Botanic Gardens of Sydney — Brand Identity

The challenge was to harness the power of a simple, clear, and unifying identity that represents the scope of work done by the three Gardens, The Domain and the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. It is even more critical for a purpose-driven brand to resonate with all audiences to build support for The Garden’s work. Most important of all are the First Nations’ communities upon whose Country the Gardens and The Domain Sydney are located, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the Darug people and Dharawal people.

The design solution reinforces the Garden’s personality, which is critical to how they show up in the world by bringing their values, purpose, and story to life.

The new brand is about everything the Gardens do. It is much more than simply a new logo or name. It will guide the way they communicate as well as assist important decisions on the priorities for the programs, activities, outreach, and sites they manage.

Some key features of the brand identity are the kaleidoscopes. Their structure stems from the geometry of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney brand mark. The kaleidoscopes were adapted from sourced stock water-colour images of Australian Native Flora and illustrations in the Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney collection. These paintings were created by the following artists: Angela Lober - Stenocarpus sinuatus, Annie Hughes - Banksia integrifolia, Margaret Pieroni - Banksia praemorsa, Leigh Ann Gale - Callistemon viminalis and Sue Wickison - Alloxylon flammeum. Another feature is the bespoke Gardens Inktrap font designed for Botanic gardens of Sydney’s level one headings. Gardens Inktrap is based on and compliments the supporting typeface ’Inter’. The ink trap style sits comfortably within the brand system and mirrors all facets of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney — the technical/scientific work of the Australian Institute of Botanical Sciences through to public facing work on open/accessible spaces at the Domain and the three botanic gardens. The brand’s creative elements have been carefully designed to resonate with diverse audiences.