What a difference a few months can make. We’ve seen a minority government take power in Tasmania, bringing with it an interesting set of new ideas that have influenced our thinking and process.

In response to our first creative pitch, we’ve also experienced some healthy feedback, both positive and negative, which has been invaluable. To our slight surprise, the poll results for the creative pitch have mirrored the previous poll findings, which suggested the Tasmanian Devil is a marginally more popular state symbol than the Thylacine.

More importantly, there is a genuine hunger to find a more contemporary, less pictorial expression of Tasmanian identity, as shown by the relative popularity of the partially abstract “Innovation State” concept, which experienced a winning 45% of the total votes. We received passionate and well reasoned feedback particularly from fellow designers, some of which argued that we didn’t go far enough to discover any new ideas. This is a criticism we cop on the chin, mindful that the first round of ideas were creative expressions of rational opinions, collected through the open forum.

Right now, we are putting the finishing touches on a concept which has evolved out of the Innovation State idea, inspired by everything the project has thrown up so far. It’s a solution we are proud to put our name to, and one we believe is a comprehensive response to the brief. Thanks for being a part of this process, check back soon for our latest creative pitch and your chance to shape the project.

A few quick shots of Bicheno and Freycinet over a wet couple of days. There are a handful of interesting patterns and textures emerging that we’ll be using as inspiration in our design development.

Read more

From antique hand-lettering and stone-carved signage to engraved monuments and contemporary sign-writing, the harbour side city of Hobart boasts a slew typographic treasures for the type-inclined eye.

Read more

After a short break we’ve jumped back into the project with some fresh energy, having now completed both the stage one findings and the creative brief. Sifting through all of the discussion so far, we were quite humbled by the response and are really excited by the creative potential that exists in this swirling mix of thoughts, ideas and opinions.

As with anything on our blog, we are really keen to hear your feedback so don’t be shy. We are currently gathering our thoughts and nutting out the plan of attack for the design phase, so stay tuned as things will be heating up in the coming days and weeks.

Click here to download findings document (PDF)

Click here to download creative brief (PDF)

We have now officially concluded the the first phase of our project, having closed off the polls and published all perspective pieces. We have been overwhelmed by the ideas, enthusiasm and support over the past six weeks and now have a heap of valuable information to digest and collate.  But, your input doesn’t stop here… Read more

An interesting idea has been floated in The Mercury today. The obvious question remains to be answered, will it be viable? But great to see some fresh, bold thinking getting a bit of air time regardless.

Last Friday, after a solid week of coverage and discussion, our project attracted some scrutiny from Tim Sauer of Sandy Bay, via a letter to the editor in The Mercury. Below is the letter and then my response. Read more

“For two hundred years visual images of the extinct Thylacine, or Tasmanian ‘tiger’, have played an important role in influencing attitudes and actions toward the species and suggesting how this animal is perceived”. Imaging the Thylacine from Trap to Laboratory was an exhibition held at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and is thoroughly documented online here. Read more

When approaching any identity or branding project, it is important to conduct a complete review of the current brand footprint. This audit looks at all aspects of the brands communication strategy and evaluates effectiveness, strengths, weaknesses, and potential for improvement. A crucial aspect of this journey is also to understand the visual landscape that the brand inhabits. Read more

We’ve had some very interesting discussions already about the visible issues of symbolism and we’ve also opened the lid on the topic of typography. Before making a decision to employ a symbol, or a type style, as brand designers we first have to establish a clear picture of the heart and soul* of what we are trying to communicate. Read more