Need to Know
22 : 08 : 22

US – Decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO) platform Metaphor is ditching the dark and moody visuals that dominate the Web3 space to create a more approachable aesthetic. The goal of the platform, which makes it easier to ‘discover, join and participate in DAOs’, is to empower users to enter the Web3 eco-system.

The rebranding uses nostalgic visuals and retro images to make the cutting-edge technology feel more familiar. Designed by creative branding agency Wildish & Co, the visual identity uses images from the public domain to create over 200 background options and 1,000 avatars that can be combined to create various scenes. The studio also applied a 1950s filter over the images to ‘encourage people to be excited about Web3 in a similar way to how people were excited about technology during that period’, explains Sam Fresco, managing director of Wildish & Co.

While DAOs represent the bleeding edge of Alternet Economies, that doesn’t mean that their aesthetics need to be off-putting to the everyday consumer. To help onboard new users, Metaphor is injecting its platform with familiar images and nostalgic visuals.

Portugal – Jardim Sonoro, one of Europe’s leading electronic music festivals, is getting an artistic rebranding courtesy of artificial intelligence (AI). Marketing agency Dentsu Creative is using Mid Journey – a visual AI platform that creates images using keywords submitted by users – to create promotional materials for the festival.

The three-day festival, which combines music, travel and culture, is designed to arouse the senses. To capture the sensorial thrill of attending the event, the agency used Mid Journey to create abstract compositions that combine music with nature. The computer-generated images combine photographs of performers attending the festival, such as Todd Terje, Jeff Mills and Jan Blomqvist, with birds, butterflies, leaves and trees.

This is not the first example of an AI-generated advertisement. Rémy Martin recently used AI technology to create a compelling campaign starring the musician Usher. As open-source AI technology gains popularity, it will add another marketing tool to the arsenal of creative agencies and branding businesses.

As fears over the climate emergency continue to ramp up around the world, the reality of the situation is now setting in. Some 58% of consumers globally agree that seeing extreme weather events in the country they live in encourages them to personally do more to protect the planet, according to the 2022 Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer.

While awareness of the impending crisis has been steadily growing for years, the increasing regularity of extreme weather events such as flooding, wildfires and heatwaves can no longer be ignored. But taking action does come with positive sentiments, as 68% say that doing things to help the environment makes them feel happy.

As the urgency about the climate crisis continues to build and its effects are felt, consumers are increasingly looking for ways they can make a difference. Look to the Climate Newsrooms monitoring the rapidly changing situation and be a part of positive solutions.