch last October.

It is anticipated that more than a million people will glimpse the dome during its 15-month stay, with more than 100 000 people expected to pass through it. The exhibition contains interactive installations, animations and a computer game, all based on an illustration style developed by Sumo. The dome itself will also be ‘wrapped’ in its illustrations.

‘Using photography would have been hugely restrictive. Illustration enabled us to create an accessible visual identity and allowed us to explain complex issues simply and humorously,’ says Sumo creative director Suzanne Evans.

The dome will also feature a film created with the BBC and exhibits developed in collaboration with the Centre for Life.

Climate Dome is one of 81 projects that received financial support from Defra’s climate challenge fund.