Wisconsin Ignites Fusion
At UW–Madison
A powerful visual identity for harnessing the energy of the stars.
Wisconsin Ignites Fusion is a cross-campus collaborative effort to unify and align the fusion energy mission for Wisconsin. UW–Madison has five experimental devices, faculty from ten departments across three colleges, and has spun out four of the twenty-five fusion companies in the U.S.—all working to commercialize fusion technologies at every level and bring safe, clean energy to the state.
Our goals
- Build a cohesive co-brand for faculty and staff across campus.
- Showcase Wisconsin’s fusion innovation and research expertise.
- Educate general audiences about the history of fusion energy research at UW–Madison, and what its advancement could do for Wisconsin.
- Foster cross-campus cooperation and researcher recruitment.
- Translate complex research across audiences.
- Provide a centralized platform for the university’s fusion mission to grow.
The challenge
All cross-campus centers involve bringing members together, but those in Wisconsin Ignites Fusion were particularly disparate. Many researchers were working toward the commercialization of fusion energy without realizing the beneficial applications of each other’s work.
This campaign needed to centralize existing information amongst UW affiliates while also directing the messaging for a fusion future moving forward, educating policymakers and the public, and externally establishing the university as a leader of fusion science in the country.
Our approach
Across months, RIO worked with multiple members of the UW fusion community to develop each stage of a robust website. Our team not only designed education, recruitment, and schematic content for multiple audiences, but served as consultants to connect researchers with complementary work—all with the goal of commercialization in mind.
Our work included:
- Naming
- Branding development
- Logo design
- Strategic comms
- Content creation
- Web design & build
- Copywriting & editing
The website was the primary deliverable from this project, but the brand has also been applied to other fusion-related content on campus, including a whitepaper made for the Vice Chancellor for Research. The visuals needed to reflect the bold scientific mission of bringing the stars’ energy to earth through complex confinement devices.
RIO created the identity and then worked with numerous researchers to hone content and story on both the site and in public-facing collateral like the whitepaper, posters, 3D models, and conference materials. The black background was a tenacious choice that brings the night sky to the screen. The custom gradient work uses a plasma color scheme, including the bright magenta color that many plasmas glow in fusion devices. The rest of the design is clean and crisp, just like the intricate science required to produce fusion energy. Although a custom mark was not required, the tokamak-style symbol became an anchoring accent throughout the website. We thoughtfully designed materials with multiple perspectives in mind, all with a beautiful, space-inspired backdrop.
Educating industry, policymakers, & the public
A key goal of this site was to engage legislators and the public in learning about nuclear fusion in digestible ways, as it is a highly technical science very different from nuclear fission. A series of 101 pages, including About Fusion Energy, Why Fusion Energy?, Why Wisconsin?, and Supply Chain, provide framing information in understandable ways—answering important questions about UW’s expertise, and Wisconsin’s position in the emerging fusion energy ecosystem. This mission also included educating industry reps on how their materials, fuel gauges, diagnostic equipment, or electronics systems could ensure fusion’s transition from experiment to market.
Highlighting a glowing legacy
UW–Madison has history of fusion ingenuity and a strategic geographic location for the growing fusion energy ecosystem. The About Us page features UW fusion by the numbers and a 60-year timeline of historical milestones that place the university and the state at the epicenter of longterm research & development.
Unifying the UW fusion umbrella
This site compiles into one place the significant contributions of fusion research across campus. We designed the Fusion website to hinge on the UW–Madison brand, both as a callback to historical prestige and as a way to be inclusive of the community’s broad membership.
The Facilities menu details the specifics of each plasma device, including 3D renderings created by RIO with the support of each device’s PI. The R&D Frontiers menu leads visitors to details on each fusion-related program at UW–Madison—a critical ask of the fusion faculty for effective interdepartmental student recruitment. The Join Us page is the site’s primary call to action, encouraging anyone—from experts to members of the public—to ask questions and receive updates.
Built for more
The WiscWeb 2.0 platform made it easy for our team to design a flexible website that can grow alongside the lab. Streamlined navigation, adaptable content areas, and scalable information architecture make it easy for the UW fusion community to feature new industry collaborations, explain evolving methods, and recruit the next generation of fusion experts.
The impact
Through a co-branding approach, the Wisconsin Ignites Fusion materials draw on the strength of the UW–Madison brand while establishing a distinct identity for the cross-campus community.
The site creates clear pathways for students, faculty & researchers, collaborators, industry partners, and the public to learn everything about fusion energy—from the very basics of the powerful reaction to the technical details of each confinement device.
The results
A unifying, co-branded presence that reflects the legacy and forward momentum of UW–Madison’s fusion innovation.
Through close collaboration between researcher and communicator, complex science was transformed into clear, engaging content that helps each audience find what they need most. This foundation positions the community for continued growth, visibility, and impact as commercialized fusion energy comes to Wisconsin.
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