Northern Current Initiative
Northern Current Initiative is a brand identity concept created for an imagined Canadian research organization focused on environmental resilience and climate adaptation. Developed as part of Universe Design Studio’s Studio Concepts series, this project explores how thoughtful brand design, illustration, and infographic work can make complex environmental research feel approachable, human, and easy to engage with — without losing scientific credibility.
Tasks
Branding, infographic design
Industry
Research department/initiative
The Brand Vision
Research-focused organizations often default to visual identities that feel clinical, dense, or overly formal — even when their work is urgent, hopeful, and deeply human. For Northern Current Initiative, the goal was to flip that expectation.
The brand identity was designed to feel a little more fun and casual than a typical research institute, while still signaling credibility and depth. A flexible illustrative icon system anchors the visual identity, giving the brand a consistent but adaptable “voice” across formats — from reports and presentation decks to social media graphics and signage. Each icon was built to work independently or as part of a larger set, so the identity can grow and flex as the initiative’s communications needs change.
This kind of illustrative, icon-driven approach is especially well suited to research and environmental branding, where visual storytelling can help translate technical or scientific concepts into something a broader public audience can connect with emotionally.
Studio Concepts is a collection of original branding explorations created to experiment with typography, colour, illustration, and visual identity systems. Each concept is built as if it were a real organization, allowing ideas to evolve freely while showcasing different approaches to branding, storytelling, and visual communication.
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