Context & Background

Rebranding is more than just a new logo; it’s about reshaping the narrative and redefining the story you tell. The National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN) needed a fresh start, rooted in its legacy. As the government’s advisory body for the National Arts Fund, NACN promotes and supports arts programmes that ensure the continued practice of all art forms in Namibia, locally and internationally, enriching the nation’s heritage and uniting Namibians through the arts.

However, Namibia’s arts sector faces challenges of fragmentation and under-resourcing, particularly in music, theatre, and visual arts. NACN is committed to overcoming these obstacles, unleashing the nation’s creative potential and fostering a unified Namibian identity. By advocating for the arts as a viable career and building a sustainable creative industry, NACN aims to drive national prosperity and alleviate poverty. In a country as culturally, ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse as Namibia, NACN plays an essential role in strengthening cross-cultural communication through the arts.

To continue this work, NACN recognised the need to modernise its image—creating a dynamic, relevant presence that mirrors the evolving arts landscape in Namibia.  This is where Turipamwe Design comes in. Commissioned by NACN, we led the rebranding process to help them better communicate with stakeholders, promote funding opportunities, and provide vital resources to artists. Working closely with NACN, we crafted a brand identity that captures the spirit and vision of NACN and Namibia’s creative sector.

Expertise & Solution

The communication problem was clear: How could we help NACN show up, speak up, and stand out in the arts and culture sector, reflecting the crucial role it plays? In other words, how could we amplify and clarify NACN’s communication with both the Namibian arts community and the public? More than just a funding body, NACN needed to be recognised as a pillar of support—providing access to funding and creating pathways for authentic artistic expression.

To address this challenge, our solution was to define, differentiate, and re-design the NACN brand identity—grounded in local relevance while benchmarking against global standards to enhance visibility and accessibility. This included transitioning from the old logo to a new brand identity. Our solution, based on the principles of visibility, accessibility, and sustainability—values shared by NACN—guided the redefinition of NACN’s identity and communication strategy, ensuring the brand reflects its impact on Namibia’s arts and culture in a meaningful and forward-thinking way.

This design thinking approach allowed us to distill insights from the workshop findings and present three distinct communication solutions for NACN to choose from. Each was initially captured in sketches and later refined into mood boards, alongside the brand strategy, during the design phase. It was a creative exploration of potential visual directions for the logo and the new brand identity.

The NACN acronym lockup: a single-unit logo combining the icon with the
Council’s abbreviated name for the flexible and recognisable brand application.

For typography, we selected the clean, modern font Land Rover, which strikes a balance between professionalism and accessibility, as demonstrated in the collateral design. This choice ensures that NACN’s message remains clear and impactful across all mediums—whether on a printed page or a digital screen. The goal is to resonate with everyone—from artists to policymakers, and from local communities to international partners.