LAUNCESTON
ROUND 03

22.12.20


An Intro
In June, City of Launceston
kicked off the second phase
of the brand project - working
alongside us, brand agency
‘For The People.’
Council tasked us with creating
a brand for Launceston and
the wider region that will help
build local pride, drive visitation,
increase investment and
stimulate inward migration.

Where we started

What you’ll see

Our first step was diving into the Launceston
Place DNA research and sentiment analysis.
Over the course of a month we conducted
supplementary community research - we held
community sessions with key stakeholders, had
one-to-one interviews with locals, made friends
over coffee dates, introduced ourselves to a
diverse range of community groups and continued

the conversation online with our very own
Facebook Page dedicted to the Launceston brand.
With our Tassie team conveniently located in
Launceston, we visited key sites across the region
to best understand what makes Launceston
distinct from anywhere else in Tasmania... or in
the world.

In this online exhibition, you will see the refined
creative concept, The Undercurrent. We have
brought the concept to life through a set of
examples that cover the functional requirements
of the new brand - to build local pride, increase
tourism and drive investment in the city and the
Greater Launceston Region.

What we learned
Before we arrived, we knew Launceston city
and the Greater Launceston region was a place
that boasted extraordinary natural beauty and a
small but close community. But after spending
time here and digging deeper, we found so much
more. We started to get a sense of the overall
feeling of the region and the further we explored
and the more locals we befriended, we began
to understand why locals were so in love with
this place. Beneath the surface, it was a place of
true community and connectedness, free of big
city pressure and with character, charm and real
personality.


Over the next few pages you will find the
following.
—B
 rand narrative: a description of the place
and sentiment of Launceston and the broader
region to set the tone for the creative phase.
—C
 reative concept: the strategic foundation and
theme that has influenced the brand creative.
— Brand creative: initial exploration of how
the brand could come to life across key
applications.
What’s next?
We’re about 60% of the way through this process
— at the end of the exhibition period, we’ll review
what we’ve heard and further refine the direction
for the brand, creating what we hope will be a
brand you feel truly represents you and your
community, and you can stand behind proudly
- while showing the rest of the world what
Launceston has to offer.


Brand Narrative
At the centre of everything is community. We’ve
always believed this, always lived it. When you step
foot in Launceston, the first thing you’ll notice isn’t
just the historical architecture, the laconic streets,
the 200 year old industry, the heritage-listed

sites and abundant nature, or the fabled soils,
but an overwhelming sense of connectedness.
From our history, to our land, to our people, this
connectedness is what truly binds us and lies at
the heart of our city.
Sure, it says City in the title, but it’s a title in name
only. Where cities have become crowded, noisy,
chaotic, alien, always striving to be the newest, the
shiniest, the loudest, Lonnie remains relaxed, bighearted, familiar — a time capsule carefully hidden
from the world.
The way it’s always felt down here on the island.
In fact, you could say we’re an alternate-city, an
anti-city, a down-to-earth city, the archetype-cityfor-the-growing-slow-city movement. You could
say we’re an enclave, a sanctuary, an endless
series of serendipitous moments, afforded to
those who want to explore and sink into it. You
could say we’re a walker’s city, a chancer’s city —
one that’s been built patiently to reward patience.
For big cities, time is a master, for us, a servant.
We observe it, let it run its natural course.

This allows for the grapes to slowly ripen to
perfection, for roots to take stock and bumper
our crops, for ideas to nurture and make firsts, for
stories to layer and become monuments. Here a
traffic jam is lining up for a coffee at the farmers
markets on a Saturday morning, and big city
pressure is trying to wrap-up a chat on the street.
However, for us to reach our potential, there are
still challenges we must overcome. For far too long

we’ve disagreed amongst ourselves, passing the
buck and cursing a lack of progress. We’ve ignored
our Indigenous past, believing it to be lost - when
in fact it’s always been here, alive and thriving.
We’ve stifled our ingenuity, the very thing that
made us that city of firsts. We’ve grown further
apart, with the divide between the rich and poor
becoming wider. And, somewhere along the way,
we lost sight of how we tell our story, and what
makes our city great.
But, we’ve faced these challenges before, and
overcame them by doing what we do best working together, finding a way, making it better.
Lonnie was founded on ingenuity and hard
work, and that naturally breeds a certain strength
of camaraderie that continues to this day. For
centuries, we’ve done it on our own, using our
inventiveness to survive and carve-out a place
for ourselves.

When we didn’t have electricity, we worked the
dams to light the way. When we didn’t have bread,
we built the mills that would feed a nation. When
the storms came, we sheltered our neighbours
until the waters receded. And when the rest of the
world was digging up the land and building bigger
walls, we kept to ourselves, quietly tilling our soils,
turning our mills, building our traditions, opening
doors, growing a city into a home.
Because we believe that a city shouldn’t be
measured by the loudness of its voice, but the

steadfastness of its character. We believe in
looking our neighbours in the eye, and not turning
away when called upon. We believe we shouldn’t
compare ourselves to others, but hold ourselves
accountable. We believe in not judging the world,
but inviting the world in.
It’s this sense of community that drives us,
that defines us, that makes us a special kind of
city. And we believe that anyone who wants to
find their community, is welcome to make
Launceston home.


Creative concept:
– The Undercurrent

Brand expression

At the meeting point of a river, a gorge and an
estuary lies our city. A connected city, a hyperlocal city, a city as a home. We call it Lonnie (or
Launnie, Lonny). At first it may seem quiet and
unassuming, but the further you dig, the more
locals you meet, the more patient you are, the
more the city will open up to you. And when it
does you will discover the Lonnie locals love. A
place where strangers become friends, visitors
turn locals, where the farm feeds the table and the
gorge fills the breweries.

Like Launceston itself, the brand does not yell, boast or exaggerate,

rather it attempts to capture the quiet confidence and authenticity
of Launceston and its people. Using a muted color palette, hand
drawn illustrations and a community centric photography style, the
brand heroes the local always, and represents the cities down-toearth attitude.

Whilst Launceston has nature and heritage in
abundance, we believe the city is made not by
what meets the eye, but by the stuff that doesn’t
- it’s a place that requires you to sink into it and
experience it like a local — and when you do, you’ll
be taken by a city unlike any other.
The brand idea, The Undercurrent, celebrates
what Launceston locals love. The brand serves
as a platform, lifting the places, activities, and
community attitude of Lonnie to the surface and
providing local instruction as to how to experience
the place like locals do - to slow down, share,
explore and discover.

Understated style

Every-day local language
The voice of the brand is the voice of Launceston locals - casual,
friendly and conversational. It celebrates the community of
Launceston, invites visitors in to experience the city locals love and
communicates the laid back, down-to-earth Launceston attitude
with the world.
Made for participation
This brand is more than a logo. It’s an identity system built for
everyone to access, use and make their own.



Building an
authentic identity
LAUNCESTON


COLOURS

TYPEFACE

PHOTOGRAPHY

ILLUSTRATION

Our colour palette is deliberately
understated. A calming set, drawn
from the nature and fabric of our city.
Whilst there may be many colours to
choose from, rarely are more than
two used at a time.

Classic, modern and understated. No need to
shout, we communicate with clarity, craft and
self confidence through these two typefaces.

Lonnie life. We quietly get on with things in this
part of the world. The imagery we try capture is the life
behind the glitz of any marketing attempt. A behind
the scenes take on what we do - we craft, we make,

we talk, we hike, we build, we explore, we enjoy.

Laid back, simple and expressive – 
A sketch. Single colour. Used along
with our other elements, tehe
illustrations can capture the spirit of
life in Launceston at a glance.

RECOLETA

The un-capital city
Weakly bread run
Cataract Gorge
Junction Arts Festival

* Please note that the images and illustrations used
throughout this exhibition are indicative of original
content to follow during final concept stage.

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As a brand made for participation, we also
make room for locals to use and add their
own handwriting in specific applications.

Tight-knit

Made in

Launnie


WELCOME SIGNS


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HOARDING