Since 2002, Fed Square has been the beating heart of Melbourne. It’s an iconic destination and a gateway to the city. A place to connect with each other, events, and the world. It’s a cultural hub in Australia’s cultural capital.

By 2019, it had been voted one of the world’s ugliest buildings. Won numerous architecture awards. Achieved heritage status. And welcomed tens of millions of visitors.

The future was full of possibility and promise…but the brand was in a state of flux.

There was disharmony between two focal points: its arts and culture purpose and the practical need to make revenue.

Fed Square’s role in the community was unclear. People passed through instead of spending meaningful time there. And the brand lacked the flex to express itself fully.

Our task was to develop a brand strategy and new identity; to bring visitors to the Square, and treat them to an experience when they got there.

The solution needed to maintain the destination’s local and global appeal and balance the sometimes competing civic, cultural, and commercial priorities.

We worked closely with the Fed Square team to develop the new identity, strategy, and experience plan.

A new brand promise, ‘Kaleidoscope of Experiences’, celebrates what makes the Square special. It guarantees a colourful and constantly shifting calendar of events. A place where art, sports, and ideas are brought together in new, weird and wonderful ways. And where visitors never see the same thing twice but always feel connected to their Square.

To bring that promise to life, the town square like no other needed a brand like no other. So we created an identity that was ‘Anything but Square’, with the flexibility to showcase the plethora of voices and experiences within Fed Square.

The new brand is underpinned by the Dynamic Square, a platform inspired by Fed Square’s unique fractal facade and striking architecture. And because it’s a place that never sits still, the platform is built to morph and move—capturing the joy and energy sparked by the diversity on offer at Melbourne’s cultural hub.

By doubling down on different at every angle, the new Fed Square brand can proudly tell its unique story and invite people the world over to be a part of it.