Step Outside the Yellow Box

Morgan Goerke, a student at Texas Christian University, reimagined National Geographic’s iconic yellow rectangle as a gateway to adventure in her award-winning project, “Step Outside the Yellow Box,” which earned Gold at the New Talent Awards 2024. By creating a line of outdoor gear and a vibrant social media campaign, Morgan transformed the brand’s legacy of storytelling into a call to action—inviting audiences to step beyond observation and into real-world exploration. Her concept bridges National Geographic’s rich history with hands-on adventure, inspiring everyone to live the stories they love.

By: Morgan Goerke, Student, Texas Christian University

For this project, I aimed to push the boundaries of National Geographic’s brand, expanding beyond its well-known platforms of publications and television. The challenge was creating a brand extension that would resonate with National Geographic’s dedicated audience while inspiring them to step out into the world they’ve spent so much time reading and watching about. After much consideration, I decided to develop a line of outdoor gear that would empower people to embark on their own adventures, echoing National Geographic’s mission of exploration and discovery.

The concept I developed centers around National Geographic’s instantly recognizable yellow rectangle logo. I wanted to transform this symbol from merely a graphic element into a powerful metaphor. The idea of “stepping outside of the yellow box” emerged, suggesting that National Geographic’s audience could take what they have learned from the brand and apply it in real life by exploring the natural world rather than just observing it through books or documentaries. This tagline encapsulates the essence of the brand’s evolution into the outdoor gear space.

The social media campaign itself was designed to convey this call to action visually. The creative features three distinct outdoor activities, each showcasing a person or group moving beyond the boundaries of the yellow rectangle. Whether it’s hiking, camping, or kayaking, the imagery captures the dynamic energy of exploration. The goal was to inspire viewers to take action—motivating them not just to dream about exploring the world but to step outside and experience it firsthand.

Ultimately, this project was about creating a tangible link between National Geographic’s rich history of storytelling and the physical, hands-on experience of engaging with the environment. By offering gear that enables real-world exploration, I hoped to ignite a sense of adventure in the brand’s global community, encouraging them to live out the stories they’ve come to love.

Morgan Goerke is currently a student at Texas Christian University. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Morgan is the youngest of six kids, which has led her to thrive in chaos and learn to use her voice. Driven by a passion for both the creative and analytical, she will soon hold degrees in both physics and graphic design, combining the scientific process with artistic innovation. Her determination fuels a constant pursuit of discovery, whether through observing the “why” behind everyday phenomena or designing visual concepts that communicate complex ideas. With an innate ability to leverage insights from one field into the other, she brings momentum and energy to every project, flourishing at the intersection of creativity and logic.

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