Department for Energy and Mining

Developing a brand and UX strategy for a new government department.

The Brief

Create a unifying brand for a visionary new government department and communicate it to key audiences via a new UX-led website.

In 2018, the South Australian Clean Energy Transition Taskforce joined the Department for Mines, forming a new Department for Energy and Mining (DEM).

The Minister for Energy and Mining set the department the challenge of being the “best government department in Australia.”

To communicate this bold vision, Fuller was appointed to provide the new Department with clear, consistent and engaging brand messaging and a unifying visual identity that would help communicate the new story.

Services Provided

Brand Strategy & Identity, Design & Motion Graphics

Strategy

Our discovery research process revealed a significant international point of difference — that DEM was one of only two international government agencies that had taken the visionary step of combining mining and renewable energy in one entity.

In addition, while South Australia was already a global leader in renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydrogen, it was also a leader in mining many of the minerals needed for these renewable technologies, especially copper.

This makes South Australia “a leader in the global transformation economy”.

These findings informed a brand story, an elevator statement and a number of divisional messages for the new Department.

In conjunction with Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri artist Lawson Dodd from Ochre Dawn Creative Industries, we developed a new identity that speaks to the indigenous connection to Country, including a colour palette of muted green, black, navy and ochre.

The circular elements represent the sun, wind and earth; while the dots and lines reflect energy and earth’s stratas, and the flow of gas, creeks and sedimentation.

We also undertook a UX research project to ensure that the new website would be carefully targeted to key personas, ranging from department employees to energy and mining company employees.

The digital journey mapping of key stakeholders, showed their behaviours, touch points and frustrations.

This enabled website developers to create a new dynamic and customer focused website.

RESULTS

The new brand messaging and visual identity was launched by the Minister at a full staff conference of more than 200 DEM employees in late 2021.

In April 2022, following a change of Government, the new Minister for Energy and Mining was delighted to retain the name of the Department and the new brand as a recognition of the transformational work being undertaken in South Australia.