Creativity, Citizen Science, and Ocean Recovery: In Conversation with Ben Coleman

“Love your planet or it won’t love you back!” – Ben Coleman

From art directing campaigns for WWF-UK to chasing waves and snowboarding through changing winter seasons, Ben Coleman sees design as a powerful driver for environmental action. We spoke with Ben about his creative work on major ocean initiatives, citizen science, and why circularity needs to replace fast fashion.

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Snapshot Profile

• Name: Ben Coleman
• Role: Creative Design Lead / Senior Art Director at WWF-UK
• Specialism: Brand Art Direction, Strategic Communications, Conservation Campaigns
• Passions: Surfing, Snowboarding, & Protecting the Planet for the Next Generation

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The Interview

Why is conserving and protecting the oceans so important to you?

Ben: The oceans are awesome – home to millions of Earth’s plants and animals! Spending time in mother nature, whether attempting to surf waves or exploring off-piste terrain on a snowboard, always leaves me refreshed and super hyped.

Having a daughter reinforced the urgency to preserve our oceans, mountains, and forests. The reality is our children will not survive if we don’t all act now. Having taught snowboarding around the world, I’ve seen climate change firsthand – seasons are getting shorter and glaciers are melting. The evidence is everywhere, from warming seas to mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.

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How are you using design and art direction to drive ocean conservation?

Ben: As Creative Design Lead at WWF-UK, my team champions good design to engage people in the fight for our planet.

We teamed up with Sky for ‘The Ocean Hero Campaign,’ empowering people to take ocean recovery actions in their daily lives while calling on the government for ambitious policy changes.

More recently, I art-directed the identity for the ‘Walrus from Space’ campaign. As the Arctic Ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide, it becomes more acidic, threatening walrus ecosystems. The campaign invites the public to become citizen scientists by spending 30 minutes scanning satellite images to help track and count walrus populations.

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What should the surfing and outdoor industry do better?

Ben: Beyond reducing carbon footprints and adopting sustainable operations, surf companies must use their brand platforms to educate audiences into making better choices.

Crucially, we must unite to lobby governments. Without strict laws, big businesses will continue putting profit over our oceans. We have a critical window to turn the tide on climate change. We need governments to commit to long-term strategies that halt ocean decline and prioritize marine recovery.

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Ben’s Recommended Brands & Inspiration

Circularity & Activism

• Rapanui: A circular fashion brand with a sustainable business model. When you’re done with their clothing, you send it back (postage covered in the UK) so they can remanufacture the material into new products – rewarding you with a discount. It’s a true circular system that combats fast fashion.
• Surfers Against Sewage: Doing incredible work with beach cleans and lobbying the UK government to end sewage pollution.
• WWF-UK: Follow WWF on social channels to discover more citizen science initiatives and global conservation projects.

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Final Thought

Ben: “We all need to do our little bit – recycle, ditch single-use plastics, pick up beach litter, and support circular systems. One by one, small actions add up to save the bigger picture. Love your planet or it won’t love you back!”