Climate Group
Under 2
Next Generation Budgets
Designing clarity for complex climate finance
As The Climate Group’s creative partner and brand guardian, we were tasked with bringing their latest initiative — Next Generation Budgets — to life through a visual identity that could make an inherently complex subject both clear and compelling.
Next Generation Budgets supports subnational governments in aligning public spending with climate goals through green budgeting practices — turning financial planning into a driver for climate action. The initiative provides training, technical guidance, and a community of practice for regions including Basque Country, Colorado, Emilia Romagna, Hawaii, North Rhine-Westphalia, and New York State.
Our creative challenge was to translate the intricate world of green finance and budget tagging into an accessible visual system that would engage policymakers and practitioners alike.
Building on The Climate Group’s overarching events and initiatives design framework, we developed a flexible visual identity anchored in dynamic storytelling collages. Each composition combined brand shapes, treated imagery, and illustrative icons to communicate a range of themes — from economic planning and cross-departmental collaboration to climate transparency and innovation.
Designed for scalability, the system adapts across reports, training materials, toolkits, presentations, and digital platforms, ensuring consistency while allowing space for tailored storytelling. The result is a distinctive, informative identity that gives visual voice to the idea at the heart of the project — that budgets aren’t just numbers, but one of the most powerful tools we have to build a net-zero future.
