This project introduces a participatory generative identity system that is part of a design strategy action to support agroecological value chains in Brazil's Atlantic Forest-one of the world's most biodiverse yet endangered ecosystems. Focusing on the Juçara palm (Euterpe edulis), a symbol of sustainable transition, the system blends computational and strategic territorial design to add cultural and economic value to local products and commercial chains. Developed using p5.js and p5.brush, producers can generate fexible, context-refexive visual identities based on modular elements drawn from local fauna, fora, and culture. These components follow DNA-based generative branding principles-variation in color, shape transformation, repetition, and composition to refect the context of place. Users access the open-source tool via an online interface to customize layouts and adjust graphic variables. Currently in the middle of the project, beyond the intended functionalities of design sofware, the research explores emergent behaviors such as community ownership over identity, novel product uses like the fruit-based product over palmito extraction, and new geographical indications facilitated by a shared visual language.
The Atlantic Forest, a biodiverse and endangered ecosystem, sustains 70% of Brazil’s population
and 80% of its GDP [
The generative design functions as the channel through which the narrative of E. edulis is
represented. The visual identity will adhere to what Felsing describes in her work as
’contextrefexive,’ meaning it borrows and reproduces cultural and geographical features of a specifc
context [
These elements can be combined in various ways, resulting in unique outcomes each time,
which Nes categorizes as the ’DNA’ type of generative identities [
The system adopts the chalk-texture aesthetic used by existing regional initiatives like VRS (Sustainable Regional Vocations of Paraná) as in Figure 3, enabling future compatibility with existing regional eforts, as a strategic ally to leverage the project.
A proof-of-concept generative identity was developed using p5.js and p5.brush. Each of the elements – the fruit, the bird, and the person – shared common layers: background fll hatch, texture hatch, circle coordinates, and special features, colored with RGB interpolation, and slight coordinate perturbations. Each of these layers are separated in diferent functions with they own settings:
– Background fill hatch: A function that utilizes the full spectrum of colors from a given element and the circle’s radius to determine the hatch’s spacing and size. It uses a custom charcoal brush for its execution.
– Texture hatch: Similar to the background fll hatch, but with more spaced lines. It uses a customized hatch brush, colored in random darker shades derived from the background fll hatch color.
– Circle coordinates: These function as containers for the hatches, enveloping the lines within circular shapes. Each circle is formed by four rounded vertices, creating an overall circular appearance. Due to the generative nature of the VI, slight variations in the x, y coordinates of each circle result in unique shapes every time.
– Special features: Each element has its unique features with distinct drawing mechanics. For instance, birds have beaks and wings that are unlike the features of a person. Separated by each JavaScript fle, these parts were drawn from the center of the circle coordinates, keeping them aligned with the rest of the drawing.
These elements are modular and combined through user-selected parameters, displayed in Figure 4, like size, spacing, and label.
With the generative approach, diferent producers could generate their own styles while still
being part of a group – mobilizing the territory collectively to communicate using a shared ‘tone of
voice’, as in Figure 5. This empowered the community to begin organizing toward acquiring a
geographical indication, transitioning to a more strategic territorial design using packaging as the
interface. Enabling producers to tell more of their identity and consumers to have a better
understanding of the local bioeconomy [
The project used COLIPA as its case study. Afer sessions, visits, and interviews with their producers and consumers, the project developed new versions that aligned with the territory’s organizations, were displayed at the biggest organic food fair in Latin America, as in Figure 6.
With the support of institutions and local producers, the project has reached the frst step of its goal: promoting existing products through a new interface. It marks a transition from the sale of unpackaged goods to a democratic packaging system that communicates both territorial identity and the individuality of each producer through their visual markers, as shown in Figure 7. This efort is part of a broader movement that this project will continue to build, to build a territorial strategy that fosters coordination and promotes new value chains.
Afer the frst iteration, the project entered a new phase of evolution. COLIPA, now deeply engaged, began to recognize the communicative potential of expressing both the values of their territory - the Atlantic Rainforest - and their own collective identity. Through three participatory co-creation sessions, the project developed a new brand identity specifcally for their group, rooted in a more nuanced understanding of their needs, aspirations, and local narratives.
Transitioning to the new visual language, the identity maintained its generative essence through the modular elements - the cooperative’s name, the birds, the fower, the palm tree, and the mountain, which can be represented in many diferent ways and colors, refecting the product that it is applied to, from digital assets for social media displayed on Figure 9 or for packaging purposes like in Figure 10.
However, the key transformation occurred in the medium of interaction. What had initially existed as a digital experience evolved into a tactile and analog one. The members began experiencing the generative identity through stamps and stickers, applying them across diverse surfaces and products, creating a tangible layer of authorship and personalization.
At present, the project’s scope has expanded beyond the Juçara to encompass the broader context of the Atlantic Rainforest from the perspective of COLIPA. The digital platform is being recoded to refect the new generative nature of the cooperative’s visual identity, ensuring that the packaging system evolves in tandem with the cooperative’s growing use and ownership of the identity. More importantly, the process has reshaped the cooperative’s perception of design itself to a strategic asset capable of strengthening their mission: to preserve the forest while empowering family-based agroecology.
The main conclusion drawn from this experience - both for the author and for the broader creative coding community - is that generative uniqueness and identity need not exist solely within lines of code. In this context, each module’s individuality can also emerge through physical expression: the way a sticker is placed, the pressure of a stamp, or the density of its ink can all become new variables in the system. These tactile nuances expand the variability, introducing fresh parameters for variation and authorship.
Ultimately, code becomes just one of many channels - alongside stamps, textures, and gestures through which generative identity can manifest. For designers, this underscores a crucial lesson: the representation of a project’s goals must align with the community it seeks to empower, allowing design to remain both technically adaptive and socially grounded.
During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used GPT-4.0 to: Translate, grammar, and spelling check. Afer using these tool(s)/service(s), the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the publication’s content.
The project can be accessed at https://github.com/phrm000/ldc-jucara.