MIAMI WATERKEEPER
Protecting the water you love.
Transforming the world. One elevated city at a time.
WHAT WE DID TOGETHER
Brand strategy
Brand guidelines
Brand identity
Brand application and materials
Brand voice
Website design and build
Messaging and copywriting
Social media assets
Templates and starter toolkit
Events and collateral
Brand consultancy
Miami Waterkeeper protects South Florida's waters, from the Everglades to the reef. Since 2010, its scientists, policy experts, lawyers and educators have monitored water quality across Biscayne Bay and taken polluters to court. They have also turned thousands of residents into citizen scientists who report pollution in their own neighbourhoods.
Miami is on the frontline of sea-level rise, warming oceans and water quality crises. What happens here matters far beyond Florida.
It's science, courage and community – and it's working!
Together with CEO Rachel Silverstein, PhD, and the Miami Waterkeeper communications team, we gave a bold, expert organisation a brand as vibrant as the city it protects. We also gave it a website that finally shows the full depth of its work.
THE CHALLENGE
Deeper than it looked
Miami Waterkeeper does serious, complex work. It tests bacteria levels every week, publishes peer-reviewed research, challenges nuclear licences and wins in federal court. Its identity showed none of that. It felt dated and lacked personality. It reflected neither the depth of the team's impact nor the warmth and energy of its culture. The website made things harder. Its architecture had become convoluted, and hard-won victories were buried in dense text. Meanwhile, the programmes kept growing, and each new one pulled the brand in a slightly different direction. The field is crowded, too, with many organisations working on Florida's water. Miami Waterkeeper needed to stand apart. It needed a brand that could hold everything it does, and show just how much that work matters right now.
THE CHALLENGE
Deeper than it looked
Miami Waterkeeper does serious, complex work. It tests bacteria levels every week, publishes peer-reviewed research, challenges nuclear licences and wins in federal court. Its identity showed none of that. It felt dated and lacked personality. It reflected neither the depth of the team's impact nor the warmth and energy of its culture. The website made things harder. Its architecture had become convoluted, and hard-won victories were buried in dense text. Meanwhile, the programmes kept growing, and each new one pulled the brand in a slightly different direction. The field is crowded, too, with many organisations working on Florida's water. Miami Waterkeeper needed to stand apart. It needed a brand that could hold everything it does, and show just how much that work matters right now.
THE RESEARCH
Seeing the whole lighthouse
We began with in-depth conversations with key stakeholders: board members, leadership, and the team across science, policy and outreach. We also reviewed the organisations working alongside Miami Waterkeeper, from local coalitions to national environmental and legal groups. A clear picture emerged. People saw the bright beam of the lighthouse, the beach clean-ups and community events. They missed the machinery behind it: the science, the policy work, the legal fights. Some saw beach cleaners. Others saw confrontational activists. Neither was the true story. The team knew what they wanted to be: advocates, not activists. They wanted to be the experts decision-makers invite in early, and a force no polluter wants to be on the wrong side of.
THE RESEARCH
Seeing the whole lighthouse
We began with in-depth conversations with key stakeholders: board members, leadership, and the team across science, policy and outreach. We also reviewed the organisations working alongside Miami Waterkeeper, from local coalitions to national environmental and legal groups. A clear picture emerged. People saw the bright beam of the lighthouse, the beach clean-ups and community events. They missed the machinery behind it: the science, the policy work, the legal fights. Some saw beach cleaners. Others saw confrontational activists. Neither was the true story. The team knew what they wanted to be: advocates, not activists. They wanted to be the experts decision-makers invite in early, and a force no polluter wants to be on the wrong side of.
THE STRATEGY
Grounded in science, led by beauty
Our strategy was to show the full scope of Miami Waterkeeper's work without losing the heart that makes people care. We organised everything around its theory of change: science and research, policy and advocacy, education and outreach. Together they form a complete cycle. Understand the problem, fight to solve it, and bring people along. We led with beauty. Miami's water, reefs, mangroves and people draw audiences in, and the science and solutions keep them there. We also reframed the urgency. South Florida is living the effects of a changing climate today, not someday. If Miami gets resilience right, it becomes a model for coastal cities everywhere. That's why the moment IS now.
THE STRATEGY
Grounded in science, led by beauty
Our strategy was to show the full scope of Miami Waterkeeper's work without losing the heart that makes people care. We organised everything around its theory of change: science and research, policy and advocacy, education and outreach. Together they form a complete cycle. Understand the problem, fight to solve it, and bring people along. We led with beauty. Miami's water, reefs, mangroves and people draw audiences in, and the science and solutions keep them there. We also reframed the urgency. South Florida is living the effects of a changing climate today, not someday. If Miami gets resilience right, it becomes a model for coastal cities everywhere. That's why the moment IS now.
THE STORY
Calm authority, steady resolve
We sharpened the mission, vision and purpose around the line people already loved: Protect the water you love. We defined four values: Lead with Science, Advocate Fearlessly, Champion Community and Nurture Nature. Each one has its own voice pillar, so every message sounds evidence-grounded, courageous, community-centred and clear. The voice blends trusted science with steady resolve that explains complex water issues in plain language, then points to clear action. It stays calm in a crisis and never tips into alarm. We built profiles of four audiences: the Miami community, advocates and collaborators, decision-makers and funders. Each has its own hook, tone and on-brand examples, so the whole team can speak with one voice.
THE STORY
Calm authority, steady resolve
We sharpened the mission, vision and purpose around the line people already loved: Protect the water you love. We defined four values: Lead with Science, Advocate Fearlessly, Champion Community and Nurture Nature. Each one has its own voice pillar, so every message sounds evidence-grounded, courageous, community-centred and clear. The voice blends trusted science with steady resolve that explains complex water issues in plain language, then points to clear action. It stays calm in a crisis and never tips into alarm. We built profiles of four audiences: the Miami community, advocates and collaborators, decision-makers and funders. Each has its own hook, tone and on-brand examples, so the whole team can speak with one voice.
THE IDENTITY
Unmistakably Miami
The answer was already in the logo. At its heart sits the Miami Circle, the historic Tequesta archaeological site in Biscayne Bay. It's a story no other organisation could tell. So rather than replace it, we made it the engine of the whole identity. We opened the Circle up. The organic forms of its outer ring and the ocean flora and fauna within it became a family of shapes. The team can crop, enlarge, pair and layer them over imagery, and add new creatures as the brand grows. They bring movement and energy to every page. The new palette runs from soft coral and hot sunset orange through aqua and sand, down to ocean blue and a grounded deep navy. Together they span the water, reefs, land and beach, with the deep blues anchoring the policy work. The typography gives headlines their punch, crispness to body copy and friendly flourishes. The result is vibrant and full of movement, and flexible enough to stretch across sub-brands, events, merchandise and reports.
THE IDENTITY
Unmistakably Miami
The answer was already in the logo. At its heart sits the Miami Circle, the historic Tequesta archaeological site in Biscayne Bay. It's a story no other organisation could tell. So rather than replace it, we made it the engine of the whole identity. We opened the Circle up. The organic forms of its outer ring and the ocean flora and fauna within it became a family of shapes. The team can crop, enlarge, pair and layer them over imagery, and add new creatures as the brand grows. They bring movement and energy to every page. The new palette runs from soft coral and hot sunset orange through aqua and sand, down to ocean blue and a grounded deep navy. Together they span the water, reefs, land and beach, with the deep blues anchoring the policy work. The typography gives headlines their punch, crispness to body copy and friendly flourishes. The result is vibrant and full of movement, and flexible enough to stretch across sub-brands, events, merchandise and reports.
THE IMPACT
Making waves
The new website puts the full story front and centre. Clear pathways invite people to give, join or act. Campaigns sit alongside the theory of change. The impact is impossible to miss. The early numbers are strong. Since launch, organic search sessions have risen by around 11%, and engagement has climbed from 56% to 61%. Referral traffic has nearly tripled. Visits from AI assistants have more than tripled too, and those visitors stay longest of all, averaging 84 seconds on site. Revenue across channels rose roughly 46%. Miami Waterkeeper now has a brand and a toolkit of presentation, report and social templates as bold as its ambitions.
THE IMPACT
Making waves
The new website puts the full story front and centre. Clear pathways invite people to give, join or act. Campaigns sit alongside the theory of change. The impact is impossible to miss. The early numbers are strong. Since launch, organic search sessions have risen by around 11%, and engagement has climbed from 56% to 61%. Referral traffic has nearly tripled. Visits from AI assistants have more than tripled too, and those visitors stay longest of all, averaging 84 seconds on site. Revenue across channels rose roughly 46%. Miami Waterkeeper now has a brand and a toolkit of presentation, report and social templates as bold as its ambitions.
"Working with Lauren and the team at Boudica has been a dream! Their mix of creativity and professionalism has transformed our brand and our website. They were able to bring a way to articulate our identity with a fresh perspective that we ourselves couldn't see from the inside."
"Working with Lauren and the team at Boudica has been a dream! Their mix of creativity and professionalism has transformed our brand and our website. They were able to bring a way to articulate our identity with a fresh perspective that we ourselves couldn't see from the inside."
Rachel Silverstein, PhD
CEO, Miami Waterkeeper