I don't often share any of the commercial or design work that I do anymore, in fact a lot of you may not realise that I once had a career as a graphic designer and art director! I only occasionally take on a project these days but this one was hard to resist.
There's a bit of a back story as Ashmore Arts where my studio is, is right in the heart of the Spring Creek valley in Torquay. This valley has been hard fought to be protected by our local community and has until recently been under constant threat of being developed. It's a unique and special place, home to some endangered species of flora and fauna including the Bellarine Yellow Gum and Swift Parrot.
Surf Coast Energy Group (SCEG) and the local community banded together to help restore the valley, embrace its beauty and focus its land use on sustainability. There's a number of plans in the works to do so, including the Ridgeline Trail. My job was to bring an identity to this newly formed group and to create a place to inform the community of the projects.
The main project we were focusing on is the Ridgeline Trail. Connecting Jan Juc to Bellbrae Primary via the old Great Ocean Road. The old Great Ocean Road runs parallel to the new one, however you would never know. It's been neglected and overrun with weeds. The plan is to provide a beautiful, sealed trail overlooking the valley. You can read more about the proposed trail here.
Anyway, I worked closely with the others involved to create a logo and brand identity for the valley as well as a website. The logo will help connect existing and future projects in the valley, including wayfinding signage on the trail and at events. The logo features a wedge-tailed eagle, as we all agreed these symbolic birds are the guardians of the valley. There's not a day I don't spot them soaring high above while I'm at the studio.
The website will provide the community information on exisiting and upcoming projects, opportunities to volunteer and other ways of helping out. We can't wait to share the new trail with you.
