EnergyAustralia is one of Australia’s largest energy retailers and generators, serving residential and business customers across the country [1]. The company’s visual identity has undergone two significant transformations since 2012, moving from a stylised glowing “e” mark to a more flexible design system built around a “beams” device.
Design and History
The modern EnergyAustralia brand traces its roots to 2011, when TRUenergy acquired the retail sales division of the state-owned EnergyAustralia. The “EnergyAustralia” name was included in the sale, and the remaining electricity network business was renamed Ausgrid [2]. TRUenergy subsequently adopted the EnergyAustralia name and launched a new corporate identity in August 2012 [3].
The 2012 rebrand was created by advertising agency Leo Burnett [3]. The new logo featured a glowing “e” symbol [2]. Prior to the launch, TRUenergy had been considering two design directions for the mark: a stylised letter “e” or an eight-pointed star [4]. The old EnergyAustralia logo, which The Age described as a “fishing net” design, was dropped in favour of the new mark [4].
In a later brand refresh, EnergyAustralia engaged Trent Hendrick to update the identity. The key goals were to achieve AAA web accessibility compliance, increase brand salience, and create a visual mnemonic that could work across all channels and devices [5]. Leaning into the brand line “Light The Way”, the response was the creation of the “beams” device, a dynamic design element that could change based on application [5]. The beams were flexible enough to adapt to different media placements while remaining strict enough to keep all communication on brand, and could pivot to allow movement for visual interest and use as transitions [5].
Meaning and Symbolism
The “Light The Way” campaign, which the beams device supports, reflects EnergyAustralia’s positioning around leadership in energy and a commitment to “lighting the way” for customers [6]. The brand refresh was designed to create a simple design system that could be rolled out consistently across all touch points of the business [5].
EnergyAustralia’s current brand palette includes a brick red (hex #CB3A57) and a green (hex #0D8924), along with a dark grey (hex #333333) [7]. The company has also commissioned a separate Reconciliation visual identity, created by MarcusLee Design, which uses a circular core representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities connected to Country through radiating coloured pathways reflecting land, rivers and ocean, with red, blue and yellow radiating channels connecting to energy [1].
Typography and Design
As part of the Light The Way refresh, the design team chose a web-safe typeface and created a suite of complimentary icons to improve user experience [5]. The beams device was designed to be a visual mnemonic that could work across all channels and devices, allowing EnergyAustralia to break up messaging and dial up urgency with retail messaging when required [5].
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