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Grounded Climate
Solutions Summit

Service
Visual Identity, Branding
Client
Grounded
Agency
Pocket Made
Technology
Figma, Photoshop, WordPress

Overview

When Grounded approached us, the challenge was larger than design it was emotional. We needed to transform environmental hopelessness into empowerment. Our goal: to create an immersive digital hub that would bring together scientists, innovators, and environmentalists working toward climate solutions turning urgency into community. Built entirely on WordPress, the site became an editorial-style experience showcasing global initiatives, educational resources, and live webinar events all unified by one consistent mission: amplify climate solutionists.

The Challenge

Climate stories often carry heavy tones of despair. We wanted to change that. The experience needed to balance emotional weight with a sense of optimism visually translating resilience, nature, and collaboration.

We asked: “How can digital design inspire action rather than overwhelm?”

Objectives:

  • Design a storytelling driven experience that highlights climate emergencies and hope based solutions.
  • Build a seamless digital stage for webinars, online discussions, and summit events.
  • Develop a flexible CMS architecture to allow the Grounded team to update and expand easily post-launch.

Design & Experience Strategy

The design direction centered around immersion through atmosphere blending stark Arctic textures, ethereal photography, and calm typography to create a sense of grounded serenity and global scale.

Visual Language

  • Photography Direction: Each image from polar bears to forests was curated and composited in Photoshop to symbolize endurance and renewal.
  • Color Palette: A fusion of icy neutrals, misty greens, and calm blues echoed the Earth’s fragile ecosystems.
  • Typography: Minimalist, open sans-serif typefaces balanced readability with elegance.
  • UI Elements: Transparent layers, parallax fades, and slow scroll animations evoked depth and stillness.

UX System

  • Story Modules: Modular components were designed to highlight research, solutionist spotlights, and event announcements.
  • Live Countdown + Event Integration: A custom WordPress module handled live-event countdowns, encouraging participation.
  • Interactive Navigation: Clean hierarchy and consistent iconography guided users through complex topics with calm pacing.

Development Approach

We handled all front-end development directly in WordPress, optimizing for responsiveness and loading performance while retaining cinematic motion. Components were modularized for future scalability ensuring Grounded’s content team could evolve the site beyond its initial campaign lifecycle.

Outcome

The site became a central hub for climate education and activism, uniting thought leaders and organizations under one clear message: change is possible when grounded in action.

Highlights:

  • 300% increase in webinar registrations within the first quarter.
  • 10x content engagement compared to their previous site.
  • Recognized by environmental communities for design clarity and emotional tone.

Reflection

This project reminded us that design is an emotional bridge one that connects urgency with possibility. Every color, image, and transition was built to inspire focus, not fear.​

We weren’t just designing for awareness, we were designing for action.

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