Designed with Seth McFarlane
Kelp World
Branding Design • Environmental Design
Experience Design • 2021
Kelp World is an immersive climate experience. It takes place on decommissioned Oil Rig Holly off the coast of Santa Barbara, which has been renovated into a working kelp farm and kelp museum, meant to highlight the climate solution space of growing kelp. Kelp World targets two focus groups: prospective kelp farmers (commercial fisherpeople who are thinking of switching from fishing to kelp farming) and ocean advocates (people who love/recreate in the ocean and want to do their part in keeping it healthy and balanced).
We set out to create and curate an educational/recreational experience for both of these groups as well as a visual identity that reflects the benefits and possibilities behind large-scale commercial kelp farming.
Installations
The first aspect of the Kelp World experience is educating the public that this opportunity exists. Because nothing about the climate space or kelp farming is conventional, we wanted to create some advertisements that were a bit more out of the box.
These installations are of two oceanic ecosystems: one with kelp, and one without. Kelp is not only an amazing tool for humans, but it is also the foundation for healthy oceans. We imagine these tanks in busy metropolitan centers to attract our ocean advocates, and on piers/harbors to gain the attention of fisher-people.
Brand Identity
The Kelp World brand consists of a main logo/typographic system, and two separate color palettes/image styles for the different audiences. The prospective kelp farmer's color palette reflects the different colors found in kelp species, while the ocean advocate's palette is inspired by the ocean's natural beauty.
The separate palettes act as a color-coding system once at Kelp World, allowing each audience to receive complimentary merchandise upon their arrival to the rig and find others who are on the same (or opposite) trajectory. The system also includes rig employee uniforms/equipment to be visually distinctive, and creates two sub-identities underneath the larger Kelp World umbrella.
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Website
The Kelp World website is a digital archive for all this experience has to offer. On the site, a user can book tickets and learn more about the oil rig/Kelp World's mission, as well as learn more about the activities offered to their focus group.
Kelp farmers can learn more about the transition from fishing to kelp farming and explore the variety of classes, lectures, and workshops Kelp World offers.
Ocean advocates can plan out their recreational experiences while at Kelp World, from diving in the kelp forests around the rig, volunteering at the test farms along the docks, attending the current rotating exhibit, or fine-dining at the Kelp World restaurant.
The Rig
Kelp World (formerly Oil Rig Holly) is about two miles off the coast of Santa Barbara. Kelp World visitors catch the ferry and hop off on the main rig platform, where an exciting assortment of activities await them. They might run around the edges of the rig, observing the docks covered with fresh seaweed from above, or travel below to the underwater observational room.
If they're an ocean advocate, they might check out the educational exhibits to learn all the different things we can use kelp for, shop at the merch kiosk, or have a fine-dining experience at the Akua Bar and Grill, featuring a kelp dominant menu.
If they're a prospective kelp farmer, they might attend a kelp farming class, or travel out on the farming boat to learn how to repurpose their fishing equipment to harvest kelp. They can also stay on the rig for a six-week rotation and kelp farming program, earning a diploma that will aid them in starting their own kelp farm.
