The Climate Impact Lab is an unprecedented collaboration of climate scientists, economists, and data engineers from the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, Rutgers University, and Rhodium Group. To launch the new initiative and support the release of its first major research project, they asked Constructive to develop its brand, website, and a big-data tool that empirically demonstrates precisely how climate change increases global poverty and inequality.
While our digital team got started, our designers collaborated with The Lab to set a visual tone for the brand that would differentiate it from the many others in the climate research space. After iterating on concepts, we created an energized logo that reflects their focus on synthesizing global climate data into big-picture insights. The supporting identity design system is both emotional and functional, with a contemporary color system that attracts attention and also supports the functional demands of complex data visualizations. Streamlined typography that’s ideal for data-heavy research content completes the system, presenting a brand that delivers objective insights to expert audiences with ease.
The Climate Impact Lab’s website needed to be equal parts marketing presence, scientific resource, and big data tool. It also needed to tell the organization’s story and show how the Lab’s work with its partners connects to the global issues they aim to address. We developed a content strategy and site architecture that deepen understanding of The Lab’s mission and methodology, provide overviews of key topics, elevate important research, and facilitate objective exploration.
Digital design strategy emphasized a structured and engaging brand experience that resonates with expert audiences, who are comfortable with in-depth exploration of long-form content and data. We created a high-polish aesthetic that avoids unnecessary ornamentation, placing the focus clearly on the content. A responsive grid with structured page layouts provides content with breathing room and incorporates editorial design elements and calls-to-action that direct audiences’ attention. And the brand’s typography and vibrant color system stand out, distinguishing the Climate Impact Lab as a different type of player in the field of climate and economic research.
The Climate Impact Lab’s website unites deep issue area expertise, research publications, and a powerful data visualization tool to deliver a brand experience that’s engaging, informative, and useful.
The signature feature of the Climate Impact Lab’s website is its first-of-its-kind Climate Impact Map—a data visualization tool that displays historic and projected temperatures across multiple timeframes and scenarios. We collaborated with the Lab’s data science team to explore ways to effectively present their global data generated in a statistics engine built on The R Project and Python. Using D3, Mapshaper, and TopoJSON, the end product is a map that empowers audiences to visually explore the Lab’s landmark research on climate change and economic impact through various lenses and time scales.
Analyzing data demands being able to distinguish between nuanced differences—especially the type of high-resolution, granular data that the Climate Impact Lab generates. With nearly 5% of the world’s population (and almost 8% of men) having some form of color vision deficiency, we made sure that the Lab’s research was accessible to everyone, testing and refining the brand’s color to ensure that visualizations such as pattern-driven choropleth maps are accessible to audiences with any of the eight major types of color blindness.
“Constructive is a great partner, both as our branding and website design agency and in working with us on complex data visualization projects. Their willingness to dive deep into the content and context of our work stands out—and it shows in the effectiveness of their work.”
Trevor Houser, Co-Director, Climate Impact Lab
