Mor

Employer:  All Turtles
Role: Sr. Design Director
Year: 2023

The Team

• Christina King - Design Lead
• Forrest Bryant - Content Lead
• Peter Kemme - Motion Design
• Carlos Rocafort - Illustration
• Clio Atencio - Sr. Design Director

Services Provided

• Design Strategy
• Visual Identity
• UX & UI Design
• Copywriting
  

My Role

As the Sr. Director of Design led the Design team and led the Design Strategy.  My role focused on enabling the team to thrive in a fast-moving, uncertain environment—clearing blockers, shaping creative direction and growth strategy, and ensuring strategic alignment across disciplines.

The Problem

Death in America is broken. For those facing the end of life, their caregivers, grieving loved ones, and those managing the financial aftermath, the experience is often defined by unnecessary suffering and systemic failures. Aggressive medical interventions prioritize prolonging life over preserving quality, while families are left to navigate overwhelming administrative burdens tied to probate, insurance, and personal affairs. The costs—both financial and emotional—are staggering, with excessive medical bills, environmentally harmful and expensive funeral practices, and widespread depression, anxiety, and burnout among caregivers and survivors. Most painfully, the focus on logistics and crisis management often overshadows the opportunity for love, reconciliation, and the creation of lasting legacies. A new approach is needed to reframe how individuals and families experience death—transforming it from a source of isolation, confusion, and loss into a more humane, supported, and meaningful part of life.

“Funeral and end-of-life planning is something no one likes to do, but Americans are particularly bad at it. We act like death is a lifestyle choice that isn’t right for our family…. I think real change would require a more realistic orientation toward aging and death."

- Josh Slocum, Executive Director, Funeral Consumers Alliance

Approach to Death

In American society, death remains one of the least-discussed yet most inevitable aspects of life. It is a subject we avoid—something many steer away from in everyday conversation, even when its presence is near. Research shows that only one in ten Americans has discussed their end-of-life care wishes with a health provider, leaving most families unprepared when critical decisions must be made. The cultural discomfort around death creates silence where there should be openness, and avoidance where there could be understanding. This reluctance not only hinders practical planning but also prevents people from approaching death with the compassion, clarity, and humanity it deserves.

The Opportunity

The world’s relationship with death is undergoing a profound shift. After decades of avoidance and unhealthy practices, the cracks in our current systems have become impossible to ignore—creating space for change. Out of this urgency has emerged the “death positive” movement, a cultural reimagining of how we approach dying, grieving, and legacy. This movement reframes death not as a taboo subject or a purely medical event, but as an essential part of a mentally and emotionally well life. By confronting death with openness, compassion, and creativity, we have the opportunity to transform end-of-life experiences into moments of connection, meaning, and even healing.

The Solution

Mor is a barrier-breaking brand and platform designed to transform how we experience and relate to death. Through rich, mixed-media content, Mor helps people explore and reflect on a topic too often avoided. It fosters both online and in-person communities where conversations can unfold, support can be shared, and learning can occur openly and compassionately. Beyond dialogue, Mor offers curated products and services that empower individuals and families to make informed choices—helping them navigate end-of-life needs with clarity, dignity, and care. By combining education, community, and practical tools, Mor reimagines death as not just an ending, but a meaningful part of life.

We do not fear life, so we do not fear death.
The presence of death is the defining truth of life.

And we choose to embrace the truth.
Respect death, and celebrate life.
Today, in this singular moment:

LIVE!

The Brand

The Name Process

After doing the primary research with the founders and the executive team and performing secondary research, we started our creative process following a iterative double diamond approach, were we diverge and generate a vast amount of name ideas paired with visuals, and then filter based on the best ones, we repeated that process 7 times and it got us to the final name with a clear direction for a visual identity..

The Name: Mor

represents a layer of humus on the surface of moist, cool soil. The Word is derived from "memento mori." Soil/dirt is the source of life and death. 

Death: burying people in soil, decomposition, etc.

Brand Mission
and Vision

Mor helps people cope with death so they can have more present & Vision, and meaningful lives. Supporting individuals, loved ones, and caregivers, we replace fear and confusion with educational, organizational, and emotional foundations that foster acceptance, constructive action, and making the most of our limited time on Earth.

Brand Values

What do we want people to feel when interacting with the brand?

EMPOWERED

VALIANT

SAFE

GUIDED

NATURAL

NORMAL

CENTERED

The Visual Identity

The Logo

Brought to life through a sinuously graceful, bespoke modern logotype, containing elegant circular letterforms representing fluidity and wholeness.

Positive & Negative Logos

This is the primary logo, the main visual expression of the brand. Only use the logo provided in the link below.

Grayscale Logo

The application is only to be used in a situation of print color limitations. Examples may include a sponsorship or a print asset in a newspaper.

Safe Space and Scale

Please ensure there is enough safe space around the logo and use the height of the "R" to determine the measurement.

This distance is used to not crowd the logos with other graphic elements or partnership logos.

The Typography

The Mor brand uses two typefaces that complement the sinuous bespoke typography of the wordmark. Together they share the same proportions, but with different personalities.

Neue Haas Grotesk is utilitarian, matter-of-fact, and strong, whereas Tiempos Headline has unexpected detailing creating a refined, sophisticated look with painterly flourishes and details. They work both separately and together, and give the brand personality depth and contrast, a nod to the transition between life and death.

Mor's primary typeface is Neue Haas Grotesk, a grotesque typeface characterized by its stark, geometric lines and angular shapes. It is one of the oldest and most universally treasured and legible fonts used in the world. 

Mor's secondary typeface is Tiempos Headline. It is to be used in Light for larger headlines and in Roman for smaller body copy.

When paired together, the spacing and weights of the fonts need to be slightly adjusted to work harmoniously together across digital and printed environments.

Color

Color Palette

Mor's primary color palette is verdant, earthy, and grounded with soft neutrals. The secondary palette features vibrant accents that convey hope and joy.

The overall palette highlights what Mor represents — respecting natural death, and embracing life, feeling empowered by the truth.

Mor's color system and guidelines are flexible and dynamic, providing the brand with a distinctive character that is easily recognized.

Brand Symbols

These stylized symbols are an extension of the brand, serving as supporting elements within the larger brand system. Use cases include the favicon, as a glyph to separate blocks of text, or stylized in patterns.

Brand Imagery

The name Mor relates to both mindfulness of death and the organic components of soil. The brand image library is similarly organic. We use illustrations and photography that are rich, earthy, sensuous, and evocative - steeped in the vibrancy of living things.

Applications

Digital Application Examples

On screens, the brand comes to life through bold organic imagery and clear, straightforward messaging.

Multichannel Application Examples

Mixed media digital experiences for discovery and reflection, Online and IRL community building activities for gathering and connecting, and curated products and services to choose and take action.

General Application Examples

These are an extension of the brand, showcasing various applications through pattern, printed pieces, a wordmark atop photography, and embroidery on cloth.