Australia's peak rugby body Australian Rugby Union has rebranded to Rugby Australia, or Rugby AU for short, in a major overhaul of its corporate identity.
The new logo has ditched the old kangaroo in a rugby ball icon in favour of just typography in “vibrant new colours” of bright navy blue and cyan – an unusual colour choice for a national sports body in Australia.
The emphasis on 'U' is intentional and supposed to make the “future focused” logo more “relevant and inclusive”.
The rebrand took a year and was carried out by Sydney-based creative communications agency Digilante.
“The rebrand needed to reflect a deep organisational change that is more significant than a corporate face lift. So Digilante used the rebrand as an opportunity to restart a positive conversation around Rugby and what it has to offer to individuals, teams and communities,” Digilante executive creative director and co-founder Eric O'Brien said.
“Rugby AU represents not only the Wallabies and our elite national teams, but also the boys and girls, men and women of all shapes and sizes who are inspired to pick up a footie, have fun playing with others and experiencing the sense of belonging that rugby can bring.”
Rugby Australia says the rebrand represents an important step towards a broader national initiative designed to reinvigorate the beleaguered code in this country with the introduction of new initiatives for the growth of the game at every level.
In recent years, the game has fallen into dire straights with huge questions raised about the way the game is being run in the country and a lack of investment and focus on club rugby and the grassroots game.
This has culminated with poor performances on the field, this year was the worst Super Rugby performance in history for Australian franchises, who lost every single game to Kiwi opposition.
A recent Wallabies win over the All Blacks restored some pride, but the new corporate identity will need to be backed up by improvements in how the game is managed for fans to really buy into Rugby Australia's bold, new vision.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.