United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

logo mark for the United Nations—a global map with concentric circles and lines wrapped in a two-piece wreath

concept, art direction, visual identity, illustration, data visualization, publication design, print management, web design,

We’ve worked with various offices of the United Nations since 2008. The role of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is to mobilize and coordinate humanitarian efforts worldwide. With its partners, OCHA contributes to effective humanitarian response through coordination, advocacy, policy, information management, and humanitarian financing tools and services. The Climate Emergency Key Messages, presented at the 2022 Climate Change Conference, is a briefing that focuses on the humanitarian aspect of the climate crisis and includes data visualizations as well as global recommendations.

cover for key messages on the climate emergency with a child standing in a tree above flood waters
report page with drought maps
report page with a colorful infographic
report page with a child sitting in the foreground as adults in the background reach into water
cover for new and emerging tech report with stylized retro rell-to-reel computing, punchcard, and logic flow chart illustrations

As humanitarian crises become increasingly complex, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has soared. In order to meet this need, the technology the United Nations uses needs to shift. This policy paper details new and emerging technologies and their application in humanitarian action. In celebration of the United Nations’ 75th Anniversary, the inspiration for the illustrations throughout are of the UN’s first mainframe computer system, an IBM 7044/1401 used in 1965. Prior to this date the IBM mechanical punched card tabulator was used for tabulating and computing summary statistics, with Member States providing data on magnetic tape or punched card format.