MycoHAB: A Living, Growing Identity
Namibia faces a triple crisis: a severe housing shortage, environmental degradation, and limited economic opportunity. MycoHAB proposes a radical solution – transforming waste into homes and food using ground-breaking, NASA-derived mycelium technology. But science alone can’t create change. A brand was needed that could demystify the innovation, build trust, and spark community connection. The result is a “living identity” – a brand that evolves and inspires, just like the mycelium it’s built on.

The biggest challenge was trust. Mycelium is unfamiliar, especially in a country where nearly 90% of the population earns under N$2,700 a month and where nearly half a million homes are needed. While overall literacy is high, PISA data revealed difficulty applying scientific concepts. Our solution: design a brand that makes complex science tangible, human, and hopeful.

Breaking with convention in both the construction and science sectors, the identity avoids sterile, technical visuals. Instead, it embraces organic shapes, a natural colour palette, and evocative storytelling to humanise the technology. Inspired by the growth patterns of mycelium and the contrasts of traditional Namibian batik, every element of the brand reflects transformation.

The visual language is deliberately simple and symbolic. The entire system is built using just two core materials: mulch and mycelium – mirroring the building blocks of the actual science. The logo appears to grow organically, its softened curves suggesting mycelial spread. Colour choices, earthy browns and creams, are drawn directly from the materials used in MycoHAB’s construction. Layouts, inspired by scientific slides and textile patterns, balance clarity with cultural resonance.

The brand is designed to grow with the project, sparking curiosity and fostering pride. It invites people to connect, learn, and believe in the promise of a better, greener future. MycoHAB’s identity doesn’t just explain the science, it builds belief in it.

The impact is clear: rising awareness of mycelium technology, deeper trust from funders, and meaningful engagement from local communities. MycoHAB sets a new standard for how innovation in construction and sustainability can be communicated with empathy, clarity, and creativity.

Client/Brand: Mycohab
Marketing Manager: Greig Jerling, Nirasha Basanth, Nicolette Chuma, Justin Prozesky, Yang Gao

Agency: Ogilvy South Africa
Chief Creative Officer: Pete Case
Executive Creative Director: Liana Liebenberg
Creative Director: Liana Liebenberg
Agency Designer: Liana Liebenberg, Lauren Bloom
Agency Managing Director: Mathew Weiss
Account Management: Anastasia Cost, Natalie Woker

Design Agency: (Not an IDIDTHAT member)

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