Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Video, Summary, Credits
As Australia’s first dedicated brand language agency, XXVI has helped some of the most respected brands in the country to find their voice.
It has been over a decade since XXVI first put pen to paper – and in that time, things have changed a bit. XXVI has changed considerably too. And it was time to update their brand to reflect that.
The revitalized XXVI brand came armed with a gutsy new tone of voice – and needed a visual identity to match. The brand needed to be confident and still focused heavily on the words being used.
It also needed to have the stretch to make as much of an impact in an online/digital environment as it would on the slides of a training workshop or a business card.
The XXVI brand idea is “Giving brands an authentic voice.”
We refined the XXVI logo, creating a visual device that can blend XXVI into a challenging, confident or thought-provoking sentence.
This device was paired with a bold use of type, and splashes of color and illustration to lift the language off the page.
Hamish Cargill, XXVI Director of Brand Language, said of the work:
“XXVI is a business that has confidently stood apart since the very beginning. We challenged the creative team at [The Agency] to demonstrate our close ties to language, but to do it in a way that feels modern and unique. We wanted color and life, but also to look grown up and considered.”
“It’s only early days for our new identity, but we’re already seeing the confidence it’s bringing to our staff. Clients think it’s brilliant, and the versatile nature of the language system means we can always stay fresh and current. We’re an agency with a strong past and even stronger future, and this identity is boldly leading us there.”
Client: XXVI – www.xxvi.com.au
Brand Strategists/Designers: Principals – www.principals.com.au
Senior Designer: Andrew Thompson
Creative Director: Martin Hopkins
Senior Designer: Caroline Leung
Head of Implementation Design: Dean Varndell
Finished Artist: Hayden Mathys
