We are a Sydney-based design studio specialising in branding and wayfinding. We combine strategy and design to connect people to spaces and stories.
Contact
Enquiries
Hello@garbett.com.au
Telephone:
+61 (2) 9212 3474
Address
Suite 7, 8 Hercules Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia
We do
with
Make it better
Our approach to design focuses on creating work that not only looks beautiful but also has a positive impact on people’s lives.
We approach each project with a thoughtful and collaborative mindset, working closely with our clients and the context in which they operate.
Our philosophy is based on the belief that design has the power to uplift and inspire individuals and communities as well as achieve strategic business goals.
Amplify meaning
For us, the true purpose of design is to create meaningful experiences.
Much of design focuses on form. But giving shape to things is only one piece of the puzzle. Design affects how we live, how we work, how we sustain the environment. Our work builds in meaning, purpose and a human connection to the everyday experience of living.
Play seriously
Utility without play, as any child will tell you, fails to engage the mind. Cities, buildings, or even toilet paper begin with utility but the most successful examples transcend this to express dreams and enliven the human spirit.
Far from purposeless or unserious, play is in fact, creatively productive. It is foundational to the expression of our humanity.
Awards
2024
AGDA Awards
Distinction for Websites
3 Merit Awards
2 Finalist Awards
2023
Tokyo Type Directors Club
’Excellent Work’, selected for exhibition
- Marks and logotypes
- Signage and Display
2022
AGDA Awards
Distinction for Identity
Distinction for Design for Good
2 Merit Awards
10 Finalist Awards
New York Type Directors Club
Certificate of Typographic Excellence
Best Design Awards, New Zealand
1 Bronze Award for Publishing
9 Finalist awards
2020
Graphis Protest Posters 2
Gold Award
2 Silver Awards
D&AD Awards
Yellow Pencil
Wood Pencil
AGDA Awards
Pinnacle for Design Effectiveness
2 Judge’s Choice Awards
Distinction for Identity, Large Business
Distinction for Logos & Trademarks
Distinction for Spatial Design
4 Merit Awards
2 Finalist Awards
Best Design Awards, New Zealand
Gold Award
Silver Award
Bronze Award
Finalist award
Good Design Australia
Gold Award
Award
The Dieline Packaging Awards
Gold Award
New York Type Directors Club
Certificate of Typographic Excellence
2019
AGDA Awards
5 Distinctions
5 Merit Awards
3 Finalist Awards
Best Awards, New Zealand
5 Bronze Awards
1 Finalist Award
D&AD
Wood Pencil
New York Type Directors Club
Certificate of Typographic Excellence
2018
AGDA Awards
2 Pinnacle Awards
2 Judges Choice Awards
5 Distinctions
7 Merit Awards
Best Awards, New Zealand
5 Gold Awards
1 Bronze Award
2017
AGDA Awards
7 Finalist Awards
Anfachen Poster Award (Germany)
‘Tolerance’
BEST Awards, NZ
2 Silver Awards
Graphic Posters
Silver Award
Mohawk Show
Category Winner – Books
Category Winner – Print Innovation
Finalist – Brochures
Type Directors Club, NYC
Certificate of Typographic Excellence
2016
AGDA Awards
4 Distinctions
10 Finalist awards
Best Awards, NZ
2 Gold Awards
1 Silver Award
2 Bronze Awards
Graphis Design
Gold Award
Graphis Posters
5 Silver Awards
Type Directors Club, NYC
Certificate of Typographic Excellence
2015
AGDA Awards
3 Distinctions
4 Finalist Awards
AWARD
Silver Pencil – Miscellaneous
Bronze Pencil – Identity
Best Awards
2 Silver Awards
1 Bronze award
5 Finalist awards
Graphis Social and Political Posters
Platinum Award
2 Gold Awards
Silver Award
Graphis Typography 3
2 Gold Awards
Mohawk Show
Category Winner — Integrated communications
Category Winner — Posters
Finalist — Direct mail
2014
Australian Design Biennale 2014
Pinnacle Award
Judges Choice award
4 Distinctions
6 Finalist awards
Graphis Posters
Gold Award
Hong Kong International Poster Triennial 2014
Three posters selected
Moscow Golden Bee Biennale of Graphic Design
2 Posters selected
2013
Australasian Reporting Awards
Gold Award,Sydney Opera House Annual Report
Finalist, Public & Not-for-Profit Organisations Report of the Year
D&AD Awards
In Book, Image making for design
Graphis Annual Reports
Gold Award
Graphis Design 2013
Gold award
Graphis Posters 2013
Gold Award
2012
12th International Poster Biennale in Mexico
Official selection
Australian Creative Magazine HOTSHOP Awards
Finalist in Design category
Australian Design Biennale
AGDA Awards
Pinnacle Award – Image Making
Pinnacle Award – Three Dimensional Design (Installations)
10 AGDA Awards
AWARD Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association
Bronze Pencil – Identity
Graphis Posters
Platinum award
International Poster Biennale Warsaw
Official selection
Mohawk Show 12
Best of show
2011
AWARD Awards
Bronze Pencil – Brochures and Catalogues
Qantm Desktop Create Awards
Winner of Illustration category Trophy
Highly Commended Print Commercial category
WOLDA
The Worldwide Logo Design Annual 2010
2010
Australian Creative Magazine HOTSHOP Awards
Finalist in Design category
Finalist in In-House category
AGDA Awards
Distinction in Books
Distinction in Posters
Distinction in Illustration
Finalist in Identity
Finalist in Posters
Finalist in Miscellaneous
11th Annual Poster Biennale of Mexico
2 Posters Selected
Graphis Posters
Platinum Award
2 Gold Awards
The New York Type Directors Club
Award of excellence
Publications
Books
Seeing Things (2023)
Optic, Counterprint Books (2023)
(Drawing Attent!on), Victionary (2022)
Food & Drink Logos, Counterprint Books (2022)
Design Elements, 3rd Edition, Quarto Group/Rockport Publishers (2020)
Line, Dot, Shape, Victionary (2020)
Architectural Logos, Counterprint Books (2019)
Ficciones Typographika 1642, Formist Publishing (2019)
TDC 65 Annual of The Type Directors Club (2019)
AGI NEW Members 2007 — 2017, Hesign (2018)
Material Matters, Victionary (2018)
TDC 63 Annual of The Type Directors Club (2017)
Design of Dissent, Expanded Edition, Rockport (2017)
Introduction to Visual Communication Text Book, Bloomsbury (2017)
Los Logos, Gestalten (2017)
The Year Of The Monkey, Formist (2016)
First Things First, Gestalten (2016)
Art Marks, Counterprint Books (2016)
Graphis Design Annual (2017)
360 Design Sports, Sandu (2016)
MIN: New Simplicity in Graphic Design, Thames & Hudson (2015)
Graphis Social and Political Posters, Graphis (2015)
Monotone, Viction:ary (2015)
Human Logo, Counterprint Books (2014)
Alphabet Logo, Counterprint Books (2014)
Graphis Typography, Graphis (2014)
D&AD Annual (2013)
Fully Booked Vol 2, Gestalten (2013)
Graphis Annual Reports (2013)
Graphis Design (2013
Graphis Posters (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Graphis Branding 5
Graphis Logos 7
Typography 31 Annual of The Type Directors Club (2010)
10th AGDA Awards compendium
9th AGDA Awards compendium
8th AGDA Awards compendium
7th AGDA Awards compendium
AWARD Annual (2006, 209, 2011, 2015)
Logo Lounge Volume 6
Logo Lounge Master Library III, Symbols and Crests
Logo Lounge Master Library II, Animals & Mythology
Logo Lounge 3 (2006)
Logotype, Laurence King, UK (2012)
Symbol, Laurence King, UK (2011)\
Logo, Laurence King UK (2006)
Index Book, Spain
The WOLDA Annual (2008, 2009, 2010)
Asia Pacific Design No. 8
The Sydney Design Guide (2006)
Graphics Alive, Viction:ary (2006)
Magazines
Brand Magazine #60 (2022)
Communication Arts #432 (2020)
PAGE Magazine #378 (2019)
étapes #249 (2019)
Communication Arts #424 (2019)
PAGE Magazine (2016)
Chois Gallery (2015)
Communication Arts (2018)
STD Typographic 69 (February 2012)
Desktop Magazine #272 Studio Feature (June 2011)
Monument Magazine #105 (October/November 2011)
Communication Arts Interactive Annual 14
Design Down Under: Graphic Design in the Land of OZ feature article by Robert L. Peters
Australian Creative Magazine 2009 HOTSHOP Feature Article (March 2010)
Australian Creative Magazine 2008 HOTSHOP Feature Article (March 2009)
Desktop Magazine Interview (November 2009)
Australian Creative Magazine 2006 HOTSHOP Feature Article (March 2007)
DG Magazine #120 Feature article (2005)Australian Creative (2004)
Speaking
2024
Design For Good speaker series
TAFE Ultimo
2023
AGI Open, Auckland
2021
The Design Conference, Brisbane
2020
D&AD Pencil winners series
2020
The Design Conference, Brisbane\
Shillington College guest lecture series
2019
Guest Lecture, University of Western Sydney
Shot Down, AGDA
2016
Shillington College guest lecture series
Typo/graphics Workshop, University of Technology Sydney
2016
Across the Ditch, Design Institute of New Zealand
The Design Conference, Brisbane
Across the Ditch, Design Institute of New Zealand
2015
The Pinnacles, AGDA
2011
Shot Down lecture, AGDA NSW
Expressive Typography Workshop, DIA
Enmore Talks Student lecture, Enmore Design Centre
Enemy Ears are Listening, AGDA South Australia
2010
Radio Interview, Deborah Cameron Show, ABC Radio
2009
AGIdeas International Design Conference Presentation
Enmore Talks Student lecture, Enmore Design Centre
2007
I Heard it Through the Grapevine AGDA, Sydney
Design
2004 – 2006
Sessional Lecturing Swinburne University
Lecturing, Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts
2004
Abroad, AGDA NSW
Juries
2024
Graphis Posters 2025
AADC Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
2023
AADC Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
2022
ADCA The Advertising & Design Club of Canada Awards
AADC Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
2021
Graphis Protest Posters 2
AADC Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
Perth Art Director’s Club Diamond Skulls
2020
AADC Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
2019
AWARD Awards
Perth Art Director’s Club Diamond Skulls
2018
AGDA Awards
2018 — Victorian Premier’s Design Awards
2016
BEST Awards, New Zealand
2015
The Mohawk Show
Brisbane Art Directors Club
AWARD Awards
2013
AGDA Poster Biennale
2012
AGDA Awards
Positive Posters
Adelaide Advertising & Design Club Inc.
2011
AGDA Poster Annual
2008
Melbourne Art Directors Club Awards
It’s nice to meet you
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
We acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work.