The brief was to design the brand identity and guidelines for a conceptual oil company. The need for an animal element within the logo marque was also stated within the brief. Times are changing with a new generation of young people who care a lot more about the environment and other social issues. With this in mind, Bluepod believes that oil companies need a change in vision and perspective. I decided to create an oil company with the environment and communities at the core of their values. “Blue” represents our love for the sea and its inhabitants and “pod”, being the term for a pack of dolphins, connotes our friendly, community values. The three dolphins moving in the same direction also reinforces these values. I also believed it was important for the company to be a non-profit organisation and to instead invest their profits back into helping sea life.

My vision behind Bluepod was ultimately to cater towards a younger, more environmentally aware audience with the hopes that if these consumers accept and welcome Bluepod as one of them, then so will our clients; the businesses that rely on these types of consumers for profit. Bluepod’s brand identity disrupts the stigma behind oil companies being corporate-run, dull and killing the environment. The typeface was carefully considered for it’s inviting and friendly aesthetic that is enforced by it’s rounded edges and tall cap-height. The logo purposely uses dolphins as part of the logo to take responsibility and serve as a reminder for previous devastations that were due to the oil industry. The brand’s blue evoke emotions of peace and harmony and reinforces our love for the sea and its inhabitants. Bluepod’s brand is more ambitious than that of an oil company. It sees itself as the start of a movement/lifestyle that embraces sea-living.

As for the brand’s touchpoints, imagery was an important asset of communicating what a sea-living community looks like. Images were mostly photographed by me with the exception of a few stock images from the Pexels website (These were the surfboard image and an image of a lady walking a dog). All images are used to communicate the natural beauty of the sea and to show how we can enjoy the sea, sea-life, and beaches on a daily basis. These efforts are made in order to allow viewers to feel a personal connection with the sea and empathise with our mission. A hopeful goal is to change the perspectives of people who use less environmentally aware companies and brands.

Brand guidelines were also a big part of the project. I identified specific rules for the visual language that is to be used across Bluepod’s branding and touchpoints. These guidelines were put in place to ensure that Bluepod’s values, mission, and messages are clear and cohesive across all media.