Responses by Diego Limberti, chief design officer, Droga5 São Paulo.
Background: With many initiatives happening simultaneously during COP30, this project set out to translate a complex issue into something simple and symbolic. Our intention was to avoid a “traditional campaign” aesthetic or anything that required heavy explanation. We leaned into a minimalist approach, one that would generate value and impact precisely through its simplicity.
Design thinking: Our premise was to distill the idea into something instantly understandable. It is essential to engage both civil society and policymakers in expanding marine conservation efforts. These illustrations represent threatened biomes and species across Brazilian regions, making tangible what is at risk and showing how one ecosystem depends on another.
Challenges: By choosing illustration as a medium, the challenge became balancing clarity of message with scientific accuracy. We worked in close collaboration with biologists from SOS Oceano, who selected key species to ensure the ecological relevance of each piece. From an artistic standpoint, the biggest challenge was creating visual harmony across these diverse species, ensuring the series maintained both aesthetic consistency and a cohesive language.
Favorite details: What excites me most is the idea’s ability to stand on its own, independent of format or the explicit presence of a brand. It is a self-sufficient visual concept that does not rely on logos or dense explanations to communicate its message. The response on social media was immediate, with powerful testimonials about the ability of a single image to inform and move people. This reinforces my belief in design as a vital bridge between emotion and information.
New lessons: From a conceptual standpoint, this project became an exercise in environmental literacy around preservation. On the technical side, it was a meaningful exchange in terms of execution. We built a collaborative core focused on craft and process. A key highlight was our partnership with Joules & Joules, which developed custom inks with reduced solvents and chemical components while maintaining the strict color standards of the flag. Visual excellence was further ensured by Black Madre, who refined the illustration work, and Estúdio Elástico, responsible for the technical production of the prints.
Visual influences: During the illustration process, we studied a wide range of printmakers and biology books to ensure the linework remained faithful to the anatomy of the animals and biomes. It was less about following trends and more about a technical exploration of lines that would translate well into silkscreen printing while staying true to what needed to be represented. I believe that is where the originality of the project lies, as it deliberately avoids aligning with any specific trend or reference.
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