UNESCO x TheOceanDecade
Making the Ocean Personal Through Playful Storytelling.
Deliverables:
UXUI Design . User Flow Mapping . Campaign Design . Key Visual Design . Brand Identity
As part of my MA in Design Management, I collaborated with UNESCO’s Ocean Decade campaign on a creative initiative designed to tackle one of the biggest challenges in environmental communication: how to turn complex ocean science into human connection.
We developed Ocean Voices—a gamified, interactive experience that humanizes deep-sea creatures and reframes the ocean as something to be felt, not just studied.
My Role: Concept Development . Campaign Design . Storytelling Development
Tools Used: Figma . Photoshop . Illustrator . Miro
Make the ocean a friend, not a concept.
This is a Journey about Co-living with the deep ocean.
These posters act as the first contact point for our audience to let them scan the QR code and capture the creature. They will be distributed around the city, where people will stop by and have time to look. We have decided the first stage of the launch will be around London Zone 1, with tube stations, bus stops, and advertising space on the street.
By using a strong contrast of black and white background, we have collaged the deep sea animals into the scenario of our daily lives. The only colour on the poster will be the sea creature, effectively highlighting their appearance and being more eye-catching on the road.
Creative Strategy
Campaign Elements
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An urban scavenger hunt where marine life appeared in unexpected public spaces, blurring the line between daily life and ocean ecosystems
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An imaginative AR interface where users could “chat” with marine species, learning facts through conversational play.
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Digital badges and interactive incentives that encouraged continued exploration and built advocacy through gamified progression.
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We are introducing an AR camera filter function along side when they scan the QR code. After the user has captured the creature and logged in their collection. They will be able use the AR camera to see the actual creature through the lens.
With the benefit of providing an immersive experience which is portable and accessible, we can better convey our campaign story and boost user engagement (Beckman, 2023). After all, the goal is for users to remember not just the experience but the message of behind it.
Allowing them to see the actual sea creatures in the mixture of their daily life could raise awareness of these distanced animals that they might never have known before.
Impact
Ocean Voices challenged conventional narratives in marine conservation, moving away from abstract statistics and into personal, emotional relevance. By blending design thinking with gamified storytelling, the project showed how creative communication can inspire sustainable behavior and reimagine how science is taught and understood.
Results
we are building up momentum for users to keep enriching their sea creatures collection around the city and even globally. When a community is formed, we can co-curate a bigger picture of human ocean contemplation and even bring blue economy opportunities to different coastal countries. Ideally, we could also introduce coastal tribes' culture to our audience and promote a sustainable living consciousness.