Tourism Australia has unveiled a new logo, scrapping the existing version that has been around for eight years. The new-look brand mark, devised by Interbrand – sister design studio to TA’s ad agency DDB – has been introduced “to stay relevant and reflect the organisation’s changing culture and identity,” according to the tourism body.

It cost $200,000 to develop. The new logo sticks with the familiar kangaroo symbol, but in simpler form.

Richard Curtis, MD at Interbrand Sydney, explained: “There’s a lot about the existing logo that we wanted to keep. It has real vibrancy and a sense of movement. But some of the elements are unnecessarily complex and difficult to reproduce – like the sun’s glare on the kangaroo’s back, the kangaroo’s paws and ears.” Curtis added that the current logo was too “childlike”, and did not reflect the “sophistication” of Tourism Australia’s brand positioning.

The new logo also sees the introduction of more colours.

Curtis explained: “The red, orange and yellow in the current logo represent the outback well, but do not reflect the full range of experiences consumers have while on holiday in Australia, hence the introduction of blue and green.” The logo took around six months to develop.