The Great Lakes are in danger of catastrophic impact from an invasive fish generically referred to as ‘Asian carp’. Several stopgap measures have been implemented, but the fish still threaten the Great Lakes.

Tetra Tech (commissioned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Southern Illinois University) hired Span to reposition the fish for human consumption. Our solution was to rename the fish Copi (derived from copious), rendered with a friendly, recognizable logotype and distinct identity system. The Copi rebrand reintroduces these fish to the public as a healthy, delicious, and responsible seafood option that also helps solve an environmental crisis.

Simple and fun, the Copi logo contains a not-so-secret message. The forward-facing fish is created using the negative space within the c and filling the space of the omitted o, horizontally aligned within the geometric letterforms inspired by Futura Black. The stencil form balances hard-working, utilitarian aesthetics with a playful feeling through its assembly of simple semi-circles, triangles, and rectangles. The heaviness of the logo matches the physical qualities of the fish that can weigh over 100 pounds.

The Copi brand uses three supportive typefaces. The bookish Gelasio is the typeface the identity system uses to tell the fish’s story; DM Sans, a highly geometric sans serif that the identity uses for more direct and advocacy related messages; and DM Mono is used to convey facts, data, and source information.

All the typefaces used in the Copi visual identity are open source, making beautiful typography free and accessible to any person or organisation (governmental departments, grocery markets, restaurants) connected to the project.