Freetree logo and identity by How&How

Only some people are passionate about climate change, but who doesn’t love the appearance and experience of nature? We all shop. We all consume. So why not give buyers a fuzzy feeling inside in the knowledge their purchases are leading to more fuzziness outside?

This was the premise behind our rebrand of Freetree — a neat browser extension (currently in beta mode) that works alongside 40,000 companies (from Lidl to H&M) to use online purchase “activations” to plant trees. In partnership with Ecosia (a search engine that plants trees using ad revenue), it turns barren landscapes into lush forests, at no cost to the consumer.

Freetree hijacks traditional online consumer behaviour, turning guilt-ridden transactional experiences into moments of feel-good fuzziness. By planting trees where they’re needed most, filling open spaces with branches, foliage and undergrowth, Freetree is also making Earth fuzzier too.

Centring around our brand idea of “unleashing fuzz,” we designed a family of smooth leaves and personified trees, that popped and wobbled under the weight of foliage that grew with each “click” online. We designed an icon that fused the two core elements of the brand — a cursor and a pine tree, that we then rolled out into the Freetree cursor itself.

The primary typeface was Champ, by Typeverything, chosen for its hugely expressive carved inktraps and bouncy vibe.

Although there was budget in this project, we asked Freetree and Ecosia to waive our fee and “pay us in trees” instead. We’re thrilled our work helped to plant 60,000 trees as a result!

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