Environmental Branding with Typography

The Australian Human Rights Commission wanted the opportunity, when they moved to their new offices, to express what they stood ready passionately for and believed in. If you are going to stand for anything in this life what better cause could there … Continue reading →

The Australian Human Rights Commission wanted the opportunity, when they moved to their new offices, to express what they stood ready passionately for and believed in. If you are going to stand for anything in this life what better cause could there be than Human Rights. BrandCulture were humbled by the opportunity to undertake this project in collaboration with Woodhead International Interiors team, Jones Lang Lasalle Property and Property Advisory Australia.

After the two World Wars and the atrocities that were suffered globally The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written. Quote ‘Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people’.

The above essential text resonates for all employees at this Australian Government department in one way or another. BrandCulture undertook a typographic exploration throughout the new office environment on Pitt Street, Sydney. There was a need for wayfinding and environmental graphics, which came together in a successful branded environment.

The wayfinding concept on the main public floor that houses the two large hearing rooms references famous Australian Human Rights activists. For the rest of the environment room numbers were integrated into the typographic designs on the entry doors for each room. Utility rooms were identified using typography applied to the end sections of door entries so they could be seen from down the corridor.

Check out more images of this project here, we hope you enjoy it ->> >Every Voice – Australian Human Rights Commission

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DMI nightout – Sydney

Last night BrandCulture were participating in the inaugural DMI Nightout Sydney, one of 12 events organised in cities around the world this month. Gathered for a relaxed evening at COFA were senior representatives from a broad spectrum of design including … Continue reading →

Last night BrandCulture were participating in the inaugural DMI Nightout Sydney, one of 12 events organised in cities around the world this month.

Gathered for a relaxed evening at COFA were senior representatives from a broad spectrum of design including architects, product designers, graphic designers, academics and more. The evening delivered insights, discussion and healthy debate around the topic of ‘Inspiring, design entrepreneurship (and intrapreneurship): initiative, innovation and risk’.

One of the many questions posed was: What do you think makes the design industry unique in this country?

Many views were put forward around this question but by far the most popular revolved around the notion that Australia is a young melting pot of influences that being geographically distant from many of the design capitals of the world, makes it an ideal test bed for ideas. We’re pragmatic, resourceful and being a comparatively small market means we can respond quickly to trends and challenges… With the world today being so connected, we have a wonderful opportunity and responsibility to embrace and use design innovation to elevate the industry here to a whole new and truly global level.

Do you agree? Disagree? Have your own theory?

If this kind of event sounds like your thing, maybe we’ll see you at the next one.

For those not familiar, the DMI or Design Management Institute is a global body that connects the world’s design leaders to the inspiration, knowledge and community that they need to succeed. Nightout events aim to do this on a local level. For more info including dates for future events, see www.dmi.org

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With great power comes great responsibility…CSR.

The above image is the founding members of the Justice League, an organization comprised of the world’s most powerful super-heroes dedicated to fighting crime and injustice! Sure super hero stories are aimed at guiding our youth, but they contain the … Continue reading →

The above image is the founding members of the Justice League, an organization comprised of the world’s most powerful super-heroes dedicated to fighting crime and injustice! Sure super hero stories are aimed at guiding our youth, but they contain the core beliefs and values that make the world a better place.

So what’s the protocol when you work for a business, large or small? Where do we draw the line in the sand so to speak, is your conscience a clear reflection of the business you work in, can a corporation have a social conscience?

CSR – Corporate social responsibility or otherwise known as corporate conscience is a major influence in not only the design industry but the way we operate on a day-to-day basis. In a perfect world corporations would all employ a CSR policy that would not just ‘sugar coat’ business activities to make them look good but would implement effective policies that in turn would influence the way they do business and thus have a positive bearing on todays major issues such as poverty, education, sustainability, ethics, globalisation, governance, responsible finance etc… However this is not a perfect world and profitability is the driving force and ultimate goal of most CEO’s, which is scary considering some organisations hold more power than most governments. They are better synchronized, faster to make decisions, and possess more tools to influence and change the economy and in turn effect all of us, now more than ever before.

We highlighted the importance of good design (previous post – ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’) and the ability to incorporate creative thinking to solve a common problem, ‘sustainability’ being the number one priority in the public eye right now, and for good reason. Good design equals a smarter choice, better internal and external support and solid longevity of these decisions being made in the process. For a long time, and speaking very generally here, companies would keep their CSR policies private and feed the masses with propaganda through the media which was in a big part controlled by those exact companies (partly through their advertising budget). Over the last decade or so, the power of the media is slowly filtering back to the individual, people power is on the rise and the ‘little guys’ have a voice through social media where we get to decide on what’s interesting and important. This is making companies take CSR much more seriously, anyone can be a whistleblower and the smallest problem can shoot to the top of the media in hours.

We are in a world that questions company motives, there was a time where the end product was all that mattered, the process was their intellectual property, and over saturation of big brands seemed imminent, Nike was made cool through celebrities (looking for yet another pay cheque), but did we ever question where and how our football boots were made? Some of us maybe but most were just happy to be wearing the same shoes as Michael Jordan. If you’re actually interested in Nikes CSR check out their website, they’ve designed a page dedicated to their efforts on creating a more sustainable brand.

Where do we fit in, Brandculture that is?  We constantly strive to impart wisdom through our design process, our objective is to add heart, soul and culture into an environment, resulting in the observer to stop, think and understand the importance of the companies identity and their own, building brand values through story telling. Brandculture has a solid CSR model in place, we understand the importance of having one, we continue to utilize sustainable design when it comes to all of our projects through sharing knwledge, choice in materiality and production processes. We endeavour to instil a better level of social conscience and try to encourage lateral thinking through our work, actively engaging all employees to be a part of the outcome.

One hundred percent sustainability in a business is unattainable, however good design and creative thinking are both valuable tools in the composition of Corporate Social Responsibility, both powerful ingredients in the fight for a more sustainable future. We were humbled by the opportunity to partake in work for the AHRC – Australian Human Rights Commission, the project was titled ‘Every Voice’, a powerful testament to what they do as an organisation. Most of our projects incapsulate these ideals in communicating good brand values to create a better work place and social conscience.

You are responsible for your own actions, don’t abdicate responsibility, you have the ability to create change for the better, small and large. Your voice might is not insignificant but one of many, you can alter our world for the greater good of mankind……

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What’s the time Mr Wolf…?

Manipulated image referenced above is a Tex Avery illustration (he made Little Red Riding hood sexy, think of  ’Who Framed Roger Rabbit’) It’s time to re-evaluate the status quo, time to tap into our roots and discover what it really … Continue reading →

Manipulated image referenced above is a Tex Avery illustration (he made Little Red Riding hood sexy, think of  ’Who Framed Roger Rabbit’)

It’s time to re-evaluate the status quo, time to tap into our roots and discover what it really means to design…So the destructive process of planned obsolescence isn’t really getting us anywhere (see last post ‘how long will it last…) let’s discuss the importance of good sustainable design. Design that is no longer about ‘patching’ up a problem (physical or economical), design that isn’t focused on consumption as its primary objective but design that concentrates less on the material and more towards lateral thinking.

We mentioned a couple of products in the last post that were good examples of ‘Heirloom Design’, products built to last and attain their desirability over time, however it should be noted that when creating such a product a certain type of thought process is implemented. We at BrandCulture understand the importance of creative thinking, we know design has the ability to transcend beyond a physical object and in to the subconscious. Design is more than just the aesthetic, it must be functional, evoke emotion, adapt and ultimately solve a common problem with a sustainable solution.

Take the two projects we did for Sydney Water for example. Without going into the jobs in to much detail (Potts Hill & Parramatta) the objective was to not just create ‘pretty’ pictures on any given wall, sure it’s nice to have something to look at it in the work place but there has to be meaning behind it, it has to have purpose. This purpose should then give birth to emotion and help the observer find the connection or relationship between his or her environment. It instills a sense of identity and thus highlights the importance of culture and context.

BrandCulture ‘s objective for every environmental branding project is to encourage creative thinking through the built environment; a work-place (habitat) that stimulates senses, thought and behaviour resulting in thinking laterally about ones surroundings, continuing the practice of good design that is Semi-permanent and inturn sustainable. Think less visual noise and more about the brand story that will be owned by the people who inhabit those spaces.

Above (left to right): Sydney Water – Potts Hill ‘Memoirs’ and Parramatta ‘The Journey’.

Over the last decade there has been significant change in many matters, from Global Warming to Health and Security,  now design is slowly reverting back to its origins, no longer preoccupied with creating stylish, popular objects but more focused on longevity, identity and sustainability. BrandCulture believes this should’ve been and should always be the case. We must not only concentrate on creating physical products that last, but also strive towards designing working and social environments that encourage and arouse the creative thinking process, through smart and innovative design we can truly make the world a better place to live in.

Ingrid is the President of the International Association for Community Development and is committed to fostering an international dialogue about designing innovative methodologies for sustainable development.

If you’d like to take some time out, we suggest you watch this interesting TED talk from Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO) on the subject at hand.

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“How long will it last…”?

Lego sculpture by Nathan Sawaya Planned Obsolescence and perceived obsolescence…? Either of these terms ring a bell? When was the last time you bought a product knowing full well it was built to last, so sure of your purchase that … Continue reading →

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