Microsoft and Koto Partner to Develop Earth Month Sustainability Campaign - Branding in Asia Magazine

“We worked with the team at Microsoft to create a campaign that is unapologetically hopeful in its design language, and encouragingly specific with its copywriting.”
Brand and digital studio Koto has teamed up with Microsoft to develop their 2024 Sustainability campaign, scheduled to coincide with Earth Month 2024. The campaign aims to showcase Microsoft’s commitment to sustainability, highlighting the transformative role of AI under the theme of “Reimagine climate action.”
Koto said it worked closely with Microsoft’s Brand Studio to develop the campaign’s messaging, visuals, and assets, emphasizing how people are using AI to bring a greener future faster than previously possible.
The campaign notes that Microsoft and its partners have been leveraging AI to drive sustainable impact across their operations, customer solutions, and global engagements for several years. This includes initiatives such as achieving carbon negativity, water positivity, zero waste, and protecting ecosystems.
Microsoft’s 2024 Sustainability campaign revolves around the idea that people are using AI to accelerate the deployment of sustainability solutions, making them faster, more cost-effective, and more impactful than before.
Image via Koto
Central to the “Reimagine climate action” theme are illustrations that blend realism with imagination. Koto collaborated with French illustrator Alexis Jamet, renowned for his captivating artwork.
The visual language is intended to be marked by optimism, with subtle visual nods to the computational power of AI. incorporates educational messaging, emphasizing the positive role AI is already having in helping people protect our planet.
“Sustainability is a very important yet highly difficult topic to communicate in a general campaign like this one,” said Sven Seger, GM of Global Creative at Microsoft.
“Sustainability is embedded in our DNA, it’s one of our brand values, and our sustainability work stretches across every product, every business and every solution. The challenge is in striking a balance of communicating the intense innovation we are fueling at the company and with partners, and at the same time admitting that we don’t have all the answers and that there is even more work to be done.
Image via Koto
And then turning it into a design system that can visually represent the hope and optimism we have for the future, rooted in the truth of our technology, and inviting conversation and dialogue.”
“We worked with the team at Microsoft to create a campaign that is unapologetically hopeful in its design language, and encouragingly specific with its copywriting,” said Sam Howard, Koto Creative Director.
“Creating dreamy illustrated close-ups of nature and a brighter future, paired with messaging that gives us tangible cause for hope, educating people about the impact AI is already having. Lending a credible foundation to the positive visual language of AI. Through the use of texture and color, we lean into the uplifting visual language of the world of AI, turning up the brightness and zooming in on nature. By bringing real-world art direction and illustrative elements together, we paint a picture of a world of abundance and joy. A celebration of people and planet.”
Image via Koto
Image via Koto
Image via Koto

Image via Koto