Insight: When popular culture talks science, it nearly always holds space science as the holy grail. Children’s ultimate job? Astronaut. Exciting new announcement? A new planet discovery, a probe has made it further than ever before, or even seeing into a black hole. Conversations about sustainability and the environment are even moving into outer space, as mining for profit and space debris start to take centre stage. As an infinite concept, feeling so far beyond our reach, it’s not hard to understand why people look to the stars rather than their own planet.

 

But this leaves sciences here on Earth with a serious image problem. Ocean science in particular is hugely affected. The image problem has resulted in a chronic lack of support and funding for ocean science for decades - it has been completely overshadowed by space science.

 

This, in spite of the fact, that ocean science offers opportunities as abundant as space science. With the opportunity to not only go to places never previously reached by another human, but also to directly affect the future of life on our planet.

 

The start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021- 2030) is the perfect opportunity to change the image of Ocean Science both in the here and now, and the future.

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Brief: Design a poster for the Decade of Ocean Science that will, not only create greater support for ocean science, but help inspire a new generation of scientists. Help people discover that ocean science has so much to offer, and can enable adventures just as thrilling, if not more so, than space. You need to challenge people’s perceptions of what ocean science is, and can be, to help the subject become one of excitement and intrigue that offers infinite opportunities for all involved.

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The key message we need the poster to visually communicate is: Support ocean science – it’s still the greatest adventure on planet Earth. • It’s exploring the source of life on our planet (the ocean) • Using cutting edge technology • Uncovering solutions that could save the world The ocean is at a tipping point due to the combined impacts of climate change, pollution and overfishing. It is vital that we create support for ocean science as it is needed, to better understand the ocean crisis, as well as find ways to ensure the ocean can continue to retain its ability to sustain life on the planet.

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Target: Young socially aware adults around the world embarking on their higher-level education journey, deciding what subjects and career paths they want to pursue (roughly ages 17-21). By appealing to this highly discerning audience, we can also generate appeal from other audiences such as government decision makers and philanthropists, influenced by the interest of young adults. The audience may know hardly anything about ocean science or the crisis facing the ocean – but like almost all of us, they will have a natural interest in the ocean.

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Medium: 

• poster must use a retro illustrative style

• must show inspirational ocean science in action

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Client: The Ocean Agency in partnership with D&AD and HP