It’s such a great feeling when you receive a publication of such calibre as InDesign Magazine, you open it to find your work beautifully displayed over numerous pages with the words “Still Leading Edge”

As described by Paul McGillick, Editorial Director of InDesign ” The MLC & NAB Wealth Campus at North Sydney brings together a number of stories like the tributaries of river coming together. The commercial story, the architectural story and the history as a working environment” What a great project to be involved in!

The MLC Campus is an icon in its own right; once the largest commercial building in Australia and start of the new Central Business District that is now North Sydney. This defining building was designed by Bates Smart Architects and opened in 1957 by

Prime Minister Menzies to great fanfare….Read more

More publications……

segdDESIGN have recently published their magazine, issue 34 which features BrandCulture’s World Square Car Park. Their statement, says ” Whether they’re placemaking, camouflaging, or guiding, these parking garage graphics put the FUN in functional….” here here!!

Multi storey car parks have a complex set of navigation challenges for a wayfinding designer to address. Consideration for the needs of pedestrians and motorists – differentiating between arrival and departure journeys as well as service or vendor routes. Competing distractions vying for driver attention i.e. the hunt for vacant spaces, absent minded pedestrians and reversing cars all need to be taken into account. Unlike many environments where the design brief is for discrete solutions that remain largely invisible until required, a car park of this size needs clear advice that is hard to miss.

Our research showed that the line of sight for the two main users, ie motorists and pedestrians and truly understanding the traffic flow of the space used were key to creating an innovative wayfinding system. These principles ultimately led to a better understanding of how cognitive mapping and circulatory navigation would help the outcome. Using intuitive design featuring full height icons, type and colours viewable over long distances; the second from the more elevated position of a pedestrian standing, the experiential factor then became a differentiator between this car park and so many others around the globe, and helped gain industry best recognition.

What a great way to start the year, BrandCulture have just received their brand-new, shiny copy of “Follow Me – Wayfinding & Signage System” by SendPoints Publishing which includes four of our projects; Sydney Water Parramatta, World Square Car Park, Mirvac Perth and UTS – Find & Discover.

As we believe, wayfinding is ultimately a science: the science of helping people find their way around. But just as importantly, there is an art to creating appealing, logical wayfinding systems as key opportunities to connect and communicate. When done successfully, wayfinding is a discipline that understands how individuals make decisions and perceive the environment when navigating unfamiliar spaces, and then responds with intuitive, aesthetically appealing results.

Wayfinding can be defined as spatial problem solving. It is knowing where you are in a building or an environment, knowing where your desired location is, and knowing how to get there from your present location. A good wayfinding system gives strong indicators of where the user is and how to get to her destination from her present location. Wayfinding problems occur when decisions cannot be executed.

With each project we take a scientific and creative approach to designing Wayfinding systems that have meaning and impact. This publication contains 126 applications and 49 concepts, sharing international knowledge and pioneering new concepts and designs for wayfinding, in the built environment.

BrandCulture features as an Award winner in the SEGD’s most recent publication no. 33 for the ‘Find & Discover’ environmental graphics and way-finding project undertaken for the University of Technology Sydney 2010- read more….

This project also made it as an AGDA (Australian Graphic Designers Association) finalist 2010 – read more…

Over the years, the SEGD Awards have reflected the depth and breath of environmental graphic design, demonstrating its increasingly important role in how people perceive, navigate and use public spaces. There were a total of 452 entries from which 28 projects were selected for recognition and these projects exemplify how human-centred visual communications can help users and make our world a better place!

Since 1978 SEGD has honoured the highest standards of excellence in the environmental graphic design through the SEGD Designs program. This issue represents the SEGD’s most international and diverse group of projects to date, so check it out!

SEGD exists to create educational and professional development resources for a diverse multidisciplinary community of people who practice environmental graphic design.  www.segd.com

BrandCulture’s work for George Weston Foods features in the recent September Desktop magazine.

BrandCulture was a finalist in the Desktop 2011 Qantm Create Design Awards for the Identity Branding work done earlier in the year for George Weston Foods.

BrandCulture created a new Corporate Identity for George Weston Foods – a part of Associated British Foods, a company that has an annual turnover of around $11 billion. In fact 90% of Australian households consume one of their products every day so we all know their consumer brands; Tip Top, Abbotts Village Bakery, Golden Crumpets, Wagon Wheels, Bazaar, Don Smallgoods and there are also a fair few commercial brands like Jasol, KP Castlemaine, Top Taste and Cereform.

The identity needed to respect these brands in their new office environment but at the same time position it as a contemporary leading Australian Corporation. The new line is ‘ the best food in the business’ – Read more…

BrandCulture’s Creative Director, Stephen Minning talks to InDesign about Corporate identity and branded environments and as said by Ola Bednarczuk (Editor) – “Digging in and finding that magic” is one of the ways Stephen Minning describes the work of his company. Read the full article here.

Here is update as to what has been happening with BrandCulture over the past few months.

Braun Publishers (Switzerland) are publishing ‘Signage Design’ this November and are including 4 of BrandCulture’s to University of Technology, World square car park, Sydney Water and George Weston foods projects to be included.

UTS new collaborative space in the main tower is about to get a fresh new look after Hames Sharley have created 2 new lab spaces and a collaborative central atrium space below the glowing neon balls in tower 4.

CBAs new offices (Financial review article) at darling harbor incorporates a flagship branch at street level, BrandCulture have designed the feature installation in collaboration with Davenport Campbell and the CBA team to be installed for the opening in early September. BrandCulture have also been awarded the St James branch to create a separate feature installation later in the year.

Australian Human Right Commission moves into a new headquarters designed by Woodhead on Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD and we are branding the environment with the universal declaration of human rights across 3 floors. Office of the Australian Information Commissioner have a new office as a sub tenant if the AHRC and have decided on a design that reflects their interwoven culture and integrated approach to communications and information.

MLC Campus in North Sydney, in the 50s it was a defining piece of architecture, in 2002 the interiors were a benchmark of office environments, now Woods Bagot and BrandCulture are collaborating once again on the new latest and greatest development to the building.

More to come, so keep checking……

Our beautiful new copy of the AGDA 2010 Awards Compendium arrived and I wanted to make you aware of it!

The book is full of wonderful projects by some great designers and agencies. As you know, our wayfinding project ‘Find & Discover’ for UTS was a finalist in last year’s AGDA Awards and it has also received great recognition internationally, including some wonderful inclusions in various design publications plus we were awarded a Merit Award at this year’s 2011 SEGD Awards.

Frame Publication have just published a new book: Colour Hunting: How Colour Influences What We Buy, Make and Feel explores the very depths of the subject. BrandCulture have a 3 page spread on the World Square Car Park for Multiplex.

The book is categorized into three chapters. In the first chapter, ‘Commerce’ (buying/ selling), experts cast a light on colour trends and dissect the use of colour in branding messages. The following chapter, ‘Aesthetics’ (making), offers an insight into the conceptual use of colour, as well as the challenges and techniques entailed when applying colour to a wide range of materials. The relationship between body, mind and colour forms the focus of the ‘Wellbeing’ (feeling) chapter. Additionally, facts about colour interspersed throughout the book trace what colour has meant to people and cultures down through the ages in every part of the world.

This book takes us on a colourful journey, hunting out and broadening our horizons into the immense potential of colour. With an appreciation of every nuance, tone, tint and shade, the possibilities are truly infinite.

www.framemag.com

Publication Details
Title: Colour Hunting
Subtitle: How Colour Influences What We Buy, Make and Feel
Release date: June 2011
Author: Jeanne Tan
Compiled by: Hanneke Kamphuis and Hedwig van Onna
Published by: Frame Publishers
Language: English
Size: 200 x 265 mm portrait
Format: 264 pages, full colour, hard cover
Price: €49.90 (excluding shipping costs)

We are proud to announce another award win for BrandCutlure for it’s submission in this years SEGD Awards.

There were a total of 452 entries from which 28 projects were selected for recognition. Once again UTS – Find & Discover, received a Merit award, the SEGD’s second highest award in the program.

The Jury comments:
“An incredibly cohesive environment, with the environmental graphics working hand-in-hand with the architecture and machinery. The floor graphics are appropriate for the user and space, effectively combining wayfinding, interpretive graphics, and safety.”

“Very simply, the environmental graphics work. Color and type and graphics are done sensitively and are appropriate to the environment.”

The Award ceremony this year was at Hyatt Regency, Montreal for the 2011 SEGD Conference+Expo+Awards.

As you are aware from a previous post, BrandCulture were acknowledged as a finalist at the 2010 AGDA Awards for their design – Find & Discover  - The University of Technology, which has now also been recognised world wide in several publications (Asia Pacific, Archiworld, Follow Me!)

AGDA are in the process of publishing their 2010 Awards Book, where you can find our work. We will let you know page numbers and image references as soon as the book has been published.

Cost:
Members – $135AUD
Non members – $175AUD

www.awards.agda.com.au/book/select

Another publication – Archiworld have recently published 5 of our projects (Mirvac Perth, XYZnetworks, Sydney Water, World Square Car Park) in their new book: Sign A to Z.

‘SIGN A to Z’, is a sign collection to satisfy the necessity of information on signs that play functioning as an indicator of the spatial culture and modern life. This volume covers not only the signs of the domestic and international spaces, but also the package designs applied to products and envelopes along with their drawings. The body of the book consists of sections classified by titles in A to Z order and also features the signs of recently completed spatial projects to give an insight to the flow of contemporary sign design. The photographs of interior spaces provide readers with better understanding by going further than merely presenting the signs. The included CD contains the materials of the projects featured in the book, helping the general public and the hands-on workers to look at the project with more profound perspective and make new ideas.

Language : English, Korean
Color : Full Color
Cover : Hard cover
Page : 272 Page
Price : US $90, 95000

www.archiworld-pa.com

Dopress Publishing have recently published a new Wayfinding and Signage System book: Follow M.

The book includes great examples of environmental graphic designs worldwide, covering a wide range of works such as university, urban, resort, hotel, retail, park, zoo, heritage, car parking, transport, library, museum, exhibition, hospital, health-care, sport, office, and so on.
Brandculture were asked to be part of this great issue which includes 4 of their projects: Mirvac Western Australia, Sydney Water Paramatta, World Square Car Park and UTS.

Above: World Square Car Park ‘lost & found’ project.

Author: Dopress Books, China
Basic Information: 210x280mm, 352pages, English edition

BrandCulture published this month in Asia-Pacific Design VI.

Author： Sandu Publishing Co., Limited
Basic Informatiion：248*290mm, hardcover, 464 pages,English/Chinese
List Price：US$ 72/copy

Asia-Pacific Design (APD in short) has been published by Sandu Cultural Media Co., Ltd. and Design 360o-Concept and Design Magazine together with the efforts’ famous designers all over the world since 2005. It has been a well-known brand in Asia-Pacific region and a top representative of graphic design in this region. It has been preferred by design agencies and professional designers continuously. It has been supported by many design organizations and media. As the top authoritative design almanac in China, it has been the collection of libraries of colleges and universities from Mainland of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea ect. It is the sixth version, this year.

www.sandu360.com

The main workshop floor required a clearly delineated walkway for safety, this feature became the key graphic wayfinding interpretation. The system had to resolve two issues: to find machines by number; and to lead the eye to several displays celebrating the students work. The result pays tribute to modern iconic graphic styling with an engineering influence, featuring bold use of the flooring area.

The University of Technology – Find & Discover – view pics in our portfolio section here >>>

BrandCulture submitted this project and made to a finalist position. Three of us attended the awards ceremony at Southbank in Brisbane and had a really enjoyable evening. Seeing the talent Australia is putting out and attracting is very empowering and motivating and we wish everyone who was there the best of luck for the next awards in two years time.

Tony Bacic (BrandCulture – Design Director) & Sarah Estens (Frost – Senior Designer) in front of the award finalist boards at the entrance. Center pic is the bar upstairs in  Cloud Land that was frequented both night by the BC reps, great bar a bit like the Ivy in Sydney but pushing it a bit further. Right pic is the day after, Gordon Eckel (BrandCulture – Business Director) & Stephen Minning (Creative Director).

Walking about Brisbane the day of the awards ceremony we came across a few interesting buildings, this one reminiscent of the air flowing over a grassy field definitely caught the eye.

Another interesting building facade that must of taken an enormous amount of effort to produce, looks like a topographic map.