Tension: Shedd Aquarium is one of Chicago's most beloved institutions — but love alone doesn't build a movement. The aquarium was in the middle of a historic $500M transformation, repositioning from a place you visit to a conservation organization you belong to. The challenge: most people experience aquariums as entertainment, not as a stake in the future of aquatic life. Shedd needed a brand platform to expand awareness, redefine the relationship between humans and water, and make that reframe feel urgent, emotional, and real.
How I looked at it: The brief wasn't a campaign brief — it was a brand architecture question. I started with the cultural tension: rising urban life and digital saturation were steadily diminishing people's emotional proximity to nature, while freshwater ecosystems remained invisible despite being fundamental to life. That gap — between how much water matters and how little people feel connected to it — was the real territory. I also looked at what made Shedd genuinely different from category competitors: not just the animals, but the web of scientists, caregivers, educators, and community members who dedicate their lives to aquatic life. The platform needed to make that web visible and make people feel they could be part of it.
What I found: The more artificial the world becomes, the more invaluable the natural becomes. And the most powerful thing Shedd can do is remind people that they are not separate from aquatic life — they are part of it. Waterkind and humankind are the same story.
What I made from it: The insight produced a brand platform — "For Love of Waterkind" — built around a new word: Waterkind. Coining that term was the strategic move. It created kinship where there was previously distance, positioning aquatic life not as something to observe but as a kind of life that shares the world with us. The platform was structured across four dimensions — a philosophy, an invitation, a community, and a call to action — giving it the range to work from brand film to fundraising to community programming.
What happened: Shedd adopted "For Love of Waterkind" as its unifying brand platform, launching it publicly in early 2026 with a brand film and full platform rollout — anchoring conservation science, animal care, environmental education, and community outreach under one idea. The platform is now live across Shedd's brand identity, membership communications, and fundraising. It represents a genuine category repositioning: from aquarium to aquatic life movement.
Role: Associate Strategy Director
