Gecko Environment Council
What I do changes the world
Gecko Environment Council is the Gold Coast’s largest conservation organisation. For over 30 years, the group have championed successful environmental justice campaigns in South East Queensland. However, due to their large slew of initiatives and projects, Gecko was facing a significant brand consistency problem. Each initiative had a different logo, identity and communications strategy, and this significantly weakened the core brand. The goal was to unify the entire organisation around a new, consistent design strategy, establish a clear hierarchy and create a system for consistently expanding the identity going forward.
Inspired by the natural landscape
To define Gecko’s unique voice, the first step in creating the identity was to establish a definitive colour palette, to both distinguish and unite the various projects. The palette is informed by cues from the Gold Coast’s natural landscape.
A logo with history
As the centrepiece of the new brand, the new Gecko logo had to fit a very specific set of criteria: it must reflect the values and history of the organisation, work well in all media, be simple to reproduce, and provide a flexible platform for the various child identities. At the heart of the design is the famous leaf-tailed gecko mascot, a symbol that has been with Gecko since its inception, which has been given new life as a fundamental part of the Gecko logo.
Bringing it all together
The new Gecko identity utilises a fixed-template approach to creating new brand logos. This ensures the consistency of the brand throughout every project and initiative, whilst being flexible enough to give each project its own voice through colour and imagery. Most importantly, it’s simple and cost-effective to manage, while maintaining a high quality of visual design.
In review
The success of an organisation like Gecko is predicated on its ability to reach out and communicate its message effectively. The new identity achieves this, and meets several important goals:
• Introduce consistency across the entire brand portfolio
• Improve the quality of design
• Effectively communicate brand values to new demographic groups
