Rodeo received a prestigious Good Design Award® Gold Winner for the Sydney Architecture Festival Brand Identity and Communications. The Good Design Awards Jury commented on the Sydney Architecture Festival identity - A clever way to create cut through in a crowded space. Almost aggressively graphic, the work is provocative and expressive of the will of the Sydney Architecture Festival to engage with participants and push the dialogue into innovative, perhaps even slightly uncomfortable, areas. Strong identity to tie together a series of events, very strong.

Sydney Architecture Festival aims to bring architecture and design out of the boardrooms and studios, to promote a better understanding of architecture amongst the people who experience it firsthand. Working in partnership with the Registrar of the NSW Architects Registration Board, we set out to create a brand experience that was compelling, integrated and dynamic. 

Graphically, the design is an intentional departure from the restrained norms of graphic minimalism that prevail in the sector. The expression of the brand is experimental, and can shape-shift, year on year, while retaining its core identity.

At the heart of the identity is the humble line. Intrinsically connected to architecture, through plans and drawings, the line can respond, create and renew in unexpected ways. In turn, we can devise endless interpretations of the identity, to connect with our audience while also expressing the themes, content and spirit of the festival program as it evolves each year. 

The festival is uniquely placed to champion the role of good architecture in people's lives, so it's critical that our work is wide-reaching and effective within an already crowded media space. With this in mind, we devised the festival’s brand and positioning to achieve strong engagement in the community, across multiple touchpoints. This included a responsive, mobile-first experience designed to promote and distribute rich branded content.

In partnering with Sydney Architecture Festival we've found people who understand and share our fundamental values. Through a strong collaborative effort we've been able to leverage any available opportunity to connect with people to explore and add their voice to how we make better architecture more open and accessible across the community. 

Punchbowl Mosque Angelo Candalepas. Image Ben Guthrie.