Website homepage for the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Stellenbosch | Impact Media Lab
Climate Risk Lab
Attribute. Predict. Adapt.
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Lee Brennan, Brand Strategy & Identity Design. Website Design & Development.
Musonda Kabwe, Illustration and Pattern Design.
Kika Tuff, Creative Direction. Content Strategy & Development.
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Brand Strategy
Content Strategy & Development
Creative Direction and Production
Custom illustrations
Copywriting
Website Design
UX / UI / UA
Science that changes what happens next
Climate change is here, and the decisions we make today will determine who survives to tomorrow.
Yet critical gaps remain in our understanding of climate risks, particularly in the regions most vulnerable to their impacts. The Climate Risk Lab is working to change that. Their mission is to create breakthrough science, tools, and policies to protect people and nature from climate change.
Their goal is to help every community see its climate risks clearly and adapt for a better future.
Based at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and led by Dr. Christopher Trisos and Dr. Nicholas Simpson, the Climate Risk Lab brings bold thinking, rigorous science, and a Global South perspective to the forefront of climate research. From shifting malaria burdens across Africa to the survival of coral reefs, the team works to attribute climate impacts, predict when and where they will strike, and bring the best available evidence into decisions that limit the damage.
We partnered with the Climate Risk Lab to create a brand and website that reflect the urgency of this mission and the creativity behind their science. Drawing inspiration from atmospheric patterns, climate data, and the people and places most at risk, we developed a bold visual identity that challenges the conventions of climate science communication. The website brings their research, collaborations, and stories of impact together, positioning the lab as a leading voice in the science of what happens next.
Content strategy & website design for the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Stellenbosch | Impact Media Lab
about the lab
A new perspective on the science of climate risk
When Christopher Trisos founded the Climate Risk Lab in 2019, his research focused on the risks climate change posed to biodiversity. But the questions quickly grew beyond the natural world. How does extreme heat affect a child’s ability to learn and, ultimately, their lifetime earning potential? How will a changing climate reshape the sports we play, the places we live, and the cultural heritage we pass on to future generations?
Today, the lab brings together researchers across disciplines to understand how climate change touches our lives from birth to old age. What makes their approach distinctive is their ability to connect enormous datasets, sophisticated models, and evidence from across the scientific literature to answer questions with profound consequences for people and nature.
One of the lab’s most ambitious research directions is filling the missing middle in climate forecasting. While weather forecasts tell us what to expect in the coming days and climate projections describe possible futures decades from now, communities and policymakers need to know what risks they face in the coming months and years. The team is developing the science to make those predictions possible, while also investigating how climate risks compound and cascade across interconnected systems such as food, water, health, and infrastructure. Their work extends into understanding where communities are already adapting, which strategies are effective, and who benefits from them. By bringing together expertise in climate modeling, data science, AI, and policy, the Climate Risk Lab is building the evidence needed to move from understanding climate risk to acting on it.
Content strategy & website design for the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Stellenbosch | Impact Media Lab
The brand was designed to be:
CREATIVE, COLLABORATIVE, AND IMPACTFUL
The Climate Risk Lab believes that breakthrough science begins with the courage to think differently. The team values childlike wonder, embraces failure as part of discovery, and asks ambitious questions that challenge conventional thinking. Our creative challenge was to capture this spirit while conveying the credibility of a research group helping shape global climate policy. We wanted the identity to feel bold and unexpected, without diminishing the seriousness of the work.
Building on the lab’s existing hourglass logo, we developed a visual language inspired by the science itself. Atmospheric circulation, weather maps, and the flowing contours of climate data informed a system of dynamic graphic patterns. These elements evoke the movement and complexity of Earth’s climate systems while giving the identity a distinctive rhythm. Rather than relying on familiar imagery of melting glaciers and smokestacks, we drew on the visual language of climate research to create a brand that feels as intellectually curious as the team behind it.
The Climate Risk Lab was founded as a collective, with a name and identity deliberately bigger than any individual scientist.
Its collaborative culture and African roots called for a brand that felt confident on the global stage without looking like another international climate institution. Electric chartreuse, vivid greens, and warm oranges and reds bring energy to the identity. Expressive Syne headlines introduce an unconventional creative edge, while clean Inter typography gives the science room to speak for itself.
The website translates this visual identity into a platform built around impact. We paired abstract, data-inspired graphics with imagery of people, wildlife, and landscapes to make the consequences of climate change tangible. The site’s architecture gives equal importance to the lab’s scientific discoveries and their real-world applications, with dedicated spaces for research, publications, impact stories, and reports.
Together, these choices create a digital home that communicates the lab’s scientific leadership, celebrates the collective behind its discoveries, and makes its work accessible to the people who can put it into action.
Project deliverables
Brand discovery and strategy
Brand naming and positioning
Mission, vision, and tagline development
Custom illustrated brand marks
Color palette and typography system
Custom graphic elements and brand patterns
Brand guidelines
Website strategy and sitemap
Website copywriting and content development
Custom website design and development
Scientific illustration
Branded merchandise and collateral
Color palette for the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Stellenbosch | Impact Media Lab
Typography design for the Climate Risk Lab at the University of Stellenbosch | Impact Media Lab
web design — home page
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