Little Sun
A visual communication project for designing calls-to-action for a social cause
PROJECT TYPE
TIME FRAME
DESIGN BRIEF
INTEREST & SKILLS
Visual Communication
4 Weeks
This illustrative project challenged designers to research a not-for-profit's story, mission, and origins, then create a series of social media tiles that communicate its purpose and inspire action aligned with its cause.
The chosen not-for-profit was Little Sun, based in Berlin, Germany. The organisation also maintains offices in New York, Addis Ababa, and Lusaka, reflecting its global operations and partnerships
Visual Communication, Playful Design, Design for Social Impact
Adobe Creative Suite, Market Research, Branding
MY ROLE
This was an individual project.
Little Sun
A visual communication project for designing calls-to-action for a social cause
PROJECT TYPE
TIME FRAME
DESIGN BRIEF
INTEREST & SKILLS
Visual Communication
4 Weeks
This illustrative project challenged designers to research a not-for-profit's story, mission, and origins, then create a series of social media tiles that communicate its purpose and inspire action aligned with its cause.
The chosen not-for-profit was Little Sun, based in Berlin, Germany. The organisation also maintains offices in New York, Addis Ababa, and Lusaka, reflecting its global operations and partnerships
Visual Communication, Playful Design, Design for Social Impact
Adobe Creative Suite, Market Research, Branding
MY ROLE
This was an individual project.
Little Sun
A visual communication project for designing calls-to-action for a social cause
PROJECT TYPE
TIME FRAME
DESIGN BRIEF
INTEREST & SKILLS
Visual Communication
4 Weeks
This illustrative project challenged designers to research a not-for-profit's story, mission, and origins, then create a series of social media tiles that communicate its purpose and inspire action aligned with its cause.
The chosen not-for-profit was Little Sun, based in Berlin, Germany. The organisation also maintains offices in New York, Addis Ababa, and Lusaka, reflecting its global operations and partnerships
Visual Communication, Playful Design, Design for Social Impact
Adobe Creative Suite, Market Research, Branding
MY ROLE
This was an individual project.
A marriage of art and science, Little Sun was founded in 2012 by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen. Their collaboration produced the Little Sun lamp—a small, portable, solar light—that was first distributed to people living without electricity in Ethiopia.
The lamp is a practical tool that enables students to study after dark, mothers to take better care of their children at night, and families to reduce the effects of toxic fumes from fuel. The lamp became an icon of the renewable energy future that is critical to humanity and the natural world.
Mission
To design and deliver affordable clean energy solutions and inspire people to take climate action
To design and deliver affordable clean energy solutions and inspire people to take climate action
Vision
Universal access to clean energy
Universal access to clean energy
A marriage of art and science, Little Sun was founded in 2012 by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen. Their collaboration produced the Little Sun lamp—a small, portable, solar light—that was first distributed to people living without electricity in Ethiopia.
The lamp is a practical tool that enables students to study after dark, mothers to take better care of their children at night, and families to reduce the effects of toxic fumes from fuel. The lamp became an icon of the renewable energy future that is critical to humanity and the natural world.
The Idea
Studying Little Sun's Instagram page, they were open to variety of colour, and a mix of graphics and live-action content. They primarily used sans serif fonts, and have graphic assets that were rounded and soft on edges. They strived for friendliness, playfulness and directness.
The first few intents were clear. I wanted to:
Create a set of 4 tiles that are connected on Instagram's carousel
Have a subtle connection between all 4 tiles when a user swiped - whether it was using a word, symbol, image or graphic
Retain their brand of friendliness, playfulness and directness
Ensure graphics and typography are consistent
Educate and prompt call-to-action
Offer a nugget of information for users to remember
Encourage them to contribute to the cause
Screenshot of early sketches and final illustrations on Adobe Illustrator
Screenshot of early sketches and final illustrations on Adobe Illustrator
Screenshot of early sketches and final illustrations on Adobe Illustrator
A 'hook' tile
Speaks of how we are all connected as human beings, and that we live under the same power of the Sun
Hints at Little Sun's initiative of harnessing solar energy
Hashtag used as potential marketing campaign for engagement
Design
Graphics are skeletal for upcoming tiles
Hints at the idea of generating energy and having it 'in our hands'
Warm colour palette synonymous with the Sun
Blue line as the connection with all tiles - used to signify life
A 'nugget' tile
Short information on the current state of energy access
Speaks of the impact on this inaccessibility
Design
Light bulb as the main graphic using Gestalt principles
Rhetorical question to prompt users to learn more
An 'origin' tile
Summary of how the organisation started
Speaks of the importance of connection, bridging and executing ideas
Expresses what the founders cared about
Design
The sun and the sea to evoke sentimentality
Text centred to mirror the first tile
Warm colour palette synonymous to the sun and ocean
An 'impact' tile
Summary of the social impact of the organisation
Prompts users to join the cause
Design
Little Sun lamp in a hand of a child to symbolise empowerment
Emphasises the blue line as the connection to all tiles - used to signify life
Text top right to as a reflection to the second tile
A 'hook' tile
Speaks of how we are all connected as human beings, and that we live under the same power of the Sun
Hints at Little Sun's initiative of harnessing solar energy
Hashtag used as potential marketing campaign for engagement
Design
Graphics are skeletal for upcoming tiles
Hints at the idea of generating energy and having it 'in our hands'
Warm colour palette synonymous with the Sun
Blue line as the connection with all tiles - used to signify life
A 'nugget' tile
Short information on the current state of energy access
Speaks of the impact on this inaccessibility
Design
Light bulb as the main graphic using Gestalt principles
Rhetorical question to prompt users to learn more
An 'origin' tile
Summary of how the organisation started
Speaks of the importance of connection, bridging and executing ideas
Expresses what the founders cared about
Design
The sun and the sea to evoke sentimentality
Text centred to mirror the first tile
Warm colour palette synonymous to the sun and ocean
An 'impact' tile
Summary of the social impact of the organisation
Prompts users to join the cause
Design
Little Sun lamp in a hand of a child to symbolise empowerment
Emphasises the blue line as the connection to all tiles - used to signify life
Text top right to as a reflection to the second tile