The Forest of Biologists website

This project has been assigned the following categories: Websites, UX/UI,

UX & UI
Illustration
Brand identity

Client overview

The Forest of Biologists is a new initiative from The Company of Biologists to plant trees in the UK and to have a positive environmental impact. The core principle of the project is simple: to plant or preserve a tree for every paper that is published in a The Company of Biologists journal.

The Forest of Biologists is a way for The Company of Biologists to give back to the environment and to celebrate the work of biologists. By planting trees, The Company of Biologists is helping to counteract nature loss, and safeguard some of the most critically endangered ecosystems for future generations. The Forest of Biologists is also a way for The Company of Biologists to create a lasting legacy and to make a positive impact on the world.

Project overview

The Company of Biologists approached Scaramanga to help with the UX and UI of their new website, which would feature a virtual landscaped forest. The website formed a part of the larger project to develop the identity and create the tree illustrations.

Scaramanga was excited to work on this project because it aligned with their values of sustainability and environmentalism. They worked closely with The Company of Biologists to create a website that was both visually appealing and user-friendly. The virtual forest was designed to be interactive, with visitors able to learn about the importance of trees whilst locating published papers.

The website is proving to be a huge success amongst the biology community.

How it started

The Forest of Biologists project started with the creation of the logo. The logo went through a variety of iterations before the chosen design was finalized. Two versions of the logo were created, one with and one without a strapline stating that The Forest of Biologists was planted by The Company of Biologists.

The colours of the logo represent the phases of leaf abscission, the process of leaves falling. The green color fades to reveal the yellow and orange carotenoid pigments. The combination of these colours creates a vibrant but grounded identity. It is well balanced without being garish.

The chosen logo

The logo, both with and without a strapline, is illustrated below. A stacked version was also created for instances where a more square-like version would be better suited.

The Forest of Biologist logo, horizontal and stacked

The Forest of Biologist logo, horizontal and stacked with the strap-line

Creating the landscape

With the logo completed, we moved on to creating the landscape that the forest would be sitting on. Illustrations of trees were created to populate the forest, alongside environmental elements to give more character to the virtual forest.

We introduced a minimal navigation at the top of the page so that the focus would be on the forest, as this was the key feature. On the actual landscape, at the top with the logo, were some key metrics which could be updated by The Forest of Biologists team. We used the environmental elements to surround the top area so that it starts to weave into the forest below where the density of the trees and environment assets increased. Additionally, as a neat kitsch effect, we suggested that the shadow of clouds would animate across the forest, giving an even more stylised effect.

Interactivity

As the user hovers over a tree, a small box would appear with journal details. Clicking on it would open up a drawer with further information about the trees, the author, and further information about the real forest, where the trees are being planted or preserved.

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The trees of the Forest of Biologists

The trees are at the heart of The Forest of Biologists project. They are an integral part of the project, and they were created with great care and attention to detail.

Ten different species of trees were initially illustrated to populate the virtual forest. From the humble birch to the mighty mature English oak, each tree was intricately detailed down to the smallest leaf. This attention to detail ensured that we had an almost living and breathing virtual forest, ready to be created.

In addition to the trees, environmental illustrations were also created to compliment the trees and make the forest more alive. These illustrations included things like rocks, flowers, and even animals. The combination of the trees and the environmental illustrations created a truly immersive virtual forest experience.

The Forest of Biologists is a beautiful and inspiring project that celebrates the beauty of nature. It is a project that is sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who experiences it.