The Challenge
Smart Approved Watermark (SAWM) was set up in 2004 as the independent Australian certification program for water efficient technologies and services. As the organisation grew, it offered an increasingly wide range of programs and resources for residential, commercial and local government authorities. As such, the original name could no longer effectively serve as an overarching brand for initiatives outside of simply ‘certification’. TMC was approached to help SAWM with their rebranding strategy.
The Strategy
Before any naming or design work commenced, we undertook a detailed category audit to establish how industry bodies, utility companies, technology and service providers were positioned and visually represented. Key objectives were to ensure any new brand direction for SAWM would be identifiably unique, while building upon its existing brand equity. We also needed to gain buy-in from existing industry stakeholders.
The strategy was to establish a new umbrella brand that clearly and simply articulated SAWM’s knowledge, expertise, credibility and purpose. It also had to work comfortably with existing programs, and future ones.
The client landed on a name they created called – ‘The Water Conservancy’. A name that summed up all of their programs, expressed in a way that delivered credibility, expertise and a hub for water efficiency in Australia, both physically and metaphorically. From here, we developed a positioning to accompany the launch of the new brand. It needed to sum up their vision, values and purpose as well as being a logical evolution of what they offered.
We arrived at, Smart Water Thinking.
The Creative
With the umbrella name and positioning agreed, we needed to establish the new brand’s visual architecture. Specifically, how could SAWM’s existing programs exist independently, but also together under the one master brand?
The answer was to create a new logo mark for The Water Conservancy, accompanied by a distinct design language that held each of the programs together visually. Central to this was the use of common fonts and a subtle colour strategy that defined each program’s individual identity, whilst still allowing it to be part of The Water Conservancy’s wider brand family.
The final step was to explore how the new visual identity could be rolled out across numerous programs and touchpoints, providing a robust yet flexible platform to engage Australian households, communities and businesses for years to come.
These programs included: Smart Water Advice, Smart Water Solutions, Walter Smart & Friends, Smart Approved WaterMark and Water Night.
The Results
Appropriately, The Water Conservancy was launched on 22 March 2022 – World Water Day. It has been well received by industry bodies.
‘I was super impressed by TMC and the support, advice and expertise they provided through desktop research, diligence and a collaborative team approach to solving our issues. I’d make no hesitation in recommending them.’
Chris Philpot, CEO, The Water Conservancy
