Background
Everyone in Portugal knows Vasco da Gama Aquarium. Every Portuguese has been there at least 3 times. As a child, as a parent, and as a grandparent. However, nobody knows its story. All they feel is heartfelt nostalgia. Which is something powerful. But it’s not enough.
No one knows that the Aquarium origins can be traced back to (wait for it…) Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Victor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão. A man who in the 19th century pioneered the scientific study of the Portuguese sea, dazzling the European scientific community of the time, with the same enthusiasm with which he embraced painting and politics. A man who was a scientist and an artist. A man who was also (wait for it…) the King of Portugal, Carlos I. This man did not build or finance the Aquarium project, but he paid and took part in the first scientific expeditions that studied the waters off the Portuguese coast. He also moved all his royal influence so it could become a reality.
The Aquarium opened its doors in 1898. After 125 years, it was finally time to let people know what this great Portuguese brand had done for the country and for the protection and scientific study of the Portuguese sea life.
Challenge
“Põe magia nisso” – “tell it with magic” – was the challenge from Aquarium’s CEO, Nuno Galhardo Leitão, a Portuguese Navy officer. “I want the truth about these first 125 years of Vasco da Gama Aquarium, but I want the story to be appealing. We don’t want to bore people.” If Wonder\Why could sum up the challenge in 3 words they would be: facts, science, magic. Or in a shorter version still: truth & magic.
Work
The angle. To tell this story we needed an insight into what the Aquarium grand design was. After one year and a half of research and interviews with key-players, it became clear that it had protected the Portuguese sea life all its life. This was its driving force. So, the book’s name became “Guardian of the sea” (Guardião do Mar, in PT). To dream, to study, to plan, to question, is to love. We protect what we love.
The brand voice. The writing should put people in a good mood. ‘Unboring’ became our motto. We weren’t looking to attract just scholars, but regular curious people who could be interested in our story. Hence, we thought the writing needed to balance humor, science fascination, facts, history, the characters, and the truth. Also, we knew that writing about the Aquarium was an opportunity to write about the story of the country itself. Portugal is a nation surrounded by water on 2 sides that seems to have never truly embraced its “oceanic territory”, except during the Age of Discoveries (15th, 16th centuries). We didn’t shy away from this. We also knew that praising King Carlos was a sensitive issue. Portugal is now a republic and King Carlos was killed by republican extremists in 1908. Also, his reputation was ‘killed’ by the republican media and never recovered from media shaming. So, we went ahead and praised him to the skies.
Also, the Aquarium belongs to the Portuguese Navy since 1900. So, its story had to somehow reflect this centuries old Portuguese institution’s esprit de corps. Using humor made sense. Telling jokes would be stretching.
The design. Being reader friendly was mandatory, so we opted for an elegant timeless editorial design. We didn’t want the design to scream HELLO!! and disrupt the reading. Still, since the book included science tales filled with unexpected findings, we felt the book should have subtle unexpected graphic elements. So, we incorporated a pattern made of scientific illustrations of fish, commissioned by King Carlos, to the back of the back cover… and added a subtle twist.
The book cover. An impactful cover was of the essence. Cristiana Couceiro, graphic designer – published by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Wired, Le Monde – created a collage of illustrations that showed how inspirational King Carlos was for the scientific study of the Portuguese sea life and for the Aquarium.
Client Feedback
“We wanted a new story to celebrate the 125 years of Vasco da Gama Aquarium. A story told in a totally new way for our field. A story bound by historical and scientific facts, given we are a center for the protection and scientific study of sea life. But also, a story that people could read and be mesmerized by it. We wanted to tell the truth with magic. Wonder\Why did just that.”
Comandante Nuno Leitão, CEO Aquário Vasco da Gama
Critic’s Feedback
“Typically, a book of this nature tends to be one of two things: either careful in its conception, but boring to read; or fun to read, but superficial in its conception. This book has managed the hardest thing: to be both careful and entertaining."
Nuno Crato, renowned Portuguese mathematician and former Minister of Education and Science
