Where science meets the sea: Showcasing the RRS Discovery
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is one of the world’s leading ocean science institutions, dedicated to understanding our changing oceans through world-class research, technology and innovation.
SandisonPay was brought in to help apply the visual system across key communications – including a detailed brochure and infographic for one of the organisation’s flagship research vessels: the RRS Discovery.
About the RRS Discovery
The current RRS Discovery – commissioned in 2013, is a purpose-built, deep-sea research ship operated by NOC. Equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, heavy-lift capabilities and long-range endurance, it plays a critical role in UK and international ocean science. From climate change to seabed exploration, it supports the work of researchers across multiple disciplines and organisations.
We were tasked with bringing NOC’s new brand identity to life across the RRS Discovery brochure, a key marketing asset used to promote the ship’s facilities and capabilities to partners, scientists and stakeholders.




As part of the project, we also developed a custom infographic showing the full internal layout of the ship – translating technical plans into a clear, compelling visual that showcases the vessel’s complexity. This was a highly detailed and collaborative piece of work, requiring precision and creative problem-solving to make the information accessible and engaging without oversimplifying the science.
A fascinating brand to collaborate with
As part of the process, we were invited to visit NOC on-site in Southampton, where we met with the in-house teams and had a chance to tour the facility. Seeing the scale of their research first-hand, from autonomous submersibles to global data modelling, gave us a real appreciation of the organisation’s mission and the impact of their work.


Claire Pay, Founder, SandisonPay
“It’s not every day you get to work on a vessel that travels the world for science. This was a fascinating brand to collaborate with – and visiting NOC in person only deepened our admiration. We left full of ideas, inspiration and a huge respect for what the team is doing behind the scenes.”