The brief
We were asked to develop a brand for Noosa Council’s new Peak Period Traffic Management Plan.
Objective
To create a visual identity to link together all elements of the traffic management plan and encourage people to use sustainable transport options.
Target audiences
- Visitors holidaying in Noosa
- Local residents
- Day trippers travelling to, or planning on travelling to, Hastings St and the beach during the holidays
Project overview
The Peak Period Traffic Management Plan aims to address traffic and congestion during holiday periods including Christmas, Easter and July and September Queensland school holidays. The plan includes the following elements:
- Free buses
- Park & Ride
- Signs alerting people to car parking availability in the Hastings St precinct
- Traffic control in the Hastings St precinct to give way for buses and pedestrians
- Wayfinding signage at Noosa Heads bus stop
- Temporary replacement of parallel parking in Hastings St with scooter and bicycle parking
- RideShare carpooling App for Hastings St employees
- Paid parking at the Noosa Heads Lions Park
- Volunteers at key bus stops assisting visitors with directions.
Look and feel
The design was to be generic enough to use across all peak holiday periods, and have a fun, relaxed Noosa holiday vibe, while also identifying as a Noosa Council initiative. It also needed to incorporate a sustainable transport (bicycle, bus, carpool, walk) look and feel.
The approach
Our initial thoughts on the project was that the Peak Period Traffic Management plan was very formal and would not present well to the target audience. A number of short and snappy names were proposed that encapsulated the plan in a user friendly approach.
Concept 1: GO Noosa
The word Go is already a part of transport vernacular with the Go card being used for fast and convenient travel on public transport services. Being a verb, go evokes a sense of travel; moving from one place to another ‘Let’s go to Noosa’.
Concept 2: Get Around Noosa
When people are in Noosa on a holiday or weekend outing they want to know the easiest way to get around, whether that be by walking, taking a bus, riding a bike or scooter or where to park the car.
GO Noosa was chosen by Council as the new brand identity name.
Design process
A number of design concepts were explored to represent the traffic flow around Noosa. During the development process it became evident that the project needed an iconic representation to identify it as a Noosa traffic initiative. The native bush turkey are a common sight around Noosa and have even learnt to walk across zebra crossings to avoid being hit by traffic. So the quirky bush turkey became an ideal choice to serve as the GO Noosa mascot.
Typeface
A relaxed typeface was chosen to complement the ‘Trevor the turkey’ character. Revla sans is a display sans font with casual, rounded characteristics that help to convey movement and flow.
Colour palette
The primary colour palette red, yellow and dark grey came from the colouring of a bush turkey. The teal was chosen as a secondary colour to represent the beautiful waters of Noosa main beach which attracts visitors on holidays.
Transport icons
A range of transport icons were developed as supporting design elements to use on GO Noosa collaterals. These can be mixed and matched at the designer’s discretion according to the application. Transport icons can be used on signage as identifiers and to reinforce the message. The holiday icons (palm tree, surf board) can be added to the mix to maintain the holiday transport branding. The transport icons also aid in easily identifying the transport options within the GO Noosa app.
Deliverables
The team developed brand guidelines to show how the brand will be executed across the following materials:
- website
- printed material
- wayfinding signage
- road side information boards
- outdoor advertising
- traffic controller uniforms
The results
The initial Go Noosa trial, for 6 weeks over the extremely busy Christmas/New Year summer holidays, was a great success with improved traffic flow through the busy Hastings Street precinct and the free bus services well used. The Council intends to continue with the program through the busy holiday times of year, with community and business feedback helping to shape any changes and additions to the schedule.
