In his book on the language of cities, design luminary Deyan Sudjic states; ‘when you oversimplify a city you rob it of everything that makes it great’. We agree. Urban innovation is a necessarily complex job that requires clear thinking and our current project EDDY at Central Station is about as complex as you can get.

Right Angle’s Creative Department ensures that the ways our ideas are described and eventually brought to life are as clear as the strategy behind them. In this place activation for Transport for NSW, we were given a broad scope to reanimate dormant retail spaces in Central Railway Station by curating a mix of local retail and cultural experiences that speak directly to Sydneysiders. After a detailed research phase in which the place concept was refined by our strategy team, the creative department stepped in to help build an identity around the project.

Commissioning a site study was paramount to understanding the tone and texture of EDDY’s brand. The ethereal, dream-like photography of Saskia Wilson articulated the nuances of human traffic throughout the day, as well as the interplay between natural light and heritage sandstone masonry that occurs between dawn and dusk. Our creative department drew on this visual context while developing the brand strategy that would set up its identity and collateral development.

During concept development, EDDY emerged as a fitting name for the temporary precinct. It spoke to its location on Eddy Avenue without just being a numbered address; was a punchy nickname that personifies the kind of approachable brand we were creating; and used its dictionary definition – a small whirlpool – as a metaphor for the station’s role as a focal point of human traffic. As it evolves, EDDY will become a cultural whirlpool for Sydney.

Taking inspiration from the Op Art movement, we developed an identity that harnessed flow and leant on the fact that all lines lead to Central. Colour and curves were used in a playful yet legible way that allowed for a unique framing device for text and imagery. Versatile and dynamic, this is a direction that can be applied across a variety of mediums, both digital and physical, through animation, signage, lighting and projection.

With the Minister for Infrastructure’s announcement of the precinct approaching, we embarked on the process of developing a suite of collateral for TfNSW that felt immediate for the emerging brand, including a website, social tiles and print collateral. Most visibly, we devised a signage strategy to fit the windows and architraves of the existing Central building. This meant working within tight heritage constraints to express the future uses of EDDY while respecting its storied past. The signage was installed three months out from EDDY’s opening to generate intrigue around this long-underutilised space while introducing commuters to the brand.

On the precipice of the 18-month program’s launch, Right Angle is eager to watch the EDDY brand evolve as the space swells with Sydney’s emerging creative and cultural tastemakers.