Australia’s new nation brand and tagline has been revealed in a bid to promote the country to the world – after the last logo was embarrassingly compared to a coronavirus particle.
A gold-coloured kangaroo, which was formed by three boomerangs, has been unveiled as Australia’s new brand logo after the old emblem was compared to a coronavirus particle during the first year of the pandemic.
The new nation brand logo features a gold-coloured kangaroo above the word “Australia”, which is written in a dark green, and complimented by an “Only in Australia” tagline.
The logo was found to be considered “representative of a modern, capable and inclusive country”, according to international and domestic research, and had the backing of the business industry – which wanted a “strong and consistent” nation brand to represent Australia.
It comes after the last logo, which was unveiled in July 2020, was criticized for its resemblance to a COVID-19 cell.
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The golden wattle-themed emblem, which surrounded the letters AU, was dropped shortly after it was revealed, with former federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham in August 2020 confirming its redesign was underway.
The development of Australia’s Nation Brand, which was released on Friday, was led by Australia’s Nation Brand Advisory Council.
It included business leaders such as Fortescue Metals and Future Industries Chair Andrew Forrest AO, Atlassian co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, and Vogue, GQ and Publisher Prestige Editor-in-Chief Edwina McCann.
Federal, State and Territory governments and more than 480 senior industry representatives were consulted throughout the brand development, while about 22,000 people in Australia and overseas took part in market testing.
“A strong nation brand and tagline will reinforce Australia’s reputation as an internationally competitive investment destination, a great place to visit, a quality provider of education, and a trusted exporter of premium goods and services,” Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said.
“Australia’s Nation Brand is more than just a logo and tagline.
“It is a holistic approach to selling what is unique about Australia to the world, backed up by a suite of marketing assets and research that is available for free to all Australian industry groups and businesses to help them grow and to support more Australian jobs.
“The Australian Government would like to thank the Nation Brand Advisory Council and the Brand Expert Working Group for their passion and hard work to deliver this project.”
The logo and tagline were developed through the Brand Advisory Council, with design agencies Clemenger BBDO Sydney, Balarinji and Houston Group Sydney.
“The kangaroo is bounding forward, reflecting Australia’s optimism. It is formed by a contemporary expression of three boomerangs,” Yanyuwa man, Balarinji Chair and Cultural Director, John Moriarty said.
“The head is the hooked ‘7’ boomerang used in ceremonies as a percussive instrument for song and dance. The body and tail are boomerangs used for hunting or foraging for food, or to connect with softwood to spark fire.
“This kangaroo tells the story of Country, of belonging and of living sustainably.”
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