Dedicating my final school year to researching social issues related to ocean conservation, I took a deep dive into aquatic-related non-profit organizations across Los Angeles to then rebrand. This led me to the Roundhouse Aquarium, an organization located in Manhattan Beach, that focuses on nurturing and guiding younger generations of future marine biologists by providing accessible, hands-on facilities that teach and highlight marine life.

I was able to visit the facility, where I spoke with Marissa Wu, the Aquarium Programs and Operations Director, who told me more about the aquarium's history, which began with the help of Oceanographic Teaching Stations, where six citizens of Manhattan Beach were able to gather money to build what we now know as the Roundhouse Aquarium. 

Since then, it has gone through two major renovations, with the most recent having finished in 2018 thanks to the Harrison Greenberg Foundation, which was founded due to the death of Michael Greenberg's son, Harrison, who grew up in Manhattan Beach and had close memories to the Aquarium. With the Foundation, he formed the Roundhouse Aquarium Beautification project.

The rebranding of the aquarium is meant to honor the Manhattan Beach community and create a playful and colorful environment that forms a stronger connection to the children that often occupy the facility. 

These moments are highlighted within the custom-type treatment and marks, where certain words were created from hand sanitizer and then vectorized to draw back to the idea of liquid/water/ocean and free-form shapes. It’s meant to mimic the whimsical nature of children and their hands-on abilities.