Old Parliament House
As Creative Director at ZOO Communications in Canberra, I had the privilege of working on a campaign to revitalise Old Parliament House. By delving into the fascinating stories of the curators and highlighting key exhibits like Sonia McMahon's saucy "White House" dress, romantic love letters from Joe and Enid Lyons, and Pattie Menzies' shanghai slingshot (apparently she enjoyed aiming at Currawongs for sport!), we created engaging content that resonated with audiences.
Using a combination of archive imagery and a distinctive animation style, we developed a visually appealing campaign (on a ‘regional budget’) that successfully increased foot traffic to Old Parliament House. Our work demonstrated the power of storytelling and creativity in bringing history to life. Here are just three of those ads from a long popular series that became instantly recognisable in digital, print and outdoor. It worked a treat and Canberrans arrived in droves to see the old stories for themselves.
Mrs PM – Public Image, Private Lives Exhibition
Mrs PM’ won a finalist at The 8th Biennial AGDA AWARDS (Australian Graphic Design Association) against over 2,700 entries from Australia, UK, Germany, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand, as well as a Platinum REMI Award in the ‘Low Budget’ category.
Old Parliament Press Gallery – Leaks Scoops & Scandals Exhibition
When Old Parliament House opened its Press Gallery to the public, we brought to life the offices, corridors and gallery from where the major political events, leaks, scoops and scandals were reported by journalists between 1927 and 1988.
The ad won a highly commended at The MAPDA awards (Museums Australia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards) under a multimedia category against prominent cultural institutions throughout Australia.
The Great Depression – Scarred & Strengthened Exhibition
This ad explored the theme of the exhibition, how the Australian spirit was forged during the hard times of the Great Depression between 1929 and 1932. This silent movie, pop up style animation became synonymous with the Old Parliament House brand and endured until the house was finally renamed ‘The Museum of Australian Democracy’ in 2008.
All four OPH animated ads won a Platinum REMI award in the ‘series/campaign’ category at the WorldFest International Film Festival. With a second Platinum REMI award going to the ‘Talking Walls’ commercial in the ‘institutional identity’ category.