Nationale Databank Flora & Fauna

Utrecht, The Netherlands - Product Design & Visual Identity

NDFF (Nationale Databank Flora en Fauna) is the central platform for collecting, validating and sharing biodiversity data in the Netherlands. The platform supports a broad and diverse ecosystem of users, ranging from citizen scientists and professional observers to validators, researchers and policy makers. Over the years, the platform had grown in complexity, with multiple tools and workflows that no longer aligned visually or functionally.

The challenge was to modernise the NDFF digital ecosystem by redesigning several data-heavy platforms, including input, output and validation portals, while renewing the visual identity and establishing a consistent design foundation. Accessibility, scalability and trust were key drivers throughout the project, as the platform plays an essential role in decision-making and research related to nature and biodiversity.

Through extensive collaboration with stakeholders and domain experts, user research and iterative design, complex workflows were restructured into clearer, more intuitive experiences. A scalable design system was introduced to ensure consistency across platforms, supported by an accessible color system and custom iconography designed to meet WCAG standards.

Alongside the platform redesign, the visual identity was refreshed to better reflect NDFF’s role as a reliable, future-proof data platform. The renewed identity balances clarity and neutrality with subtle references to nature, ensuring it supports the product without overpowering the content.

A next phase of this project focuses on the redesign of the validation portal. Due to confidentiality, this part of the work is currently under construction and cannot yet be shared publicly.