“North Sydney was a challenging project because the CBD had developed a reputation for being boring,” Warwick Winn, North Sydney Council general manager admitted.
And HIV is confronting. Frost*collective and The Nest triumphed over that too.
North Sydney has been relaunched as the destination for business and residents its council believed it could be after a series of workshops and interviews with local business leaders and community members.
Frost*’s concept is Happiness works here, and that grew from the view that North Sydney offers a unique work/life balance, which comes from combining the densest CBD in the country with leafy green harbour front surroundings that promote wellbeing.
The campaign involves content and experiences that will open up new ways to communicate with target markets and create new partnerships with local workers and businesses.
Frost* Design created the new logo that embodies “happy balance”, by populating the letters “NTH SYD” with vibrant colours, geometric shapes and juxtapositions of images from the local area.
The streets of the CBD have been vivified with colourful banners and revitalised street furniture painted in vibrant colours. Billboards featuring the new designs will soon also sell the benefits of work/life balance and opportunities to participate in local events.
Frost*’s digital agency, The Nest has created a crowd-sourced website that is both a showcase and calendar for North Sydney’s activities and events – through the eyes of locals. There is also a dedicated Spotify playlist to represent the feeling of happiness in North Sydney.
“By working off a brand idea that has a central truth for people in North Sydney we have been able to get them involved in brand delivery as well as partnering with Council to create events and experiences that further prove this positioning,” noted Vince Frost, chief executive officer of Frost*collective.
“The great thing about this is rather than just selling North Sydney we have given it a revitalised sense of its own identity and a cause for people to rally around. As specialists in destination branding this is central to our belief that places need to clearly articulate what they stand for and engage locals in building positive perceptions.”
Warwick Winn added, “It would have been easy for an agency to just deliver a fresh logo and communications materials. Frost* Design’s understanding of place making means we have a holistic campaign and the initial feedback has been very positive.”
Campaign credits:
Agency: Frost*collective
Executive creative director: Vince Frost
Creative director: Anthony Donovan
Senior designer: Anzac Tasker
Strategy director: Cat Burgess
Senior account director: Charlotte Brady
Senior producer: Daniel Mulligan
