Grassroots, environmental charity Natural Habitat rebrands to connect more people to nature

The new brand identity by WMH&I will support the Suffolk-based charity’s ambition to engage more communities in learning about conservation, protection of the environment and sustainable land-use.

Award-winning branding agency WMH&I has unveiled a new brand identity for Natural Habitat, an environmental education charity that connects communities through nature and sustainable land-use while supporting conservation and biodiversity.

Founded in 2023 to bridge the growing divide between land and people, Natural Habitat works with local farms, experts, schools, diverse organisations and local communities. Despite their incredible grassroots work, Natural Habitat found that succinctly communicating their core purpose was a challenge, which impacted engagement with broader audiences and limited fundraising.

Inspired by a quote from Sir David Attenborough: “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they’ve never experienced” WMH&I’s refreshed visual identity and language highlights the close connection between humans and land.

The new logo perfectly expresses this symbiotic connection by blending the most personal form of human identity, a fingerprint, with land contours as seen on a map. Each Natural Habitat location has its own bespoke version of the logo, influenced by local topography. The new identity threads through every brand touchpoint, from educational trails and school workshops to signage, apparel and biodiversity installations.

Crucially, the brand is designed to do good, not just say it. Branded elements double as functional interventions: bee hotels, habitats for wildlife, learning trails and tools that encourage collective action.

For the overarching visual language, WMH&I developed a flexible grid system inspired by topographical mapping. Creating structure for storytelling across both physical and digital environments, the branding is balanced by the primary typeface, Bricolage, chosen for its warmth and accessibility.

The colour palette draws directly from the changing seasons: fresh spring greens, vibrant summer blooms, earthy autumn rusts and crisp winter tones. While still grounded in nature, the result visually stands apart from the often muted aesthetics of the environmental sector.

Alongside the visual identity, WMH&I helped Natural Habitat articulate their purpose with humanity and emotion. “Bringing Land and People Together” avoids abstract or overused language around climate change and biodiversity, based around the macro trend of The Great Disconnect.

The phrase captures a shared experience of communities who lose access to land due to ownership structures, inequality and marginalisation and others who succumb to a more modern way of life that increasingly pulls people indoors and away from nature. By reframing the challenge in relatable terms to a broader audience, Natural Habitat’s mission becomes relatable, personal and actionable.

Carrie Phoenix, Founder and Executive Director, Natural Habitat said: “Our new identity has given us the emotional clarity we previously lacked, transforming us from a charity into a living ecosystem that people instinctively understand and want to be part of. Since our soft launch, we have seen  stronger engagement, and improved fundraising and we will continue to scale our activity and broaden our partnerships.”

Mark Nichols, Creative Director at WMH&I, said: “Our goal was to help Natural Habitat unlock the emotional power of its purpose and create a platform that would grow, adapt and regenerate over time. By creating an identity that more clearly represents the connection between land and people, the brand now plays an active part within community engagement and driving sustainable action.”

Source: WMH&I

  Brand Identity, Branding, charity, Natural Habitat, Rebrand, Visual Identity, WMH&I