Ontario, like many parts of the world, is experiencing a biodiversity crisis. A crisis which can be especially highlighted by the decline of our native pollinator species. The root of this issue lies in the decline of our native plant species. Species which have co-evolved for thousands of years with our native pollinators and as a result, best support each other. However, if you look around your city, you will struggle to find many of these native plants. An issue which becomes increasingly concerning as our cities grow. This is where Ontario Roots was born. It provides a way to increase biodiversity in Ontario’s cities by making native plants more accessible while also educating the public on their importance. This two part approach proves to have the largest reach, resulting in the largest difference made in the future of our pollinators. 

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Due to a common misconception about native plants being “weedy,” the branding of Ontario Roots was intentionally kept simple to allow for the beauty of the native flowers and plants to stand out.

 

Although it is always important that the UI and UX of a website feel familiar, it is especially important in this situation since the concept of ordering plants online is not familiar to many people. It is important that this experience and process feel no different than ordering clothes and so the website was designed to look and feel like the majority of e-commerce sites people already interact with. 

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Click on the videos in the gallery below to learn about the social media strategy.