Most sustainability brands read as either preachy or corporate, but Zero Waste Cities got an identity that's neither.
“Making circularity look like something more than a recycling symbol.”
- Scope of Work
- Brand IdentityStationery DesignVisual System
- Focus
- SustainabilityZero Waste Urban Models
- Role
- Brand Identity Designer
- Year
- 2019
The Setup
Zero Waste Cities needed an identity for a genuinely technical mission: decentralized, community-based zero-waste management across municipal regions. That's a hard brief. Stay credible to scientists and policymakers while staying legible and warm to the public.
The Ask
Build a brand identity system that balances scientific credibility with public approachability, and carry that balance across civic touchpoints, print, and motion.
The Move
- Centered the design framework on cyclical geometry and earthy, vibrant tones paired with clean typography, so circularity showed up visually, not just conceptually.
- Conceptualized all collateral and stationery with sustainable production standards in mind, so the material choices backed up the message instead of contradicting it.
- Designed animated marks and motion loops illustrating the cyclical nature of municipal waste transformation, extending the identity into digital and presentation contexts.
The Numbers
A complete brand identity system spanning stationery, iconography, and animated marks
A visual language built to hold up in both a policy setting and a public-facing flyer, the actual test for a dual-audience brief like this
The Bigger Picture
Environmental brands lose credibility fast when they read like either a lecture or a logo exercise. This one had to do both jobs at once, and keep a straight face doing it.
“Got a mission-driven brand that needs to be taken seriously and still feel human? Let's find that balance.”