When you step foot on Wadjemup / Rottnest Island, you enter a different frame of mind.
Connect to all that is here.
Wadjemup is the Whadjuk Noongar name for Rottnest Island, referring to “a place across the water where the spirits go”.
This land is that of the Traditional Owners, the Whadjuk Noongar people, who know the island as a resting place of the spirits, as well as a memorial place of Aboriginal men and boys whose bodies still rest beneath the sands of Wadjemup.
It all started with brand strategy. We delivered the overarching thinking around an evolving brand voice, personality, and architecture, integrating the Aboriginal history and culture into brand communications. This thinking became the driving force behind meaningful change — a dual naming destination brandmark, visual identity, a new brand story, and editorial style guides. These pillar pieces have shaped the island’s refreshed brand.
The dual-named visual identity was inspired by the island’s welcome sculpture, Koora-Yeye-Boordawan-Kalyakoorl. At the base of the sculpture is a concrete relief representation of an aerial map of Wadjemup, featuring the island’s salt lakes and the emu in the sky (weitj) constellation.
From this sculpture, a graphic device was developed to represent the Aboriginal history and culture of Wadjemup. The graphic features in the dual-naming brandmark as well as a stand-alone element. The placement of the graphic in the ‘U’ of ‘Wadjemup’ brings another layer of meaning - the ‘U’ shape is a common Aboriginal symbol for a person.
The dual-named brand identity for the island was developed over countless strategy sessions, research, and a careful and respectful consultation process, integrating the island’s Aboriginal history and culture into brand visual identity and communications.
The new brand is a symbol of the work being done to pay respect to the complex Aboriginal history of the island, while maintaining the tourism draw.
Creative Director: Kevin Wilson
Design Director: Leigh Wood
Brand Strategy: Mike Drysdale (Lush)
Copywriting: Clare Reid, Caitlin Scott (Lush)
Client Services Director: Brendan Lobo (Lush)
Sculpture Artists: Sharyn Egan, Jahne Rees