Block bends the rules of branding in its identity for the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts

When Perth-based design agency Block kicked off their project to rebrand the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), they began with an unconventional workshop. They invited PICA’s team to their office and turned their boardroom into “a provocative space filled with statements about PICA’s purpose,” Co-founder & Creative Strategy Director Mark Braddock tells us. “With no instructions and just markers, the team was locked in the space for 45 minutes, reflecting and responding to what was on the walls. This exercise helped us unearth the core of PICA’s identity, forming the foundation of the brand story.” The workshop sparked many strands of inspiration, one of which led the team to the building that houses PICA. Since 1991, PICA has occupied the iconic Perth Boys School building in the heart of Perth’s Cultural Centre, working from where the institution has garnered a reputation as a champion of contemporary artists. Its location was a big part of its story, so Block turned their attention to the architecture of the building, especially its arched entrance – “through which people, ideas and creativity flow in and out – that became the perfect metaphor for the connection, support, and protection PICA offers to contemporary arts practitioners,” says Braddock. The team observed the building and its details, the curves and angles of its windows, and distilled its geometry into a custom typeface packed with character. The slightly strange, but ultimately pleasing construction of the typeface lent the institution a fresh chance to announce its presence, setting it apart not just from other cultural neighbours, but also from Picabar, a beloved bar and beer garden attached to PICA. “This architectural grounding allowed us to create an identity that truly reflects PICA’s ethos of ‘Cultivating the Provocative. Provoking the Culture.’ The result is a visual language that is intentionally confrontational and thought-provoking, continually evolving to reflect the dynamic nature of the art housed within PICA’s walls,” adds Braddock.