Re-imagining a brand that’s always exploring
YHA
THE BRIEF
In the midst of the tourism industry’s most challenging time came an incredible opportunity. To create a refreshed, contemporary brand for YHA, an iconic Australian brand.
While COVID pressured the industry, our partnership with YHA’s team pushed forward to empower the brand’s future. YHA’s heritage and history were essential foundations for this next chapter in the brand’s story – and we needed to strike a delicate balance between celebrating heritage and launching a contemporary and modern brand that could compete in today’s – and tomorrow’s – competitive markets.
While COVID pressured the industry, our partnership with YHA’s team pushed forward to empower the brand’s future. YHA’s heritage and history were essential foundations for this next chapter in the brand’s story – and we needed to strike a delicate balance between celebrating heritage and launching a contemporary and modern brand that could compete in today’s – and tomorrow’s – competitive markets.
In the midst of the tourism industry’s most challenging time came an incredible opportunity. To create a refreshed, contemporary brand for YHA, an iconic Australian brand.
THE SOLUTION
Central to YHA’s evolution was the new brand positioning – ‘Always Exploring’. This was developed to help the brand move forward and define the core YHA offer. We preserved the iconic ‘tree and hut’ logo to retain the brand’s heritage and history, while embedding the new positioning through a modern arrow form.
Green is still recognised as the brand’s signature colour, but this is now supported by a broader colour palette to provide extra cut-through across multiple assets (digital and physical). The refreshed look and feel inspires different experiences and showcases the diversity of YHA locations (more than 49 around Australia) through new place-inspired illustrations and photography style.
Green is still recognised as the brand’s signature colour, but this is now supported by a broader colour palette to provide extra cut-through across multiple assets (digital and physical). The refreshed look and feel inspires different experiences and showcases the diversity of YHA locations (more than 49 around Australia) through new place-inspired illustrations and photography style.
THE RESULT
Paul McGrath, CEO, YHA said, “Post-Covid customers expect more. YHA needed to reach new audiences and adapt to rapidly changing accommodation needs. Our new brand story and proposition “always exploring” perfectly aligns with the aspirational brand journey we are on as a business, and we are confident we now have the foundations to meet new business and market challenges.”
“Our new brand story and proposition “always exploring” perfectly aligns with the aspirational brand journey we are on as a business, and we are confident we now have the foundations to meet new business and market challenges.”
PAUL MCGRATH, CEO, YHA
The refreshed look and feel inspires different experiences and showcases the diversity of YHA locations (more than 49 around Australia) through new place-inspired illustrations and photography style.
Relevant Projects
Houston Group acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia. Our studio sits on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Check out our reconciliation action plan