BEVIN Creative was recognised in the 2021 Transform Awards (ANZ) for the rebrand of one of our long-standing clients – Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. The awards are presented by Transform magazine, and feature various categories that focus on specific aspects of the branding process.

Yirra Yaakin’s rebrand was entered for consideration into the ‘Best rebrand of a digital property’ and we were extremely proud to have been presented with a Bronze Award.

The new brand is bold, modern and distinct and was embraced by both the Yirra Yaakin team as well as the community.

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company is one of Australia’s leading Aboriginal performing arts organisations. They produce award-winning, world-class theatre to global audiences, focusing on sharing Aboriginal stories.

As Yirra Yaakin is a respected cultural leader and artistic hub for Aboriginal people, it was imperative that the new corporate identity acknowledged and paid particular attention to the deep cultural roots, so that it would be well received by the Indigenous community.

We are proud to have been involved in the production of marketing collateral for their contemporary shows for a number of years, and were excited to partner with them in the creation of a new corporate identity and logo, to coincide with the celebration of an operational milestone. The rebrand needed to draw on the established elements of the company’s cultural identity, while preparing the landscape for the future direction and growth of the company.

The name, Yirra Yaakin, embodies a deep meaning of “standing tall”, which lends itself to many creative interpretations. The concept that this embodies transcends the simplicity of its literal meaning however. It is deeply rooted in culture and is one of unity, respect, learning from each individual’s strengths and therefore, equity and mutual leadership within a collective. The final logo was created to capture and convey this holistic concept, and the branding icon was creatively designed to do just that.

The creation of the logo was inspired by “seeing the forest through the trees” and depicts a central elongated figure, larger than the rest; only because it is central to the focus, identifying it as a leader. The figures to either side depict the collective, standing tall and standing together as one. The shape of the logo emulates that of a fingerprint, which conveys the concept of identity, derived from being part of a community or collective. The imagery acknowledges and captures the strong cultural roots, identity and cohesiveness found within Aboriginal culture.

Our teams’ carefully considered creative approach resulted in a brand that upheld the company’s existing reputable and culturally dominant position, as well as invigorated their operations, while creating a realm within which they could be challenged to grow into the future.

The rebrand was completed across all digital and physical media, and has since been applied to the Company’s ongoing annual program of works, as a result of the widespread positive reaction it has received.

Given the scope and depth of work involved in this project, we sought permission to showcase it in the recent Transform ANZ Awards and the recognition we have received shows that the pride and sense of accomplishment our team has felt throughout our partnership with Yirra Yaakin is not misplaced.

We are both grateful and honoured that our creative vision was firstly well received by Yirra Yaakin, and secondly, acknowledged by a board of our peers to be worthy of an award. It strengthens our commitment to attracting and retaining the best talent, who strive to serve our clients to the best of their ability on every project. Our process is continuously honed in line with the best practices and cutting-edge technology, allowing us to be simply the best at shaping concepts into reality.

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