It’s one thing to create branding for new ventures and another thing entirely to rebrand an existing entity. Especially a cultural icon. That was the task given to Dan Buchan Design when arguably the nation’s biggest surfing publication approached us to give Tracks Magazine a new brand for one of the few times in its 50-year history.
Owned by Australian media conglomerate Next Media, Dan Buchan Design set about giving this iconic brand a facelift and rebrand to coincide with its change to a bi-monthly magazine for the first time in its history.
This radical change of frequency called for an update of the brand including the format and style within the magazine for the future. Having such a rich history within the Australian surfing landscape meant it was imperative the new brand and style paid tribute to Tracks’ heritage while expressing the contemporary nature of the modern-day surfer.
The result sees a new Tracks format and model which connects more closely to the ideals of contemporary surfers through a more sophisticated design that remains unpretentious to avoid alienating the magazine’s die hard readership.