Case Study 008 → Ngaren
Announcing the beginning of everything: a first-of-its-kind museum exploring humanity’s origins, evolution, and responsibility to the planet.
In 2018, three years before his passing, legendary conservationist and paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey partnered with my former agency, Trollback + Company, Studio Libeskind and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center to help bring one of his final visions to life: Ngaren—The Museum of Humankind. Initially set to open in 2026 atop Kenya’s Rift Valley, the birthplace of our species, Ngaren was imagined as both a physical and philosophical space—inviting visitors to explore our shared ancestry, epic migrations, and future obligations to a rapidly changing planet. I was brought in at a critical early moment to help articulate this vision and shape Ngaren’s brand identity and online presence from the ground up, including:
Insights: Ngaren wasn’t just a museum—it was a message. In crafting the voice and brand language for the project, I had the rare opportunity to sit with Richard Leakey and hear, firsthand, his philosophy on evolution, environmentalism, and what he believed humanity needed most: a deeper understanding of our shared story. That clarity of mission—paired with a location as symbolic as the Rift Valley—meant that every line written for Ngaren had to carry both scientific gravitas and poetic weight. It was a lesson in communicating across disciplines: anthropology, climate science, architecture, and emotion.
Impact: Our brand and website launch attracted global press, high-profile donors, and significant institutional support—laying the strategic and emotional foundation for one of the most ambitious cultural initiatives on the African continent. The work helped galvanize early fundraising efforts and position Ngaren as both a legacy project and a future-facing beacon of scientific storytelling. Richard Leakey’s voice and vision live on in the materials we created—sparking conversations around our origins and our obligation to protect the only home we’ve ever known.