Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference Brand

NSW Parliament

The Brief

Essence of NSW

In 2024, more than 800 parliamentarians from over 60 Commonwealth countries came together at the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Sydney. Hosted by our client, the Parliament of NSW, this was an opportunity to create a modern and engaging brand that was identifiably NSW.

The Challenge

Local, not national

Aimed at an international audience, the conference brand required a graphic that had immediate global recognition but was unique to NSW. Symbols for Australia abound with well-known icons like kangaroos, koalas and the Southern Cross but these are not specific to Sydney or NSW. During our creative exploration, we also found that some symbols looked outdated or clichéd and were best avoided. Elements that were particular to NSW were sometimes too obscure for an international audience.

The Solution

Classic and contemporary

After exploring different creative directions centred around natural or manmade symbols from NSW, our classic interpretation of the Sydney Opera House (SOH) was selected. For the logo, the silhouette of the SOH is distilled to an elegant array of blue sails, becoming a distinctive emblem of the conference. The brand palette also features shapes derived from the SOH providing perfect windows for photography. An Indigenous artwork owned by NSW Parliament is used as background pattern throughout the collateral to anchor the design and to reference an important part of Australia’s culture.