Block has been awarded three major projects in Perth, which will play a crucial role in shaping the city’s cultural landscape over the next 12 months.

Block has been commissioned by the Department of Culture & the Arts to oversee brand and marketing development for the city’s newest performing arts venue, which will be named after actor Heath Ledger and is expected to open in 2010.

The agency will also rebrand the East Perth Redevelopment Authority (EPRA). EPRA manages Perth’s most important urban renewal projects including The Northbridge Link, East Power Station and New Northbridge.

Block has simultaneously been hired to devise a fresh marketing approach for The New Breakwater, a stylish new development at Hillarys Boat Harbour that will feature two bars, a restaurant and function centre. It will be one of the largest private hospitality projects ever undertaken in Western Australia and will be the cornerstone tenant at Hillarys, one of Perth’s most popular tourist destinations.

“Perth is emerging as one of Australia’s most vibrant cities thanks to its flourishing arts and cultural scene. It’s a privilege to be invited to oversee three projects that will play such a significant role in this evolution,” says Mark Braddock, creative director at Block.

“We believe destination marketing plays a vital role in the success or otherwise of new venues. It helps consumers perceive how cultural destinations will slot into their city, and explains the context or functions the venues will play in their daily lives. The projects are bigger than individual pieces of branding – they will explore the larger marketing context of how cities define the places within their walls.”

This unique focus on ‘destination marketing’ will also drive Block’s approach to branding The New Breakwater. “It’s more about marketing the destination as a whole rather than simply slapping a logo on it and expecting consumers to flock there. It’s about using a brand to create a sense of place – it has to communicate the destination as well as the organisation,” says Braddock.

The new performing arts venue (pictured) will feature two theatres seating close to 800 patrons, plus rehearsal spaces for artists, and is expected to reinvigorate the performance arts scene in Perth. The theatre has been designed by Kerry Hill Architects and is currently being constructed at a site in Northbridge, Perth.

The East Perth Redevelopment Authority is one of the most important development agencies in Perth, responsible for revitalising more than 200 hectares of inner-city land in Perth since 1991.