tarkiner
At Carbon, we love a good branding project. But when that project involves creating branding for an organisation that aims to elevate and advance the people and culture of an entire First Nations community? You didn’t have to ask us twice.
The brief
The First Nations people of the tarkine region of North West Tasmania have been harvesting wild bull kelp off their shores for thousands of years. But one determined group — the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation (CHAC) — are harnessing the power of that kelp to create businesses and brands to advance the people and culture of the tarkiner community.
CHAC is a cultural community service powerhouse. Across the region, they run over 40 programs that include culture, health, wellbeing, children and families, aged care and disability, justice and safety. Now, they also run “tarkiner” — an overarching brand that houses three distinct businesses — tarkiner indoor plant food, tarkiner tourism and the tarkiner centre of excellence.
CHAC turned to Carbon Creative to help develop the branding for the tarkiner Branded House along with a brand website, digital video and assets for the overarching brand, and packaging design and launch materials for the release of the tarkiner indoor plant food product.
The good
The brand strategy behind the tarkiner brand/s was ambitious but simple — create something that captured the culture, tradition and pride of the First Nations people of the tarkine in an innovative and exciting way.
There were three objectives for the tarkiner project:
- Launch the Branded House and create awareness
- Design the branding for the first tarkiner product, tarkiner indoor plant food, with first of its kind support of two of Australia’s largest brands, Seasol and Bunnings
- Create a brand the First Nations people of the tarkine would be proud of
The impact
The launch of tarkiner as a brand and the first tarkiner indoor plant food product has only been recent (May 2024), but already the impact on the local tarkine community has been huge.
The tarkiner brand and businesses have built pride in the local First Nations community and culture, and empowered First Nations people with new pathways to succeed. With the first tarkiner indoor plant food product now being stocked nationally by Bunnings (Australia’s leading retailer of home and lifestyle products), this story has only just begun.
