Hello
Hello
We combine strategy and design to connect people to spaces and stories more…
Artbank Prize identity
Artbank was established in 1980 as an Australian federal government initiative with two core objectives: to support Australian contemporary artists by acquiring their work, and to build public appreciation for that work. For more than four decades, it has built an important collection of Australian contemporary art, funding its operations through the leasing of works from the collection.
In early 2026, Artbank launched the Artbank Prize, a new national art award, and we were engaged to develop the brand. The Prize is an open-call, acquisitive award for Australian artists not yet represented in the Artbank collection. The winner receives a $20,000 acquisition award, with their work joining the Artbank collection. The identity needed to introduce the Prize as something new while maintaining a clear connection to Artbank. It also needed to feel open and accessible, reflecting the open-call nature of the award.
Design apporach
The identity builds on Artbank’s existing visual language, but gives it a new purpose. The simple geometric forms already associated with Artbank became the starting point for a system that could represent the Prize and the many different artists and practices it brings together.
At the centre is an AP monogram made from a triangle and half circle. From there, the shapes become a flexible visual system, able to shift, combine and form new compositions across the identity. The result is a brand that feels connected to Artbank, but has enough energy and flexibility to belong to a new generation of the organisation. That flexibility was important because the identity needed to work alongside very different artworks and artists. Rather than imposing a single visual treatment, the system provides a consistent framework that can change from one application to the next, allowing the artwork to remain the focus.
This approach carries through everything from the open-call campaign and social media to banners, outdoor, signage and wayfinding, the finalist exhibition and catalogue. Together, these applications give the Prize a recognisable presence while allowing the identity to adapt to the different contexts in which it appears.
Outcome
The response was strong, with more than 740 entries from artists across Australia in the Prize’s first year. This is a level of participation that established national art prizes can take years to build, so to see it in the first year was significant.