American Carbon Registry was the first private voluntary greenhouse-gas registry in the world, issuing carbon offsets according to a rigorous standard and registering them, effectively creating tradable financial assets. ACR is a subsidiary of Winrock International, a nonprofit named for Winthrop Rockefeller with a mission to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment.
Projects
Rebranding a Carbon-Offsets Pioneer
Sector
Earth justiceOffer
Brand expressionClient
American Carbon Registry
Our approach
Design question
The problem? ACR’s name is more or less 'carbon registry,' but the organization wanted to formally step into the climate-finance space, which often has nothing to do with carbon. It also implied a very limited regionality with the word 'American,' which didn’t align with the organization’s international work and global influence.
Design response
Climate finance reaches much further—into areas like water resources, reforestation, wildlife habitat restoration, extreme weather events, and a slew of other environmental preservation issues that aren't strictly 'American' nor directly related to carbon. It was time for a brand rethink, conducted in two consecutive scopes: brand strategy including renaming, followed by verbal and visual identity.
