Aruba has long been a popular destination for holidaymakers, with three quarters of its national income coming from tourism. What the Caribbean island is less well known for is its rich biodiversity, which is increasingly coming under threat.

Previously known as the Aruba National Park Foundation, the charity is responsible for protecting almost a quarter of the island’s natural habitat. This includes caves, wetlands, mangroves, dunes, and the flora and fauna that inhabit these protected sites.

The decision to rename it as the Aruba Conservation Foundation signalled a shift in focus from what many believed was a park management organisation to a true conservation charity, and set the stage for a wider transformation of the brand’s visual and verbal identity.

How&How positioned the charity as Aruba’s ‘Voice of Nature’, focusing less on promoting tourism and more on reminding locals of their ties with the land in order to help protect the island’s ecosystems.

The new logo combines the shapes of waves, cacti and people, symbolising the charity’s key message of collective action for the environment. The vibrant colour palette represents the island’s main geographical features: lilac for the wetlands, lemon for the wilderness, cyan for the ocean, and orange for the dunes.

A series of illustrations depict endangered animals and plants that are unique to Aruba, such as the Aruban whiptail lizard, Aruba rattlesnake, Aruban brown-throated parakeet, and Aruban burrowing owl. The owl, also known as Shoco, is a national symbol of Aruba but there are only 300 of them left in the wild.

The modular illustration system was inspired by the ornamentation on traditional Aruban houses, with the visuals of different plants and animals able to ‘grow’ to fit whatever size of layout they need.

The rebrand is rolling out across the charity’s website, social media, maps, staff uniform, and signage around the nature reserve. The organisation hopes the new branding will encourage locals to get involved with guided hikes, corporate events and outdoor educational programmes.

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