Modernising the Brand of Australia’s Central Bank

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) engaged The Brand Pool to codify and modernise its brand — bringing clarity, cohesion, and digital readiness to a legacy identity.

RBA’s brand system had served it well, but internal teams lacked confidence applying it. It was built for print, not pixels. And while the Bank is trusted and respected, its brand felt static in a fast-moving digital world.

A brand this trusted doesn’t need reinvention — it needs translation.

Our role was to respect the weight of the institution, while making the brand work smarter and feel more alive across modern channels. This meant codifying the essentials, lifting design literacy, and creating assets that empowered teams — not intimidated them.

We refreshed and codified the brand for the digital era — ensuring it works seamlessly across screens, documents, platforms and people.

At the heart of the visual update is a subtle narrative — one that draws inspiration from the RBA’s cultural heritage. We took cues from Bim Hilder’s sculptural work commissioned for the Bank’s foyer, echoing its shapes in our graphic elements. These forms were reimagined with modern gradients and contemporary colour treatments, creating a bridge between the RBA’s legacy and its future.

We delivered:

A refined visual identity built around consistency, legibility and trust — including updated logo rules, colour palette, typography, and graphic elements
A comprehensive brand guidelines suite — both detailed and digestible, including a long-form brand book and a short-form summary
A 1-minute explainer video to introduce the brand system and its rationale to internal teams
A ready reckoner — a single-page, at-a-glance guide to help staff make quick, confident design decisions
A versatile library of branded templates — built in both Adobe and Canva for everyday use across documents, presentations, video, eDMs and social
A carefully curated stock image library, plus art direction and production of a bespoke photoshoot with photographer Jes Lindsey
Staff training and support tools to embed brand literacy and lift design confidence across the organisation

We made the brand easier to understand, faster to use, and harder to get wrong — giving every team at the RBA the tools they need to create with clarity and consistency.

This project drew on The Brand Pool’s strengths in strategic simplification, digital-first design, and behavioural insight. We don’t just deliver guidelines — we build systems that people want to use. And we know how to modernise brands without losing what makes them meaningful.

The updated brand captures the RBA’s role as a dependable, forward-looking institution. It’s designed to resonate internally and externally, across teams, channels, and generations — while staying true to the Bank’s purpose: promoting economic prosperity for all Australians.

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Awabakal Country
PO Box 1695
Newcastle 2300
New South Wales
Australia

Wadawurrung Country

Surf Coast Shire
Victoria
Australia

We acknowledge that we work on the lands of the Awabakal and Wadawurrung nations. We wish to pay respect to their Elders – past, present and future – and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within our region and all of Australia.

Awabakal Country
PO Box 1695
Newcastle 2300
New South Wales
Australia

Wadawurrung Country

Surf Coast Shire
Victoria
Australia

We acknowledge that we work on the lands of the Awabakal and Wadawurrung nations. We wish to pay respect to their Elders – past, present and future – and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people continue to play within our region and all of Australia.