Shearwater
Seismic thinking
Modernizing a geoscience leader for a sustainable new era
Challenge
Discovering the truth about the ocean’s unknowns. Developing razor-sharp technology. Building a growing global team, both onshore and at sea. Charting the subsurface when everyone else is staying onshore. Shearwater is a global provider of geophysical marine technology and processing services. Having grown to establish a leadership position in a seismic industry in the last eight years, the brand lacked a contemporary and distinctive identity. We were tasked with creating a brand for a highly-skilled and educated audience that projects clarity and allows Shearwater to evolve into a new era.
Insight
Robust qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed that customers and stakeholders wanted to understand Shearwater’s vision for the future and how the business would shape the landscape beyond oil and gas. At the organization’s core, we uncovered the scientific quest for knowledge—a drive to discover, invent stronger tools and deliver facts that push the business and world of geoscience forward. An intent to build long-term, consultative partnerships with clients that focus more on technology and less on seafaring, with disruption at the core.
Answer
We worked with the Shearwater team to develop a purpose-led brand platform that centered on their quest to uncover unknowns, contribute to energy security, and aid in the responsible use of the planet’s resources, injecting disruptive and tech-focused energy as we went. This came to life through a brand identity concept—Seismic thinking. The approach was devised to convey confidence and help Shearwater lead the way in the industry into fresh and open water.
The logo
The bold new wordmark signifies focus, direction, and an ocean-anchored brand.
At its core is a concealed Shearwater bird in its signature dive, nodding to the
brand’s history and offering a moment of discovery for individuals.
The tone of voice
The tone of voice is shaped by the newly defined Open, Fresh and First brand principles.
Headlines and copy playfully and confidently convey Shearwater’s disruptive attitude,
highlighting client solutions and benefits. It connects with knowledgeable and scientific
audiences who see language as an opportunity to discover more.
The visual identity
Guided by the brand’s active essence, the visual identity brings the brand to life with
a palette of bold purples and lively accents, a confident and impactful typeface that fills
the space, and unfiltered photography that captures the raw, seismic nature of the business.
A unique 71% rule, inspired by Earth’s water coverage (reflecting Shearwater’s reach),
guarantees the ideal brand proportion in every application. Each application sparks discovery,
revealing more with engagement.
The brand ecosystem
In partnership with the client, beyond the core elements, work focused on enhancing
Shearwater’s brand presence across many interactions. Specifically, strategic and creative
direction was provided for the refreshed website, and a full communications strategy was
developed to move the corporate story forward with conviction. These projects have helped
create the foundations for a brand world that our client can leverage and extend further in the future.
