During my time at Tauranga City Council, I led the brand refresh to establish a fresh, vibrant, and inclusive identity. The rebrand was designed to provide a cohesive look and feel that meets the diverse needs of both internal and external communications, while reflecting the council's tone and direction as an organisation. Focused on both functionality and versatility, the refreshed brand supports city-wide campaigns, sub-brands, and messaging, prioritising accessibility, creative flexibility, and maintaining consistent brand integrity across all touchpoints.
THE CHALLENGE
The previous TCC brand faced several challenges, including a limited and inaccessible colour palette that lacked vibrancy, failed WCAG standards, and over-relied on a narrow selection of colours. Typography was outdated and inconsistent, while the logo felt disconnected from the overall brand. Adding to the complexity, key elements of the existing identity had to be retained to minimise disruption during the rollout across the wider organisation. Ensuring continuity of design output throughout this transition required striking a careful balance between maintaining workflows and delivering a cohesive, accessible, and modernised identity.
THE Solution
The rebrand prioritised accessibility, flexibility, and future-proofing. The primary colour palette was transformed into a bold, vibrant, and fully WCAG-compliant scheme, with secondary and tertiary palettes added for versatility across a wide range of creative applications. Typography and the logo were modernised, introducing a complementary secondary font to enhance consistency while respecting TCC’s existing identity. To support the rollout, I developed tools like colour-contrast cheat sheets, a creative tone index, and a design resource indicator. These resources streamlined workflows and supported TCC’s in-house creative team to consistently implement the refreshed brand across all communications. The updated identity also offered creative flexibility, enabling dynamic, engaging campaign designs that aligned with TCC’s core brand values.
THE OUTCOME
The rebrand introduced a cohesive, vibrant identity that perfectly aligned with TCC’s vision, values, and diverse communication needs. Designed to balance day-to-day functionality with creative flexibility, the refreshed brand supports internal communications, external messaging, sub-brands, and city-wide campaigns. With accessibility at its core, the rebrand reflects TCC’s mission of "making Tauranga better," enabling the council to share compelling stories, deliver clear messaging, educate and engage communities, and build a stronger, more unified brand presence. Captured in a comprehensive brand guideline, the refresh equipped teams with intuitive resources to ensure consistency across all communications. The rollout of TCC’s new brand commenced in late 2024, setting a strong foundation for a bold and inclusive future.
