The true face of Sea Shepherd

Captain Paul Watson founded the non-profit Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 1977 on his principle of ‘aggressive non-violence’ and with the uncompromising commitment to defend wildlife and protect the world's oceans. But almost 50 years on, after internal conflicts over the direction and purpose of the Sea Shepherd global organisation, Paul Watson was ousted.

As a visionary in environmental activism and certainly never one to give up, he enlisted the help of independent creative agency AGIT8 to help raise awareness of this internal crisis that led to there now being two versions of Sea Shepherd - the ‘original’ and the ‘other’.

Exploiting the brand’s strongest asset, AGIT8 embarked on a unique brand design project to update the iconic Sea Shepherd ’skull and crossbones’ logo to find a way of metaphorically embodying the spirit of its original founder, Paul Watson.

The solution was to use an image derived from a CT scan of his actual skull. The end result was more than just a logo. Not only was it something that no other group or individual could claim, but it was a symbol of defiance, a beacon of hope and a testament to the resilience and undying spirit of Paul Watson.

Baptiste Clinet, ECD at AGIT8 Paris, comments, “What we all loved was just how simple and immediate this idea is. We literally put Paul Watson back at the heart of his NGO. But this subtle yet fundamental update to the logo changes everything for the future of Sea Shepherd.”

The new logo is being rolled out across Sea Shepherd France’s website, social media and merchandise. It galvanised massive support for Paul Watson and was pivotal in his 2024 legal triumph over the rival faction, resulting in his reinstatement as the true face of Sea Shepherd.

https://vimeo.com/941526073