The famous green and gold kangaroo logo that has come to be known worldwide for all Australian Made products is now being sidelined in favour of a new abstract image of a yellow wattle.
Australia’s Nation Brand Advisory Council made the executive decision to rebrand the iconic logo under the pretence that although the kangaroo was internationally recognised, it failed to represent Australia’s lesser known assets such as technology and education.
The new image features the letters “AU” on top of a gold design that’s inspired by Australia’s national flower, a wattle. It’ll directly replace the previous Australia Unlimited logo which featured two boomerangs forming the shape of Australia and will be primarily used to represent the country during trade missions and business exchange programs.
The new umbrella national branding symbol hasn’t been instant hit with Australians so far with many comparing the golden wattle to a virus. One commenter said it looked like “a Covid cell” while another compared it to a defective Christmas bauble.
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham who signed off on the change said in a statement that the Morrison Government remained “100 per cent committed to the Australian Made Kangaroo” and would be providing an additional $5 million to increase its recognition. However, he argued that sidelining it for the new logo would “bring some consistency” for Australian businesses presenting themselves on the international stage.
The suggestion was made in report from the Nation Brand Advisory Council which said it would be good for international investment in the country adding that while Australia is popular for its friendly people and natural beauty, there’s room to improve perceptions around business capabilities.
“The more government agencies and commercial partners show up in a unified and consistent manner internationally (using the Nation Brand), the greater the cut through of Australia’s marketing spend will be,” the report said.
It also said that although the iconic Australian Made logo featuring the green and gold kangaroo would still be used, the colours would be adjusted to suit the new palette that’ll run consistently throughout all national branding.
“Australia is inconsistent with its use of multiple logos, colours and narratives, which dilute our brand offering and confuse our potential audiences. This is why we have modernised our national colour scheme with the use of a deep green and actual gold, rather than yellow,” the report said.