REBRAND   |   POSTED ON 27.02.2012

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock this year, like most Australians, you will have noticed the colourful 6 palette rebrand for Telstra.

Although this could be seen as a huge risk in brand consistency, evidently, Telstra has indeed seen signs of success just months into the refresh – the biggest transition since 1993. Telstra CEO David Thodey said the changes to Telstra’s visual identity were intended to create a stronger and more emotional connection with its customers. Although its logo has continued in its current shape, it now features a new colour palette incorporating orange, green, turquoise, blue, purple and magenta as seen below.

The new look will be used for all customer groups including consumer, business, enterprise and government. The result is an identity that incorporates the full spectrum of colours, tones and emotions, so now Telstra can communicate with greater meaning and with the flexibility to talk to different customers at different times, in a manner that’s not only relevant but also engaging.

“Our challenge was to maintain that familiarity, while also encouraging customers to re-evaluate what Telstra is about.” stated Marty O’Halloran, one of the design strategists behind the rebrand.

The shift in Telstra’s look and feel through these bright colours, bold graphics and music have produced a “good uplift” in both brand consideration and satisfaction, especially for non-customers. Indeed, in order to combat a negative association with its brand, Telstra has cleverly employed elements with more positive associations. Advertisers use specific colours for specific purposes as seen in the example below, and as Telstra’s ads have shown, the company is keen to evoke a sense of delight.