Frost*collective creates brand identity for Art Gallery of South Australia’s Ramsay Art Prize

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RAP-multiapplic.jpgSydney based strategic creative agency Frost*collective today launches the visual brand identity for the Ramsay Art Prize, a strategic partnership between the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation and the Art Gallery of South Australia.

The project afforded Frost*collective an honourable opportunity to be part of an important chapter in the history and future of the Gallery. Frost*collective was chosen to design the rebrand based on its reputation as an internationally acclaimed studio creating brands that resonate with global audiences. Both Frost Design and Nest, part of Frost*collective, were involved in the project.

RAP-phones-02.jpgSays Vince Frost, CEO, Frost*collective: “The Ramsay Art Prize is consequential for our contemporary artists, South Australia and the nation at large. We’ve certainly taken the magnitude of this award’s intentions on board and built this into the new brand. It’s an exciting time for all stakeholders.

“We congratulate the Art Gallery of South Australia for its proactive stance in driving the RAP-web-03.jpgcontemporary art scene in Australia and for believing in us to deliver a brand that can balance longevity while communicating its contemporary focus.”

The announcement holds up the Ramsay Art Prize as the country’s richest art prizes for contemporary artists under the age of 40, with $100,000 awarded to the winning artist. Presented bi-annually and in perpetuity, it aims to support and encourage Ramsay-Logo.jpgcontemporary Australian artists to make their best work, in what are arguably their best years and builds upon the Art Gallery’s commitment to nurturing Australia’s cultural landscape.  

Focusing on the highly diverse nature of the prize, Frost’s creative solution explores the tension in opposites. Two simple shapes — a circle and and a triangle — become the vehicle for exploring this visually. The circle and triangle that comprise the logo mark create a stylised and distinctive ‘R’, recognising the integral part the Ramsay Foundation has played in making this prize a reality.

Structurally, there is an inherent tension to the form as the circle sits almost impossibly just below the pinnacle of the triangle. This provided the platform for the messaging around the inaugural campaign theme of ‘making it’. The theme speaks both to the act of making, and to reaching the pinnacle in one’s field.

Frost* also produced artwork for a large scale lightbox and designed launch collateral while digital brand marketing agency, Nest, has developed the microsite and digital mailer. The microsite has been launched with a landing page for the Ramsay Art Prize with key information including dates, enquiries and a brief description about the prize. The launch of a full blown award website is set to follow.

Says Nick Mitzevich, director, Art Gallery of South Australia: “This is an intensely exciting time for the Gallery and it has been a truly interesting and productive process working with the Frost*collective team to arrive at the Ramsay Art Prize’s brand identity.

“We are extremely happy with the outcome and confident that it will most certainly stand the test of time. The significance of getting this right was weighted in understanding the importance of contemporary art to our cultural dialogue as well as the enormous contribution that benefactors James and Diana Ramsay have made to create an enduring legacy for Australian art.

“Frost*collective has successfully and impactfully delivered a visual identity for the Ramsey Art Prize that is imbued with exactly these values.”

Vince Frost – Executive Creative Director

Ant Donovan – Group Creative Director, Frost*collective

Cat Burgess – Strategy Director, Frost*collective

Emma Stone – Client Service Director, Frost* Design

Ryan Curtis – Senior Designer, Frost*Design

Alissa Prcevich – Account Executive, Frost* Design

Jason Hughes – Production Manager, Frost*Design

 

Martin Hoegh-Guldburg – Head of Digital, Nest

Kate West – Producer, Nest

Zion Wu – Designer, Nest

Matt Neville – Tech lead, Nest