Positioning WaterNSW with clarity and authority

Scope

Brand strategy
Brand positioning
Key messaging framework
Tagline creation
Brand identity
Brand guidelines

The background

WaterNSW is a relatively young organisation responsible for managing one of the state’s most vital natural resources in a highly complex and scrutinised environment. To operate effectively, WaterNSW needs to be recognised as a trusted, credible and expert steward of NSW’s water.

This trust begins with being better known and better understood by the communities, customers and stakeholders WaterNSW serves.

The challenge

When WaterNSW first approached us, their brand awareness was low outside their immediate operational sphere.

Many audiences were unclear on WaterNSW’s role, its position within the broader water landscape, and the depth of expertise the organisation brings to managing critical infrastructure and resources.

This lack of clarity limited WaterNSW’s ability to build confidence, credibility and influence with key stakeholders.

The brief

To build a more recognised, trusted and respected brand by clearly defining who WaterNSW is, what it does and why it matters.

Our approach

We began with a comprehensive brand review and consultation phase to deeply understand the organisation, its audiences and the broader industry context. This included:

A review of comparable organisations’ websites and social media presence
An audit of WaterNSW-owned channels, including its website
Research interviews with the executive team
Site visits to both metro and regional dams to understand both the on-the-ground expertise and operational reality of the brand

This process uncovered a critical insight: confusion around WaterNSW’s role and positioning was the primary barrier to trust. While the organisation delivered immense value and expertise, this was not clearly articulated or consistently expressed.

Our solution

Using this insight, we reframed the brief to focus squarely on brand positioning and clarity.

We translated our findings into a clear, practical brand strategy, consolidated into a succinct one-page framework that included:

A refined purpose statement
Vision and values
Brand essence and positioning
Tagline
A clear message house with supporting pillars

From this strategic foundation, we developed a refreshed visual language that better reflected WaterNSW’s authority, scale and responsibility. This included:

A new brand baseplate and graphic system
Updated colour palette and typography
A refreshed visual identity
A comprehensive brand book
An enhanced suite of flexible design templates for consistent application across channels