Uluu is a burgeoning startup with a potentially game-changing offering, climate-positive plastic made from seaweed. Unlike plant-based alternatives and other seaweed competitors, Uluu’s unique fermentation process uses saltwater microbes to create the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) polymer compound which can be spun into all kinds of plastics. Not only is it biodegradable and compostable (in certain conditions), it does not rely on freshwater. With such an awe-inspiring and planet-critical invention, they needed a new brand to match.

Uluu’s fermentation process is unique in its use of saltwater microbes and seawater to produce its climate-positive PHA polymer. We leveraged this distinctive feature as the cornerstone of their new identity, drawing inspiration from the depths of the ocean and the movement of the seaweed crops, underpinned by the concept of a ripple effect — a small but significant action causing change which grows over time.

Some of Uluu’s first applications will be for adventure and swimwear brands, where nylon and polyester are in common usage. So our logo needed to be highly scalable so that it could be embossed at small scale, while also nodding to Uluu’s origins in the ocean. The result also played on the repetitive letterforms to emulate the fluidity of ripples and the surface of water. Like the ocean, this logo is instantly distinguishable even at a tiny scale.

In its most basic product form, Uluu’s PHA matter is a striking pink colour following its saltwater fermentation process. The more pink the polymers are, the healthier they are. Using Uluu Pink as the central brand colour, we created a colour palette that is a spectrum of gradients which are dynamic and interchangeable — green for the environment and blue for the ocean, pink for the scientific and technological processes — to ensure flexibility while maximising distinctiveness in a growing market.

The line graphics tie the identity together, emulating the movement of seaweed in the water as the tide rises and falls. They are unpredictable and constantly in motion, not only mimicking the physical world but also the cultural movement that Uluu products will play a role in — moving towards a climate-positive future.