show your heart for the hauraki - Greenpeace
Using design to mobilise support for a unique waterborne protest event
We needed inspire everyone who loved the Gulf to show up – from blokey boaties to plucky paddleboarders.
An initial brief for a quick-fire social media visual quickly revealed the need for a more integral design approach, to maximise the reach and potential of this unique protest event.
Bottom Trawling, the practice of dragging weighted nets over the seafloor, indiscriminately bulldozes marine life and continues to contribute to ecosystem collapse in the Hauraki Gulf (Tīkapa Moana). The government was considering fisheries management changes, so Greenpeace Aotearoa launched an event to coincide with the government decision process and bring this topic into the media and public discourse.
The event idea was simple – a flotilla of boats and watercraft to tow a huge banner into the harbour. How could Greenpeace get the word out and maximise participation beyond the usual group of passionate supporters, to make the biggest splash possible?
Show your Heart for the Hauraki was simultaneously a name for the event, and a call to action.
The symmetrical, iconic silhouette of Rangitoto Island looks the same from almost any direction in the harbour, and so instantly and unmistakably represents both Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland City and the waters of the Hauraki Gulf. A cordon of watercraft, and even the typography itself, then surround the island shape, to symbolise community protecting the Gulf.
The core visual was built in a layered, flexible way to allow for quick resizing and reformatting for different media. And this approach very quickly paid off.
After initial social media promotion, the versatility of the design allowed for a rapid expansion into a classic multi-channel campaign. The limited-run event T-shirt quickly became a coveted item, being spotted for months after the event being worn by activists and politicians.
Agency/Client Greenpeace Aotearoa (inhouse)
Year 2023
Country Aotearoa New Zealand
My roles Creative direction / copywriting / graphic design / event photography
Videography Ben Sarten
Drone Echo Valley
IMPACT
The event photography on the day revealed a beautiful synergy with the design, with every type of vessel depicted in the branding being seen out on the water between the hundreds of people taking part.
While the event got national news media coverage, Bottom Trawling was ultimately only restricted in some small corridors, with only 6% of the gulf being protected. One year afterwards, the news was awash with reports of hundreds of dead Snapper being washed up on beaches. So, there is a sort of ironic longevity to the merchandise and messaging from this campaign, with a long road ahead to stand up for preservation of our marine ecosystem.