Case study · 01 / 12
Abyssal
Client
Aquarium of Lisbon
Year
2026
Scope
Identity, wayfinding, web
Team
5 people, 7 months
(The brief)
A 30-year-old aquarium with a 1990s logo and a visitor map nobody could read in the dark.
The Aquarium of Lisbon asked us to modernise without losing the wonder that made generations of kids press their faces to the glass. We spent two weeks there before we drew a single line: watching how people moved, where they got lost, and which tanks made them go quiet.
(The idea)
A logo that sinks. As you go deeper in, the type gets heavier.
We built a custom variable typeface with a depth axis. Signs near the surface tanks are light and airy. By the abyssal zone they are dense and dark. The same axis drives the website, which gets heavier as you scroll.
Trench
Midwater
Shallows
Bioluminescence
Sand
Details
Scroll →
Shoot day, signage
Gift shop prints
Map texture
Tote bags
Tunnel wall graphic
Late opening night
34%
More visitors, year one
61%
Fewer "where's the exit?"
3
Design awards
1
Very happy octopus
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