www.coralmorphologic.com

• transcendental
• environmental consciousness
• unity

The following website I have chosen is the designated page for Miami-based aquaculturists, video/sound artists, and environmentalist group Coral Morphologic. As an aspiring art-scientist with a focus on data visualization, I find their mission to be extremely inspiring to my cause and future creative endeavors. The two founders, Colin Foord and Jared McKay, moved to the sunny city in pursuit of their interests in marine biology and art/music practice. Since then, the duo has developed a growing awareness towards Miami’s unique coral and sea life which has spread out into a grander social conscience (Vice Media, BBC, Borscht Film Festival, etc). They’ve so effortlessly been able to mesh art, science, and social justice and it’s extremely reinvigorating. They grow fluorescent corals, anemones, starfish, and other ocean creatures in their laboratory and record them in their habitats to create visually stunning video/sound art. Their efforts don’t stop there either, they have also made a serious effort to save as much endangered coral that gets dredged by the government in the port where cargo and cruise ships pass by on a daily basis through renegade scuba dive rescue missions. The initial appeal of this website is of course the radical vibrancy of the moving images that compose the backgrounds of all the various clickable pages. For me, these high-resolution gifs are almost transcendental, and bring the viewer to an alien world of alluring beauty. There is almost no possible way for one’s interest not to be piqued by the fluorescence, undoubtedly beckoning the audience to continue moving along and investigating the other content and information that it has to offer.

Intent

The intention of the website is made clear through its well-thought out mission statement and inspiration page, which one arrives at by clicking their logo, a very intuitive approach to the average user's mental process when scanning a web page.

Voice

The voice of the page needs not words, but stunning visuals. The “About” and “News” sections of their website highlight the key factors in their projects and speak to a larger context about how their work can be implemented not only for the benefit of coral biodiversity, but also toward human development and infrastructure. It takes a strong, yet elegant stance on environmental justice through interdisciplinary artistic mediums.

Brand

The brand as a whole is defined by a cosmic theme of aquatic organisms and their unique symmetry, colors, and forms. Psychedelic mazes of microcosmic worlds we would often take for granted underline the key components for their brand identity, which is innovative and exploratory in nature.

Personas

The Aquarius:

An individual who has a passion for marine life and any organizations that display their activism in a fresh and progressive fashion. (Visual)

The Disciple:

Students from all walks of life that have an innate curiosity and attraction toward the subject matter and want to learn more. (Mental)

The Psychonaut:

Someone initially attracted by the kaleidoscopic and multi-faceted appeal of the videos and photographic media. (Spiritual)