Place Branding Hobart’s Waterfront:

What? Why? Behaviours

A visual identity and brand for Hobart’s waterfront. In collecting stories and attitudes of occupants of the wharf, I identified a deep connection with history, a sense of individuality and a rich diversity of user groups. With this information I developed a visual motif based around the collision between society and the sea. This motif unifies the diverse user groups under a single banner and represents their means and relationship to the ocean. The brand also pushes for harmony between the water and its users.

Strategies like this can help users find resonance, invite new users, establish boundaries for communities, and foster relationships within those communities. In promoting identities for our towns and spaces that encourage an organised distribution of people based on their interests or industries, we can begin to alleviate the dependency on daily commuting.

Attractiveness

Both the brand and the space itself need to be attractive in order for the local population to commit to this definition of identity.

Brand as a Visual Cue

The wharf is an extremely diverse area, but brand can be used to reinforce the space as a unified whole.

Continual Physical Presence

Place branding must additionally be tangible in order to be felt within the space. Consistent usage of signage and other physical implementations of brand aid in making an association between brand and place.

Image source: treasureisland03 (no date) wikisource.

Image source: Scuba Diver Plays With Octopus985119 (no date) Youtube. RM Video