The Concept
To help me create a unique logo for the 2013 New Zealand Youth Delegation I signed up my good friend and CAD expert Zach Hornblow. The logo would be incorporated into a t-shirt and business card to strengthen our identity both in New Zealand and overseas. Zach and I sat down one evening over a beverage and had a chat about what NZYD is doing and what we are trying to achieve. I explained that we are representing the New Zealand youth at the conference. We want to connect with them on the issues of climate change and update them on New Zealand’s involvement in the international negotiations. We agreed that the design should be thought provoking and have an element of youthful style. We nutted out the design over a few sessions and this is the result! 
The Design
The central theme of the logo is ‘One Earth, One Climate’. When it comes to our climate the world is a single entity. The actions or inactions of one country will affect another. High emissions in one country can result in severe drought or flooding in another. It is a reminder that we are all in this together.
The four sectors represent multiple themes but for me the most powerful is the idea of extreme weather events. The continued rise in anthropogenic carbon emissions directly contributes to an increase in extreme weather events. If we continue our current emissions path, by 2050, events that now occur once every 100 years will most likely occur several times a year. Hotter days and longer droughts, severe flooding from rising sea levels and concentrated rainfall will become increasingly common. It is the increase in these events that cause so much destruction to not only people but our eco-systems.
The four sectors can also represent elements of the modern day world – Earth, Sea, Sun and Industry. The cross symbolises the goal of target setting. Setting targets on reducing carbon emissions is the worlds guide to stabilising the effects of climate change.
What does the logo make you think of?
Keep an eye out for us during COP19!
By Matt Gibbons