Image Credit : Photography by Peter Bennetts
Photography by Tatjana Plitt
Project Overview
Rabbit Hole brings an exciting new world of adventure to Braybrook in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The amazing play centre features climbing walls, modular play spaces, a cafe and party rooms for kids of all ages to free their imagination. The aim of the centre is to inspire children to chase their imagination, become lost in another world and have as much fun as possible by doing so.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Sash Fernando
Ruwani Fernando
Anja Doedijns
David Eynaud
Declan J Cox
Nicki Hlavacek
Emily Enrica
Project Brief
Principle Design was commissioned by Rabbit Hole to create an innovative and playful brand identity and illustration suite which showcased the centre's unique experience offering in a recognisable, engaging and whimsical manner. Our logomark is constructed of segmented coloured shapes arranged in a freeform style that reference the building blocks of our childhood and the organic nature of collage and paper craft. Our design process lead the illustration suite, created through the building of fundamental shapes, to be stylistically representative of different characters through pattern recognition. The physical space of Rabbit Hole’s Play Centre allowed these characters and worlds to blend through different worlds allowing the whimsical imagination of children to take flight.
Project Innovation/Need
Working closely with lead consultants, Architects EAT of Collingwood, Principle Design created an extensive suite of large-scale exterior and interior signage and graphics which invites you to be engulfed in awe by the magnitude and scale of the centre. We developed four wonder-filled worlds that embody the spirit of child-like wonder by incorporating colour, texture and illustration to represent the sea, a fun fair, a forest and outer space. These scenes were brought to life by the addition of vibrant characters to create a unique and consistent brand narrative throughout the play centre. To complete the Rabbit Hole experience, the designs were also featured across a myriad of touch points. The centre is represented holistically through an online presence which contains upcoming information on events, a bespoke booking system and newsletter. The potential of the brand is capitalised with usage of food packaging, menus, merchandise and uniforms which can be seen in the centre also.
Design Challenge
Principle Design was tasked to define a graphical visual strategy to communicate to children of all ages. The design process lead the team to understanding the perception of children through their various stages of their life. The strategy saw a minimalist complexity to the illustrations that needed to be cohesive and scalable in order to fill the warehouse sized complex.
Our collaboration with Architects EAT saw final finishes being perfected through a joint effort between brand designers and interior designers in order to fulfil the full potential of the Rabbit Hole brand.
Working in conjunction with Architects EAT, Interface Construction and Big Banner, the world of Rabbit Hole was manufactured through a coordinated collaborative effort that endeavoured rock climbing walls manufactured in Bulgaria, packaging made in Asia and the front signage that was collated throughout different suppliers in South East Asia and the coordination of lead times for the grand opening.
The design of the rock climbing wall saw the need to consider the use of illustrations within a three dimensional space as well as the interaction with the illustrations as climbing obstacles.
Effectiveness
Our innovative solution for Rabbit Hole’s new brand has helped build an identity that establishes them as an innovation leader in their market, draw the attentions of a wide customer base and inspire the imaginations of a new generation.
After the first week of the soft launch, the venue had hit capacity within a matter of hours. The centre has had an overwhelming response from the community with continual sold out sessions and party bookings.
The business has received overwhelming praise from both its patrons and media and the business has flourished.
Graphic Design - Illustration and Type
This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.
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