Warrnambool Entry Statement

Warrnambool City Council was looking to present their city as a friendly destination for visitors and residents alike, with the installation of an iconic entry statement. An open area on the Princes Highway east of town provided the perfect staging space for this welcome sign.

Council selected Danthonia Designs as their preferred partner in the Eastern Branding Signage project. The design brief was to create a sign with familiar and recognizable imagery, but still holding layers of meaning to be discovered with a closer look. Our team developed, a wide range of concepts, from familiar to abstract that condensed the city’s character into one entry statement.

A community consultation resulted in the selection of this design. Warrnambool’s identity of “a cosmopolitan city by the sea”, is captured in this grouping of three-dimensional panels, each representing a different facet of the city. The signage panels include elements of Warrnambool’s identity including fairy penguins, a Maremma sheep dog, Middle Island; the tail of a Southern Right Whale; the distinctive Warrnambool skyline, and a promenade of the Norfolk Island Pines that line the city’s parks. Textured and pearlescent finishes add to the welcome sign’s appeal, along with extensive landscaping including local native species that surround the signage panels.