Digital animation

Hvalavinir. For the Love of Iceland

Illustrations by Styngvi

Hvalavinir is an Icelandic environmental nonprofit whose name literally means “Friends of the Whales”. It was formed through the collaboration of several nature and animal welfare groups with the goal of protecting whales and other marine animals for the benefit of the ocean and future generations.

Let's get in touch ↓

Illustration: a whale rises out of the sea in front of Reykjavík, with a puffin standing on its nose

One of Hvalavinir’s flagship efforts is the For the Love of Iceland campaign that was designed to encourage tourists to experience whales and puffins alive in the wild, instead of on a plate.

Although whale meat is often marketed as an “authentic Icelandic food” 82% of Icelanders have never eaten it and fewer than 2% consume it regularly. In fact, most of it is bought by tourists due to misleading marketing.

Each year roughly 2.5 million foreign visitors arrive in Iceland (more than six times the size of the local population!), making their choices enormously influential.

Mission

Our mission was to help Hvalavinir transform their message into a creative, clear animated video that resonated with international audiences - encouraging tourists to choose experiences that celebrate life, not harm it.

Creative Process

1.
Briefing

A crucial part of the briefing was acknowledging that tourists are the primary consumers of whale meat in Iceland, while making sure that the campaign never felt accusatory or confrontational.

We focused on education, awareness, and empathy - sharing important facts and highlighting how vulnerable these animals are.
2.
Scenario

We came up with the idea of blending two worlds - above and below the ocean’s surface - to create an emotional connection between humans and marine wildlife.
3.
Animation and Sound Design

From the very beginning, we knew that sound would play a very important role in this animation.

Including real whale songs was a very powerful choice. It helped strengthen the emotional bond with the campaign.

1/1

Outcome

The final animation brings together factual storytelling and beautifully illustrated visuals, and communicates a complex message in a gentle, accessible way.

This animation was used on social media; later we also created the winter version that was shown on Elding whale watching boats.