Notpla Disappearing Packaging
A regenerative brand system for an innovator turning seaweed into packaging. I worked across identity, tone, and digital experience to help Notpla communicate with more clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Art Direction, Design, Animation, Photography
2023
The challenge
Notpla created one of the world’s most innovative materials—seaweed-based packaging that disappears naturally, leaving no trace. The products were advancing, but the brand still felt naive: unpolished, unclear, and unprepared for scale.
Its messaging was repetitive and surface-level. The visual identity lacked flexibility and credibility. Internal communication was fragmented. Externally, customers struggled to understand what made Notpla different from other ‘sustainable’ alternatives or what its products actually did.
The rebrand needed to bring structure and maturity to the brand while keeping hold of the magic that made it distinctive.
The response
The new brand system centres on a simple principle: let the product do the talking. The identity is calm, deliberate, and quietly confident—designed to amplify the innovation, not distract from it.
Visually, the system draws from the material itself: algae-inspired colours, grounded typography, and organic forms that suggest transformation. The logo evokes movement—droplets merging, states shifting from solid to gone. It needed to work across everything from textured compostable packaging to digital interfaces.
Typography was clear, modern, and human—bringing scientific credibility without becoming clinical. Photography helped ground the brand in reality. These weren’t speculative concepts—they were scaled, tested materials already in circulation. Imagery focused on tactility, context, and a sense of premium practicality.
The system
To embed the new identity, a flexible design system and creative toolkit were developed to support internal teams and scale across applications: investor decks, product launches, social, exhibitions, packaging, and merch.
One of the most visible outcomes was the new website—a full redesign that replaced an outdated theme with a purpose-built experience. It brought clarity to the growing product range and expressed the brand’s mission more intentionally. A circular nav button became a small but recognisable detail in the new interface—simple, tactile, and quietly distinct.
The tone of voice followed the same principles as the visual system—clear, precise, and considered. Working with an external writer, we defined four communication codes that guided how Notpla speaks across audiences and contexts. The result was a voice rooted in material truth: sensory, human, and free from the usual sustainability jargon.
The rebrand landed at a critical moment in Notpla’s growth—helping sharpen internal communication and shift external perception. Messaging aligned. Conversations deepened. The brand started to behave like the company it was becoming.
My role
Lead designer on the rebrand and its ongoing evolution, collaborating with an external brand strategist and a junior designer. Together, we shaped the strategy and executed the identity across every touchpoint—visual, verbal, and digital. I led the design system rollout, from logo and layouts to investor decks, campaigns, and internal tools.
Since then, I’ve continued to evolve the brand as Notpla has grown—extending my role into shaping its brand category architecture and defining how each product line is positioned and communicated. That’s meant daily collaboration with teams spanning engineering, marine biology, and even a family of worms—not the usual office setup—and partnering with a network of external creatives to bring the brand to life.
A holistic communication design role, balancing storytelling and systems, big-picture strategy and small-detail craft. The kind of brand you don’t just work on—you believe in.