The SDG 13, Climate Action, specifies in Target 13.3 that a critical strategy to meet the demands of SDG 13 is the development of “knowledge and capacity to meet climate change”. Specifically, improving awareness-raising efforts on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warnings is critical according to Goal 13, target 3. The Boundaries are the most comprehensive analysis of the Earth Systems change as a whole. Our work drives deep awareness of the earth systems and climate change by introducing the first ever identity that is a living, breathing representation of the current state of the Earth.

The climate crisis is no news. However not everyone is entirely convinced of the need to address it. According to Statista, only 41% of global audience say they see climate change as a serious threat, 28 %somewhat serious, and 13% say not a threat at all. People don’t realize how deep in this crisis we really are. And that’s exactly why the planetary Guardians were born: to meet the demands of SDG 13 is the development of “knowledge and capacity to meet climate change”. There are nine boundaries, and humanity has already crossed six of them. But we can do this together.

The good news is that the world has done it before. People have come together to identify a problem with the ozone layer. We didn’t ignore the science and hoped it would all be okay. We saw clear trends, changed industries, and reimagined policies. It was one of humanity’s greatest achievements, and a handful of committed people were at the centre of it.

Planetary Guardians believe we can do it again.

We can come together across nations, sectors, generations, and cultures, leveraging our differences to find solutions that will not just bend the curve but reinvent it altogether.

The Planetary Guardians were established by Johan Rockström and Virgin Unite to elevate the science of the nine planetary boundaries, which were first proposed by Mr. Rockström and a group of 28 internationally renowned scientists in 2009. In September 2023, a team of scientists quantified, for the first time, all nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system. They provided a detailed outline of planetary resilience by mapping out all nine boundary processes that define a safe operating space for humanity.

Our work designed, developed and brought to market an approach for all individuals to immediately understand the critical importance of this science, engage with it and ultimately, engage with the leaders championing climate change mitigation: the Planetary Guardians.

The Boundaries are the most comprehensive analysis of the Earth Systems change as a whole. Our work drives deep awareness of the earth systems and climate change by introducing the first ever identity that is a living, breathing representation of the current state of the Earth.

The SDGs focus on a holistic systems shift to mitigate instability. Specifically, Goal 13 Climate Action, specifies in Target 13.3 that a critical strategy to meet the demands of SDG 13 is the development of “knowledge and capacity to meet climate change”. Both the science of the Boundaries and the work of the Guardians does exactly this, by elevating critical knowledge of systems and climate change for all

Our Planet is an interconnected system, and we need to start responding to the root causes of its issues, not just the symptoms. That is why Johan Rockström and over 28 of the best scientists in the world have created a measurement model called Planetary Boundaries.

This model scientifically identifies nine Planetary Boundaries within which humanity can continue to thrive. Unfortunately, six of them now have been crossed.

However, there’s hope, and this model can guide us, highlighting the potential tipping points and providing solutions for a healthy partnership between people and the Planet.

The Planetary Guardians were created to amplify these boundaries and raise awareness of our current situation. This independent collective elevates science to make the Planetary Boundaries a measurement for the world.

The agency was challenged to create the brand positioning and visual identity of the brand, which was launched during Climate Week in NYC in 2023.

In 2023 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the world’s most authoritative scientific body on climate change, issued it’s last report.

Summarizing the findings of 234 scientists on the physical science of climate change, 270 scientists on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change, and 278 scientists on climate change mitigation, this report detailed the complete devastation caused by human-induced global warming. This warming has spurred changes to the Earth’s climate that are unprecedented in recent human history. And these changes will effect everything from civil liberties issues, to economic 
issues, to peace and justice issues.

So, our work responds directly to the cultural, social and political landscapes. By analyzing what authoritative communication or narrative channels audiences trust and subsequently creating a brand with that trust embedded at its core, Planetary Guardians are able to respond to the realities of our time and communicate their impact to all.

Earth is fascinating. It’s beautiful, complex, and ever-changing. But some changes have a massive impact on our society, just like they do on our climate.

Research shows that, when it comes to these changes, audiences don’t know who or what to listen to. So, when creating Planetary Guardians’ brand positioning and visual identity, Bloom brought them the most important voice to listen to – the Earth’s voice.

Going beyond design elements, we established a visual identity powered by the Earth’s “voice.”

Collaborating with Aza Raskin and the Earth Species Project, the design employs machine learning to transform sounds emitted by nature into 3d shapes that become our logo and the entire visual identity system.

Currently, the visual represents the Great Barrier Reef, The Amazon Rainforest, and the Arctic Tern, but this is just the beginning. The brand will keep evolving, just as our planet does.

Our positioning strategy comprehensively analyzed the culture of climate change and earth systems shifting narratives across global communications. From there, we strategized deeper, reviewing consumer narrative engagement data including climate change communication frequency, climate change topic subsect prioritisation, and perceived solution urgency. Our findings designed the channel archetype of a trustworthy narrative or communication medium for the brand positioning and identity development to follow: that of a data-driven yet engaging narrative often found in documentary filmmaking.

The audience for this work and our client was wide and diverse. The brand is B2B2C. The Planetary Guardians work across public and private sectors with the goal to engage all parties and facilitate unique conversation and partnership for our planet earth not before seen. So, we level-set our channel archetype finding with the diverse audience and notably analysed a comprehensive landscape of 50+ leading NGOs to ensure no others leverage the same positioning

When working with Virgin Unite to create the positioning and identity for an environmental organisation that had yet to exist, we decided to do things differently. We listened to the Earth’s voice. Collaborating with the Earth Species Project, our design employs machine learning to transform sounds emitted by nature into 3d shapes that become our logo and the entire visual identity system.

Our strategy and creative teams worked closely together to derive from key stakeholder interviews across leaders in the environmental space what did not yet exist, and thus designed and developed the partnership with the Earth Specifies Project accordingly.

The identity and positioning narrative were revealed in front of hundreds of international public and private sector leaders, delegates and philanthropists during an event hosted by Richard Branson. The brand is displayed prominently across the Guardians website and social channels, conveying how critical it is to listen to the Earth.

The main goal for our work launching the Planetary Guardians was to help lift the science of the Boundaries. We were tasked with reimagining the system and sparking a cultural shift. This was achieved by providing a visual identity that credibly uses science and storytelling to influence humanity's relation with the planet.

The brand launched at Climate Week. One of the KPIs was to urgently raise awareness of the planetary boundaries and that we have already crossed six of them. This got the attention of many media outlets including articles in Time magazine, The Guardian, and the Independent.

An additional KPI was the facilitation of the partnership with individuals that will act as Guardians. Critical to this success was the development of the brand, and subsequent launch of it during Climate Week. Twelve guardians were confirmed and participated in the unveiling of the organisation at the Virgin Hotel, Times Square.

Our work aims to raise awareness of the boundaries by translating complex scientific insights into accessible and engaging visual language. By using nature's own "voice", we engage and educate the public on the significance of each planetary boundary and the consequences of surpassing them.

Currently we are focusing on three systems the Amazon rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Arctic River but we plan to scale. We want to additional systems so that we can track all the changing and evolving boundaries.

Our next step is to implement a live data dashboard. This tool will play a crucial role in influencing organisations and creating societal impact. By prompting everyone to adopt the planetary boundary framework as a metric for sustainability, it will show where the systems are and how they are changing over time. This transparency can lead to better decision-making and a more sustainable future.

At the agency, we have calculated the direct and indirect emissions of their operation and offset the total for the last two years of their studio's operation. This includes scopes 1, 2, and 3.

This includes the entirety of the operational, strategy and creative staff and studio working on the development of Planetary Guardians. Additionally, it includes travel to the launch in New York City during Climate Week.

Our offset partnership with Carbonnext contributes to the continuity and development of the Evergreen project, which aims to preserve over 130,000 hectares of native forest in the Amazon, in the Deforestation Arc region.

With six of the nine Boundaries affected by the destruction of the Amazon (climate change; global water use; land use change; erosion of biodiversity; the increase of aerosols and existing substances in the atmosphere such as synthetic chemicals; the introduction of new entities into the biosphere) we are proud to have positively contributed to the protection of this critical ecosystem as a part our overarching work developing the Planetary Guardians.