Connecting brands and communities
Curating the identities of a winery, region-building initiative and a generational village icon under one vision.
In the Queensland Granite Belt, you’ll find a vineyard and a rock shaped like a heart, and a general store that’s been there for generations. Marrying these entities was part of the brief for Balancing Heart Vineyard and the Village Heart Co. Development Group, who asked DAIS to define a new brand identity, give life and personality to the interconnected businesses and create an impact for its region – on-the-shelf and for the community.
The journey began with the vineyard, Balancing Heart, which was originally named Balancing Rock. The business was looking to reposition itself by crafting a compelling brand story which honours its philosophy, legacy and unique location in the Granite Belt.
On the property is a unique rock formation which inspired the original name. DAIS felt that it was important to continue to use the distinctive rock to create a sense of place and destination. What was missing was emotion, the true heart of the brand story.
The top of the rock formation is in the shape of a heart, so it was used to elevate the brand to create the new name, Balancing Heart. It is a symbol of the delicate balance of passion and intelligence necessary in winemaking, and pays tribute to the special formation. Like the name, the brand logo hints at the meaning behind the name by incorporating the balancing rock while honouring the philosophy about the heart and mind that goes into winemaking. DAIS developed a simple two-word convention for naming wines and creating label artwork that would be true to the brand philosophy, look impactful on the shelf and be easy for the owner to manage.
“Two words creates simplicity and speaks to the duality of the brand while highlighting both the science and art of producing quality wine,”Jack Perlinski explained.
The new brand was rolled out across Balancing Heart’s range of wine varietals, website, social media graphics, signage, and suite of brochureware and collateral. A new vintage was launched and the Cellar Door was also revamped with architecturally designed tasting rooms. There’s even a giant Balancing Heart bottle at the gate of the vineyard. Our work for Balancing Heart is award winning, with the brand identity awarded silver in the International Visual Identity Awards, and the product packaging receiving bronze in the BADC awards.
“The relaunch marked a resounding success with the vineyard constantly busy with tastings at the new Cellar Door, showing at festivals and launching new wines” Jack said.
The key to this strategy was to connect, cross sell and interact the two existing brands, as well as allowing them to act independently.
With the vineyard successfully rebranded, DAIS’s attention turned to revitalising the identity of the Development Group and Ballandean General Store owned by the same client. The aim was to establish a strong community positioning and a brand family where traditions were honoured, and new connections were welcomed. Having worked across the client’s expanding brand portfolio, on Balancing Heart including other professional service and food services brands, the General Store brand provided the perfect focal point for connecting regional businesses at the heart of everything the Granite Belt and Ballandean has to offer. The General Store’s brand was elevated while ensuring it retained its history and essence as a welcoming meeting place where the community and visitors connect.
The General Store was embraced by the Village Heart branding to connect to both Balancing Heart and to activate the “Experience Local” campaign, evoking a welcoming and engaging destination experience.
“As a functioning bakery and café, the colour palette leaned into the colours of coffee, wine and popular cafe dishes including a suite of playful graphics to visually elevate the brand’s personality. Its voice and character work to bring energy and vibrancy to the new brand throughout the General Store facade, signage, environmental graphics, packaging and social media voice” Jack said.
The General Store now looks forward to hosting wine tasting evenings and future business community meetups at Village Heart Co. while building their loyal community of customers.
See the full Balancing Heart case study here.
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