Platform's mission is both simple and ambitious: "to celebrate the art forms that are traditionally excluded and to make art and culture more accessible". Since opening in early 2017, Platform has done exactly that, while also galvanising the local art scene and revitalising a neglected part of Katoomba. This is a community focused project with style and ambition.

Founded by wife-and-wife team Kelly and JL Heylen, Platform is not just a gallery, it’s also a retail outlet and a communal space, with plans to expand into entirely new areas in 2018. Honeymoon worked closely with Platform to craft a truly unique identity, and continues to evolve the brand as the gallery itself evolves.

Curator Kelly wanted Platform to look and feel different from any other gallery. Inspiration was drawn from industrial branding, and the identity is built on bespoke typography. A range of symbols as well as letters were created using this custom typeface which can be contracted or expanded into expressive and decorative forms, as demonstrated below. These typographic tools are used as the basis for stationery designs, advertising, and campaign materials.

To complete the branding toolkit, a distinctive colour palette was required to further emphasise the Platform point of difference - which seeks to challenge the cold, indifferent gallery experience. A vibrant pink and a deep charcoal were chosen for their eye-catching combination and versatility.

A flexible invitation flyer template was created that can either be designed to be print on deluxe stock with rose-gold foiling, or on a consumer inkjet, depending on the nature of the show and the intended audience. Almost all of the Platform materials designed by Honeymoon were made to be easily used by the Platform team themselves - giving the client direct ownership over their tools while also ensuring that the necessary consistency and quality will be preserved.

Rather than producing expensive catalogues that don’t get read, Honeymoon produced a zine template that the Platform team can easily populate and produce in-house. The zine felt like more of a lo-fi, community driven way of communicating news and happenings, which suited the brand perfectly. The use of widely available pink stock provides an economical but strong branding tool, which simply needs to be fed through a photocopier once the content is ready.

The gallery has gone from strength to strength since its opening, with each new show more successful than the last. The Platform team have also already begun expanding their community projects, with regular zine workshops, a feminist book club, and free "craftanoon" events happening on the weekend. It’s a friendly place, showcasing the best work that the Blue Mountains has to offer. Judging by the many plans that will soon be activated, the gallery will continue to set a new benchmark for small local galleries well into the future.