Blue Marine Foundation & Us
Projects/
The Sea We Breathe
Immersive
Digital
Project Overview
An immersive educational experience created for Blue Marine Foundation, one of the world’s leading marine preservation charities
Date
Winter, 2021
Client
Blue Marine Foundation
Location
London, UK
The challenge
Blue Marine Foundation challenged us to create a digital experience that successfully educates people on the importance of our oceans and the solutions we can implement to mitigate climate change. The health of the ocean affects us all and for that reason, the site needed to connect with as many people as possible, from students to policymakers. The journey begins with an introduction to ocean preservation, in the form of a meditative breathing exercise. This aims to reduce tension and in-turn improve concentration and memory. The site then submerges users into 3 unique and realistic underwater worlds using interactive 3D environments and engaging user interface to create a holistic learning experience, capture data and inspire action.
The project focuses on 3 core topics; sustainable fishing, blue carbon habitats and marine protected areas
The Sea We Breathe is an immersive educational experience, which aims to raise awareness, inspire action and help in the preservation of our oceanic ecosystems. The project focuses on 3 core topics; sustainable fishing, blue carbon habitats and marine protected areas. Each topic is brought to life through an interactive underwater journey narrated by the wonderful Stephen Fry. The goal was to encapsulate the users through highly engaging multi-sensory adventures, helping to create lasting emotional connections with the information they discover.
Blue Carbon Habitats
Each journey takes you through a unique underwater environment. ‘Rainforest Of The Sea’ focuses on blue carbon habitats using the waters surrounding the Maldives as its canvas. The journeys contain an abundance of educational content weaved into cohesive narratives. There are unique interactive elements designed to engage the user as they explore each environment.
Marine Protected Areas
The second journey ‘Protecting The Underwater World’ focuses on marine protected areas in the deep blue waters of The Atlantic Ocean. It was important that the narrative inspired positive change rather than focussing on the negative issues. It was this approach that inspired the threat sections of each journey where the user plays an active role in solving the issue using their mouse gestures.
Sustainable Fishing
The final journey, ‘The Ocean’s Web Of Life’ is set in the murky water of The North Sea and focuses on sustainable fishing. Along each journey we positioned a number of interactive questions in order to measure user engagement and success of the educational content.
Technical challenges and innovations
Recreating the natural world in 3D is notoriously difficult especially with the added restrictions that come with building for the web. Performance had to be considered at all times when designing and building this experience. Lighting and textures played a huge role in the visual quality of the experience. Multiple techniques where used to achieve the final polished look and feel.
Awards &
Recognition
⮡ FWA
Site of the Day
Site of the Month
Mobile Site of the Day
⮡ CSSDA
Site of the Day
Site of the Month
Site of the Year
⮡ Awwwards
Site of the Day
⮡ Commarts
Interactive Award
⮡ Webbys
Peoples Choice