Ole Andreas Finseth and Thale Hoy-Petersen, art directors of ad agency Publicis Kitchen are re-inventing climate crisis communications with their latest rebrand of the UN logo. Holly Carter catches up with Ole and Thale to learn more about the initiation behind the campaign, and the process behind it.
Published:
15.09.2025
Writer:
Holly Carter
Since its release in 1946, the United Nations logo has been a recognisable symbol of peace and worldwide stability. Yet is the logo representative of our current predicament?
“Creativity, design, and communication [has been used] to focus on one of the world’s most important challenges,” says Ole. The open source campaign was created to highlight the severity of rising sea levels and its impact on both a global and personal scale. The campaign was distributed to multiple delegates and interest groups that attended COP28, but is accessible to anyone wanting to create awareness.
But what was the inspiration behind the campaign? Before COP28, the team researched and collated several climate reports and studies. Studying the UN’s own predications of a 2.9ºC temperature increase, Ole adds that; “their iconic logo of the world would soon be outdated. We felt this could be a powerful wake up call.” The logo was developed using ‘creativity fuelled by facts’ say Ole and Thale. Using these reports, the team was able to create a realistic example of what the world could look like in 2100, post sea-levels rising.
“Since the future of our planet should be everybody’s business, we wanted to use our expertise to find a new angle to raising awareness.”
The pair are collaborators within Publicis Norway, a collective of three leading agencies; Publicis offices are worldwide – some in areas predicted to flood – making the redesign personal. Ole and Thale wanted to highlight the severity and reality of sea-levels rising, hoping to diminish the mentality of out of sight, out of mind. “Since the future of our planet should be everybody’s business, we wanted to use our expertise to find a new angle to raising awareness” says Ole.
The brand guidelines showcase the sea, landmass and deleted landmass against the current logo. The consequences are immense, as illustrated by the removal of The Maldives, the diminished size of the Bahamas, and eradication of Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Landmass in the Netherlands is halved, highlighting Amsterdam and Rotterdam’s vulnerability, alongside the coastal inundation of Egypt, which exposes Alexandria, Damietta and Port Said. Since its release, “the job has received both international and editorial coverage and has been published both digitally and physically in large parts of the world. This ranges from environmental organisations, grassroots activists, committed designers/communicators and influential people with large followings” Ole and Thale tell us.
Find out more about The Climate Changed Logo here: https://theclimatechangedlogo.com/
