wild neighbors lab
Building cities where people and wildlife belong
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Keisha Okafor, logo design & illustration
Emily Vriesman, website strategy & build
Kika Tuff, creative direction
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Brand Strategy
Logo Design
Content Strategy & Development
Creative Direction and Production
A colorful new identity for the wild side of city life
What if we stopped thinking about wildlife as something that exists somewhere else? For Dr. Kate Weiss, the animals that share our cities are not intruders or inconveniences. They’re our neighbors.
At the Wild Neighbors Lab, Kate and her team explore how urban environments shape wildlife behavior, ecology, and interactions with people, with the goal of building more sustainable relationships between humans and the animals we live alongside.
When Kate approached Impact Media Lab, she wanted a brand that captured both the scientific rigor of her research and the genuine joy she finds in studying urban wildlife. We developed a vibrant new visual identity that celebrates the unexpected richness of city ecosystems, challenges conventional ideas about where nature belongs, and invites the next generation of scientists to get curious about the wild world right outside their doors.
about the lab
Finding the wild in our own backyards
Kate’s connection to wildlife began not in remote wilderness, but in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where childhood adventures meant digging for worms, making potions out of leaves, and discovering the small wonders of her own backyard. That perspective continues to shape her research today. Rather than viewing cities as places where nature has been lost, Kate sees them as dynamic ecosystems where wildlife is constantly adapting to the world we create.
Using camera traps, behavioral ecology, and data on human-wildlife interactions, the Wild Neighbors Lab investigates how animals navigate urban landscapes, what drives conflict between people and wildlife, and how we can develop more effective approaches to coexistence. Our brand strategy grew out of this perspective, positioning the lab around a simple but powerful idea: Building cities where people and wildlife belong. The new name, Wild Neighbors Lab, captures that sense of shared space and shifts the conversation from managing unwanted animals to understanding the remarkable creatures that live alongside us.
The brand was designed to be:
Energetic
Curious
Fun
For the visual identity, we wanted to capture the energy, color, and unexpected encounters of urban life.
We created an illustrated logo that brings wildlife and city architecture together in one playful composition. A raccoon peeks out from the top of a building, a coyote emerges from the cityscape, and a suspension bridge connects a patchwork of colorful buildings. The animals are not standing apart from the city. They’re part of its very fabric.
We paired a bold palette of bubblegum pink, citrus yellow, warm orange, coral, mint, and deep blue with expressive Fraunces typography and clean, contemporary Inter. Organic shapes flow through the visual system, contrasting with the geometric architecture of the logo and creating a sense of movement and discovery.
The result is a brand that feels more like a neighborhood mural than a traditional academic identity, while remaining polished and versatile enough for scientific presentations, publications, and professional collaborations.
Project deliverables
Custom illustrated primary logo
Secondary logos and derivatives
Custom brand patterns
Color palette and typography system
Brand naming and positioning
Mission, vision, and tagline development
Branded merchandise mockups
Comprehensive brand guidelines
web design — home page
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