Taylah Cole designs Indigenous branding for RMIT

[Additional information] Slow motivational music plays throughout the video. 

[Opening screen] RMIT pixel comes apart and parts spin slowly against background. They come together, back into the RMIT University logo. Logo disappears.

[Visuals]

Walkthrough of Indigenous garden at RMIT University.

[Narrator: Taylah Cole]

I'd like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people – those past, present and future – for allowing us to participate on the land, to learn study and play.

[Visuals] Taylah Cole talking to offscreen interviewer. Animated preview of her leaf designs against navy background briefly appears on screen before camera returns to Taylah.

[Screen title] Taylah Cole, Bachelor of Arts (Textile Design)

[Narrator: Taylah Cole]

I became involved with the Indigenous branding for RMIT through Ngarara Willim. I got sent an email about the opportunity and I just thought I'd send in my designs and see how it went.

[Visuals] Colourful leaf designs show with orange background before camera returns to Taylah and then focuses on black and white drawings of her designs.

[Taylah Cole] My idea was to create a series of work that highlighted Indigenous culture but also paid homage to the original artist who did the Ngarara Willim logo, Mandy Nicholson – a Wurundjeri woman

[Visuals] Ngarara Willim logo artwork. Then camera focuses on Taylah and examples of Ngarara Willim logo on circular calendar.

[Taylah Cole] – and she used the Manna Gum leaf. For the Manna Gum leaf, to make it my own, I looked at each campus on the campus map and drew my own style and interpretation 

[Visuals] Taylah drawing in an RMIT studio working with her emu feather designs on a digital screen.

[Taylah Cole] and then I placed it within the Manna Gum leaf. So there's three gum leaves and they each represent each campus. And then I drew the emu feather, which is also culturally significant ... you use it for ceremonial purposes ... from an emu feather skirt which women would wear.

[Visuals] Red and white emu feather designs flash up on navy background screen before camera returns to Taylah talking to offscreen interviewer. She's then seen working with a professional designer in a digital agency and looking over her designs incorporated into the RMIT brand.

[Taylah Cole] Being able to fly to Sydney and come here is really amazing. It's like, you know, you're a working professional but you're still a student, so it's really special.

To be able to design from a cultural perspective and from my own story is amazing and I want to eventually give back to my community because I've gained so much from mine and that's always been at the forefront of my design thinking cap.

Being Indigenous and following along with the culture ... that's what's driven me to the amazing experiences I've had.

You know, I've done other things but it was always my culture that's driven me and giving me the opportunities I needed to be successful in my mind.

[Visuals] White screen with new RMIT Indigenous branded logo. 

[Closing title] 

RMIT University

CRICOS 00122A

RTO Code 3046

Ngarara Willim

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