SOS Oceano campaign merges art and activism to call for marine protected areas

SOS Oceano campaign merges art and activism

Droga5 São Paulo, award-winning creative advertising agency, announces the second phase of Lifeless Flag, a campaign created for SOS Oceano (SOS Ocean), a coalition of NGOs advocating for the expansion of marine protected areas.

The first phase of the campaign, launched at Rio Ocean Week in October 2025, removed the blue and green from the Brazilian flag to demonstrate that one ecosystem cannot exist without the other. One needs blue to create green, and that without the blue of the oceans, there is no green life on land.

This concept is made literal in the second phase through a series of six unique screen-printed artworks, produced using natural mineral pigments and developed in collaboration with Black Madre Studio and Joules & Joules Laboratory.  

From the Amazon Rainforest to the Humpback Whale, each print draws on the tradition of Brazilian naturalist iconography by pairing marine and land flora and fauna. The yellow diamond of the Brazilian flag remains the focal point of each print, highlighting the fusion of the colors removed in the first phase.

“The beginning of this project showed that design can condense a complex environmental truth into a single, felt symbol,” says Diego Limberti, Chief Design Officer at Droga5 São Paulo. “In this phase, the elements of the flag remain part of the campaign’s visual process, but they are now reinterpreted to emphasize the animals that live in marine parks and their relationship with the forest. One biome depends on the other, and this is highlighted by the colors of Brazil’s greatest symbol.”
 
Screen printing was chosen because it is the ideal medium to ensure chromatic rigor and layered ink application, resulting in a unique expression, intrinsic to artisanal language.  It is also a medium with a deep history in graphic arts and artisanal production, reinforcing the narrative behind the project.
 
The choice of natural pigments is deliberate, with the prints produced to be as consistent with their environmental message as with their visual one. Extensive research and pigment development was carried out in partnership with Joules & Joules Laboratory to achieve the correct hues, tones, and transparency without synthetic solvents.
 
“The project is rooted in color theory. When we say ‘without blue there is no green,’ we’re working with the fundamental logic of primary and secondary colors: blue and yellow create green”, says André Maciel, Creative Director at Black Madre Studio.
 
The campaign was built alongside WALK, Droga5’s impact innovation hub, which integrates impact intelligence and brand reputation to help clients increase their relevance in society.

Through proprietary methodologies such as Index, Prisma, and the Weighted Impact KPI, the operation transforms cultural tensions and social causes into strategic, innovative, creative, and measurable communication solutions.

Droga5
Creative Agency: Droga5

CEO/Creative Chairperson: Felipe Simi
Co-CEO: Brisa Vicente
Chief Creative Officer (CCO): Rafael Ziggy
Chief Design Officer (CDO): Diego Limberti
Design Director: Carlos Passos, Fábio Cristo, Marco Loschiavo, Rodrigo Bonfim
Executive Creative Director (ECD): Renata Leão
Creative Director: Lucas Antunes e Marcelo Diniz
Art Director: Kauê Barbosa, João Cunico, Gustavo Ohnuma, Israel Cunha, Sofia Colautti
Designer: Carlos Passos, Diego Limberti
Copywriter: Tiago Daltro
Motion Director: Marco Loschiavo
Motion Designer: Yasmin Cruz e Patrícia Lima
 
  Chief Operations Officer (COO): Felipe Belinky
Chief Business Officer (CBO): Renata Cintra
Chief Production Officer (CPO): Larissa Kubo
Head of Production: Stella Gafo
Production Leader: Thais Bonizzi
Head of Operations: Thaisa Papadopolli
Operations: Thaline Malvezi
Chief Impact Officer (CIO): Gabriela Rodrigues
Head of Innovation in Communication: Fabiane Abel
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO): Ana Cortat
Head of Media Latam: Vanessa Giannotti
Media Director: Keilla Conti
Head of Culture and Comms: Johana Quintana

Culture and Comms Director: Bárbara Lima

PR Analyst: Luma Araujo
PR: VSK Public Relations

Partners
Illustration: Black Madre
Creative Director: André Maciel
Executive Director: Tina Castro
Account: Roberta NOC
Planning: Le Alves, Beatriz Perrote e Tommy Martins
Production: Laryssa Andrade
Illustrators: André Maciel e Diego Abreu
Ink Development: Joules & Joules
Artista plástico: Rafael Carneiro e Bruno Dunley
Silkscreen: Estúdio Elástico
Master printer: Rogerio Maciel
Papéis artesanais: Kami
Videomaker – Locações: Antonio Frugiuele
Assistente Videomaker: Vinicius Feno
Videomaker – Albardão: Lucas Amorelli
Áudio: Bumblebeat
Direção Musical: Lucas Sfair, Henrique Tanji
Produção Executiva: Luisa Hackett
Produção Musical: Diego Sallovitz, Henrique Tanji, Lucas Sfair
Sound Design: Pedro Osinski
Finalização: Leonardo Lima
Produtora de vídeo – Museu do amanhã: Fluxa Filmes
Fotografia Stil – Museu do amanhãl: Bel Corção
Produção gráfica Camisa e Bandeiras: Jorge Gaglioni
Projeção: Projetemos
Co-criador Projeção: Mozart Santos
Espaços de mídia: Eletromídia

SOS Oceano
Angela Kuczach, articuladora da SOS Oceano
Marina Cioato, assessoria de comunicação da SOS Oceano
Nidia Regina, apoio em gestão SOS Oceano
Daniella Fernandes, assessoria de imprensa, SOS Oceano
Juan Pablo Torre, Coordenação Técnica

Organizações parceiras:

Sea Shepherd Brasil
Nathalie Gil – concepção do Projeto Apoio a estratégia e governança
Elea Moreira – apoio em comunicação
Luana Linck – administrativo financeiro

Projeto Golfinho Rotador
José Martins – apoio em estratégia e governança

Projeto Tubarões e Raias de Noronha
Fábio Borges – apoio em estratégia e governança

NEMA
Maria Carolina Weigert e Renato Carvalho – Apoio em estratégia e governança

Divers for Sharks
Paulo Guilherme – Pinguim – Apoio em estratégia e governança

Rede Pro UC
Douglas Montenegro – Apoio em estratégia e governança