Branding design agency Principals has refreshed the brand for AAM Investment Group (AAM) with the work recognised by the Better Future Sydney Design Awards.
AAM identifies, investigates, funds and acquires high-quality investment assets for long-term investment. Through its funds, AAM has more than $1bn invested in beef cattle, lamb and wool sheep, cropping, poultry, and sustainably sourced timber supply chains across 32 sites in four states and territories.
The company has experienced exceptional growth over the past five years and required a refreshed branding profile to reflect the diversity of AAM’s assets and commitment to sustainable investments. AAM Founder and Managing Director Garry Edwards said: “AAM has reached a milestone in its growth and we are ready to capture the interest of a larger cohort of investors interested in regional Australia’s sustainable development. To do this, we needed a brand that would convey our belief in the strength and long-term performance of our people, Australian agriculture and each diverse asset in our care.”
Guided by AAM’s purpose and core beliefs of promoting investment that contributes to a positive and sustainable Australian agricultural industry as well as a desire to recognise the untold potential of the sector, Principals developed the brand idea, ‘It’s in our blood’.
Principals Strategy Director & Principal Moensie Rossier said: “‘It’s in our blood’ affirms AAM’s belief that Australian agriculture is well worth investing in. It gets to the heart of what it takes to keep our regional communities vibrant and thriving.”
This positioning, accompanied by personality traits – All in, A good head on our shoulders, and As real as it gets – sparked the idea for a genuine design, voice, and narrative. The brand was bolstered by the co-creation of an Employee Value Proposition that reinforces the personal contribution AAM employees make to change people’s futures, together growing Australia.
The new AAM brandmark combines the uniqueness of a fingerprint; tree rings indicating history and growth; a drop of water and the boldness of mountains, evoking the topography of landscapes and the passion of AAM people.
The colour palette is inspired by the land, sky and AAM’s values bringing warmth and elevating a simple design system. It reinforces sustainability, without resorting to the typical green palettes that have become pervasive in an era of ‘greenwashing’. It aligns with AAM being an on-the-ground owner/operator, not an at-a-distance investment company.
AAM’s Edwards said: “A tremendous amount of effort went into developing the new branding profile, contemplating the company’s origins and the unique DNA of AAM’s business and people.
“This new positioning resonates with AAM people from the timber mills of the Central Tablelands to the cattle stations in northern Australia. It is inspired by the passion of an extraordinary combination of agronomists, farmers, machinists, and investment managers, who share the determination to create a better future for their families, communities and regions.”
People within AAM have begun to adopt the brand organically with merchandise orders seeing an exponential increase. The brand is being rolled out across the organisation’s diverse assets, including AAM Timber and AAM Poultry. Additionally, the rebrand won a Better Future Sydney Design Award in the Graphic Design – Identity and Branding – Finance category.
