Meltdown Flags

Glaciers are a source of life — they hold 69% of all fresh water, providing millions with drinking water, power and irrigation. If global warming isn't stopped, they'll be gone by 2050. But that reality stays buried in climate data, far from everyday life.

Put the data where it can't be ignored — a nation's own flag. Reduce the amount of white in the flag to visualize how far that country's glaciers have retreated, and let national pride carry the message: even the most patriotic citizens react when their flag changes.

Hand-sewn flags that first appeared at COP25 in Madrid in December 2019 and became a protest symbol worldwide; a website to explore glacier retreat country by country and download the flags and typeface; lenticular installations that shift with the viewer's position; an Instagram AR filter activated by the flags; and MD-Font, a variable typeface whose weights — MD-1995, MD-2020, MD-2050 — let protesters represent the meltdown itself.

Adopted by climate movements as a real protest object, from COP25 onward. Recognized with a Red Dot Grand Prix, a Cannes Lions Silver, a Webby, and a D&AD Wood Pencil, among many others.