Behind the Branding

Balga Boodja translates to: Grass Tree Country.

Creating the brand for the Balga Boodja project was a lengthy one that involved much discussion between all the project partners.

Back to the roots of the suburb’s creation
We had to feature the grass tree. The area that is Balga, named so from the Aboriginal word for an indigenous grass tree Xanthorrhoea, was originally used for market gardens and poultry farms before large-scale development of Balga began in the late 1950s. Our suburb was named after the grass trees that grow in abundance throughout our local parks and bushlands. Many of the local schools use representations of the grass tree in their logo designs. Balga still has a strong connection to this plant, and therefore it was a must.

The trees also featured in the artwork commissioned by local aboriginal artist Rubeun Yorkshire, so it was agreed that we would extract and stylise the trees from the artwork to form the many identity for the project.

Unity
Balga is a very culturally diverse suburb. After talking with residents, it was evident that there is a strong bond for taking the time to “know thy neighbour” regardless of peoples different cultures, religious beliefs and walks of life. It is a community that is very proud to live in Balga and take the time to help one another out.

With this said, the phrase “One Community” was uttered during discussions and it summed up the whole essence of why this project was born.

Meet to Yarn
The last part of the logo is the aboriginal symbolisation of coming together to sit and yarn (talk). The wavy lines represent travelling/walking, and the u shape symbols represent people sitting and talking (yarning).

Our intention with Balga Boodja is to develop a strong sense of community by offering and organising events and opportunities for residents of all nationalities and ages. Building on the community spirit that already exists in this great suburb.