BACKGROUND

BMW was pursuing a complex, real initiative spanning ocean plastic recovery, material science, circular manufacturing, and long-horizon environmental impact.

The work involved credible research, active programs, and future production implications — but it lived across disciplines, documents, and timelines.

For leadership, the challenge was not belief in the mission.

It was whether the work could be understood as a coherent system.

CHALLENGE

Make dense scientific research and multi-layered initiatives legible to board-level audiences — without diluting the science — while also generating the conviction required to move forward.

This was not a branding problem. 

BMW Oceans is epistemological — how belief is formed when the future is abstract and expensive. It was a comprehension and decision-making problem.

APPROACH

I created a series of decks designed to function as visual translation and alignment tools.

Complex inputs — material flows, recovery mechanisms, timelines, and system interdependencies — were translated into clear, structured visuals that allowed non-specialists to grasp the full system accurately and quickly.

At the same time, the visuals carried inspirational weight. Where data alone became abstract or emotionally inert, symbolic imagery was introduced deliberately to stabilize meaning and sustain engagement. Translation and inspiration were designed to operate together in the same frames.

DESIGN LOGIC

The decks were structured to reduce cognitive load and support decision-making: sequencing information, isolating variables, and using visual restraint so substance remained primary.

Symbolic elements were used sparingly — not as decoration, but as connective tissue when complexity risked fragmenting understanding across disciplines and time horizons.

Design here functions as a hybrid instrument: it explains and it motivates, without sacrificing rigor or clarity.

OUTCOME

The visual translation + symbolic anchor collapsed uncertainty into action.

The visual translation — combining rigorous system diagrams with a singular symbolic anchor — resolved ambiguity at the leadership level and helped move the initiative from tentative exploration into active execution.

What had been conceptually supported but organizationally uncertain became a committed, ongoing program.