Independent agency Equality Media + Marketing has been awarded gold in the graphic design – identity & branding – property category at the 2025 BETTER FUTURE Melbourne Design Awards for its brand work on Te Taumata | Lakeview, a mixed-use precinct overlooking Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand.
The win recognises a long-term partnership between Equality and Melbourne developer Ninety-Four Feet that began with a pitch in 2020. Charged with creating a brand that could honour the site’s significance while enticing a global audience of high-net-worth buyers, the agency hosted workshops with Queenstown Lakes District Council, engaging local Iwi representatives, and consulting Māori cultural advisers to ensure visual and verbal elements respected whenua (land) and tikanga (customs).
From that foundation emerged a visual identity inspired by alpine contours and traditional weaving patterns, a bilingual naming strategy that anchors the project in place, and a suite of assets, renders, original photography, cinematic film and a website.
The launch campaign, delivered in phased stages, has already generated NZ$150 million in sales, with more than 90 per cent of purchasers based outside New Zealand.
“The best creative starts long before design, with a deep understanding of the audience and the place. This project proves that strategy-led, insight-driven branding can bridge cultures: honouring the rich local identity of Queenstown while sparking desire among a global audience. That’s what fuels results like these – a brand that feels authentic at home and aspirational abroad,” founder and managing director of Equality Media + Marketing, Marilla Akkermans said.
“Te Taumata | Lakeview is a once-in-a-generation development. Equality’s brand work captured its spirit perfectly and propelled sales beyond our expectations. This recognition is richly deserved,” Charmaine Balchin, development manager at Ninety-Four Feet added.
The BETTER FUTURE Award Programs celebrate projects that deliver commercial impact in the markets where they are commissioned and marketed, providing winners with a global communications platform and an edge in competitive sectors.
