The Irukandjis
Surfing Australia
Issue 62 | March 2022
Agency
BWM isobar
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Marcus Tesoriero Creative Director Tom Denton Design Jasmine Craciun, Alanna Rados, Dutchy Baart Creative Marcus Tesoriero Art Director Jon Foye
Production Team
Editor Clare Conway, Yotam Hatzvi National Production Lead Lauren Reilly Senior Integrated Producer Jess Campbell Director Justin McMillan (clockwork films - production) Director of Photography Stefan Jose, Jon Frank Creative Project Manager Karina Zheng
Other Credits
Managing Director Brent Kerby Senior Account Manager Jess Walley Chief Strategy Officer Jamie Mackay Indigenous Consultant Yatu Widders-Hunt Indigenous Affairs Agency Cox Inall Ridgeway Client Surfing Australia CEO Surfing Australia Chris Mater
Date
July 2021
Background
Surfing Australia needed a new identity to help galvanise the Australian surfing team and give them a competitive edge in their first-ever Olympic Games. Working in close consultation with Indigenous communities, The Irukandjis was developed – a new name and design identity to rally the support of the entire country.
Idea
The rebrand leveraged the natural connection to the ocean shared by surfers and Indigenous Australians. Through this, the Olympic surfing team was motivated to compete not only for Australia but also for Australia’s First Nations People. After centuries of oppression, it was an act of reconciliation for Indigenous Australians that could both inspire the Olympic surfers and put recognition and respect for Australia’s First Nations people on the world stage.
The design team collaborated with Indigenous artist, Jasmine Craciun of the Barkingji, Malyangapa people, to curate a striking identity which incorporated her traditional line art designs with a pattern of free-flowing Irukandji tentacles that denoted Australia’s most deadly jellyfish.
The designs featured on Surfing Australia’s team uniforms, surfboards, jet skis, buses, and more.
Results
Viewed by over 12.6 million people, The Irukandjis went on to become a winning mantra for the team as, against all odds, Owen Wright claimed Australia’s first-ever Olympic medal in surfing, winning for Australia and Australia’s First Nations People as one.
Our Thoughts
It’s not just the UK that’s having to face up to its less than glorious colonial past (see pages 54-55), New Zealand is being asked by the Maori Party to restore the country’s name to Aotearoa. Australia too is trying to deal with its historical and systemic racism.
Here’s an idea that moves beyond the apologies of then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008 to an expression of inclusivity and a statement of shared pride in Aboriginal culture in 2021.
There is still a way to go. Unlike New Zealand, Canada and the USA whose governments have treaties with their indigenous peoples, Australia does not.
Just as an aside,there are plenty of sports teams called the Tigers or the Lions, the Wasps and the Hornets but the ‘Killer Jellyfish’ is a new one on me and all the cooler for it.