Australia’s Nation Brand Mark

Australian businesses and industry have long called for a strong and consistent nation brand to address a perceived ‘uncoordinated and fragmented’ approach by Australia on the world stage. The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper recommended Australia develop a stronger nation brand. The nation brand had to be recognised as quintessentially Australian, create pride among Australians, as well as have an innovative edge and sector-agnostic design. Importantly, research showed the majority of Australians saw having an Indigenous design reflected in the nation brand as important.

Balarinji’s response to the Nation Brand Mark brief is strongly Indigenous and recognisably Australian domestically and internationally. The authentic Indigenous narrative was important for best practice protocols around the use of Indigenous imagery. Balarinji created a unique and contemporary Mark featuring Australia’s most recognisable symbol, the kangaroo, in a way that reflects Australia as a future facing nation. The kangaroo is meaningful to cultural identity in many parts of Aboriginal Australia, and fondly ubiquitous for all Australians. The Mark represents contemporary Australian design excellence from an authentic and contemporary response to Country, informed by Aboriginal knowledge, stories and culture.

The cultural magnitude of the new Nation Brand Mark is immense as it marks a significant change in how we identify ourselves as a nation as one that embraces its rich 60,000+ year-old Aboriginal heritage. The Mark has been very well received after it tested extremely well in international and domestic market research that showed it was considered representative of a modern, capable and inclusive country. This Mark is special as it is a first for Australia. A distinctively Indigenous logo that will brand the nation with our foundational story as Australians in the world.

The Kangaroo Mark is authentic. It is formed by a contemporary expression of three boomerangs. The head is the hooked ‘7’ boomerang used in ceremonies as a percussive, rhythmic 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. For Balarinji Co-Founder and Cultural Director, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty AM, the Mark is a restorative statement by a nation that took him from his mother at age 4 under the Stolen Generations policies, and a powerful acknowledgement of Australian identity.