Our Story
Di Marca was formed in Melbourne almost 30 years ago to help transform businesses from where they are today, to where they want to be.
Wow, time flies when you love what you do!
Di Marca was born in Melbourne in April 1993. It followed our founder Steve Alley, relocating to Melbourne after moving on from Stone Davies Alley Strategic Design, Sydney’s leading brand identity and packaging design business at the time.
Di Marca began like most start-ups, with the three original founders setting up in a collaborative shared office space. The early ’90s were exciting times, and we soon found ourselves growing into larger premises. Our big break came working with Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), opening the door to a long association working with some exceptional marketers at Foster’s International.
On 6th March 1995, the iconic Foster’s logo was featured in the news around the world. Proudly displayed on the mainsail of the America’s Cup yacht oneAustralia, as it sank against Team New Zealand, taking Australia’s dream of regaining the America’s Cup along with it.
The image of the Foster’s logo disappearing under water was symbolic of a company about to go under. Foster’s was eventually saved by Scottish Newcastle and Courage, and Di Marca became part of a global team to rebuild the foundations of the brand. We developed the Brand Bulls Eye process during this time as a simple and easy to use tool to help focus Foster’s global team of agencies and marketers. The importance of the Brand Bulls Eye in developing Foster’s into Australia’s largest export brand by 2000, can’t be underestimated.
More than two decades later ‘brand strategy first’ is still Di Marca’s focus. The Brand Bulls Eye has had a profound effect on the growth of many brands of different sizes in almost every industry sector you can think of. Still today, it creates the strategic foundations for building successful brand identity, marketing, communications and culture programs to create real value for our clients.
Origins of our name
Di Marca is about making a mark. We want our clients to make a difference in their markets and make their mark in the world.
The name ‘Di Marca’ ultimately came from an unlikely place. It’s Italian and translates to simply ‘brand’.
Our script logo was originally scribbled on a napkin over a long lunch. Probably the fastest and most enjoyable identity we ever created.
