Droga5 São Paulo rolled out the second phase of “Lifeless Flag,” a campaign created for SOS Oceano (SOS Ocean), a coalition of NGOs advocating for the expansion of marine protected areas.
The first phase of the campaign, launched at Rio Ocean Week in October 2025, removed the blue and green from the Brazilian flag to demonstrate that one ecosystem cannot exist without the other. One needs blue to create green, and that without the blue of the oceans, there is no green life on land.
This concept is made literal in the second phase through a series of six unique screen-printed artworks, produced using natural mineral pigments and developed in collaboration with Black Madre Studio and Joules & Joules Laboratory.
From the Amazon Rainforest to the Humpback Whale, each print draws on the tradition of Brazilian naturalist iconography by pairing marine and land flora and fauna. The yellow diamond of the Brazilian flag remains the focal point of each print, highlighting the fusion of the colors removed in the first phase.
“The beginning of this project showed that design can condense a complex environmental truth into a single, felt symbol,” said Diego Limberti, chief design officer at Droga5 São Paulo. “In this phase, the elements of the flag remain part of the campaign’s visual process, but they are now reinterpreted to emphasize the animals that live in marine parks and their relationship with the forest. One biome depends on the other, and this is highlighted by the colors of Brazil’s greatest symbol.”
Screen printing was chosen because it is the ideal medium to ensure chromatic rigor and layered ink application, resulting in a unique expression, intrinsic to artisanal language. It is also a medium with a deep history in graphic arts and artisanal production, reinforcing the narrative behind the project.
The choice of natural pigments is deliberate, with the prints produced to be as consistent with their environmental message as with their visual one. Extensive research and pigment development was carried out in partnership with Joules & Joules Laboratory to achieve the correct hues, tones, and transparency without synthetic solvents.
“The project is rooted in color theory. When we say ‘without blue there is no green,’ we’re working with the fundamental logic of primary and secondary colors: blue and yellow create green,” said André Maciel, creative director at Black Madre Studio.
The campaign was built alongside WALK, Droga5’s impact innovation hub, which integrates impact intelligence and brand reputation to help clients increase their relevance in society. Through proprietary methodologies such as Index, Prisma, and the Weighted Impact KPI, the operation transforms cultural tensions and social causes into strategic, innovative, creative, and measurable communication solutions.
This film sheds light on the screen-printed images.
