Templo's brand identity for climate non-profit Casi draws on the pragmatic mark-making of hieroglyphics (4 minute read)
Design agency Templo created a deliberately handcrafted, human-centered brand identity for climate nonprofit Casi that rejects alarmist messaging in favor of making sustainability feel approachable.
What: Casi (Climate Action Service International) is a nonprofit helping visual arts organizations achieve sustainability goals, and Templo designed their complete brand identity including logo, illustrations, animations, and typography inspired by hobo hieroglyphics—simple chalk markings used by travelers during the Great Depression.
Why it matters: The project demonstrates how design can reframe climate action by replacing guilt-driven narratives with warm, accessible visual language that positions creative communities as climate leaders rather than followers, potentially offering lessons for other sectors trying to communicate complex issues.
Decoder
- Hobo hieroglyphics: Simple chalk symbols left by travelers during the Great Depression to communicate practical information like safe places to sleep or hostile areas
- Onion-skinning: Traditional animation technique where previous frames are visible underneath the current drawing to maintain smooth, natural movement
- Grotesk: A style of sans-serif typeface characterized by clean, geometric forms without decorative elements
Original article
Climate nonprofit Climate Action Service International partnered with design agency Templo to create a new identity that makes sustainability more approachable and creatively driven, avoiding the usual alarmist tone of climate messaging. Inspired by simple, human mark-making (like hobo hieroglyphics), the identity features handcrafted visuals, expressive animations, and a restrained typographic system, positioning the arts as an active leader in climate action rather than a passive participant.