Rugby Uniform for Australian Indigenous Youth
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Creative & Art Direction / Graphic Design
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Agency
G Media Group
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Client
Rainbow Serpent Dreaming
Rainbow Serpent Dreaming is an Australian foundation that supports indigenous youth wishing to pursue a sporting career. The Foundation has partnered with experienced former sports players and industry professionals, who provide training and career guidance. These partners offer inspiration for the youth to become professional athletes and embrace their cultural identity.
The Foundation's founder and CEO approached the agency to support the Foundation by designing a new uniform for the rugby team to compete in one of the NSW rugby tournaments. He wanted a modern uniform with a unique look that would represent the Foundation's brand, incorporating the Rainbow Serpent Dreaming and the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag.
THE OUTCOME
A minimalistic and unique design was created by taking inspiration from the Rainbow Serpent Dreaming, the pattern of the serpent's skin and the Dot painting used by the Australian aboriginals in their art. The design focused on the snake and its power; dots and colours were used to shape the figure and guide the viewer around the uniform.
THE DREAMING
Also referred to as Dreamtime, it represents Aboriginal concepts of Everywhen during which the land was inhabited by ancestral figures, often of heroic proportions or with supernatural abilities. These figures were often distinct from gods as they did not control the material world and were not worshipped but only revered. The concept of the Dreamtime has subsequently become widely adopted beyond its original Australian context and is now part of global popular culture.
THE RAINBOW SERPENT DREAMING
The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as a creator god, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages and peoples. The serpent is viewed as a giver of life through its association with water but can be a destructive force if angry. The Rainbow Serpent is one of the most common and well-known Aboriginal stories and is greatly important to Aboriginal society.
The uniform features the colour scheme of the Australian Aboriginal flag. The top half (shirt and shorts) are black, and the bottom half (socks) are red; the shorts have a red stripe that links to the socks and closes the visual gap between the two halves when worn. The yellow colour, which is only a fraction of the black and red, was used as an accent colour to emphasise the shirt's collar, player's name and number.
The meanings of the three colours in the flag:
Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector.
Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector.
Red – represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual relation to the land.
The serpent's skin and scales pattern follow a simple angled cross-hatching technique that forms small diamonds, where each of the scales fits. This pattern works as the foundation for the dots' placement and outline of the serpent's body, which is only visible at a close distance and depending on the light's reflection.
A geometric sans-serif typeface was used for the name and numbers, providing an appearance of efficiency and forwardness. Inspired by the dot painting art, each number was individually created with a distinctive pattern.
