Developing our Visual Identity

From the outset we recognised that how the Multispecies Mutualisms project looks and feels would play an important role in how it is understood, shared, and engaged with, particularly by audiences beyond academia.

In the early days of the project we worked together to explore what the project represents, who it is for, and how it should be communicated. We shared ideas about tone, style, and imagery, aiming to strike a balance between clarity, accessibility, and creativity. With the core project team based at The University of Sheffield, we were keen to work with partners from the local community to give the project a distinctive Sheffield look and feel.  

Once we established this, we began our search for partners. Pretty early on we identified Sheffield based illustrator Lisa O’Hara’s work as that which aligned. Lisa understood the brief straight away and really got the nuances of the project. Preliminary sketches were shared with the team and following some minor tweaks, Lisa came up with the finalised designs. Combining the project team’s brief and insights, Lisa’s creative interpretation and expertise has resulted in developing a visual identity that is both distinctive and grounded in the values of the project.

Alongside this, we worked closely with Anna, Paul, Simon and Rob at Sheffield based Ink and Water who helped to translate and showcase our research. They designed the website, including animating Lisa’s illustrations, creating a visually engaging experience while ensuring the overall look and feel remained cohesive and accessible.

Thank you so much to Lisa and everyone at Ink and Water!