STORIES WE’VE TOLD
AUSTRALIAN BIRD TOURS
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MARKETING INDUSTRY-LEADING WILDLIFE TOURS
2026
THE STORY
Australian Bird Tours came to Priism with a logo and a genuine passion for sharing Melbourne's birdlife, led by guide and owner Des Palmer, but no supporting brand or digital presence to match. We built out complete brand guidelines to sit alongside the existing logo, covering colour, typography and imagery direction, then designed a new website to bring that brand to life.
Media capture became a core part of the project, with our team out on tour documenting the birds themselves alongside Des and the overall tour experience, giving the brand a genuine library of imagery rather than stock photography. We also built a custom booking system into the website, automating the process for customers and giving Des a simpler way to manage tour dates on the backend.
The relationship has continued as an ongoing website retainer, with monthly updates to bird stories and tour dates on both the booking system and customer-facing pages. We also delivered print design for business cards and a promotional brochure, and have worked alongside Des on a broader marketing strategy to help push brand awareness beyond his existing customer base.
“My business would be still floundering if I hadn’t met Priism. I had a logo and a basic website but no one could find it! I can now be found and get to lead people from around the world on tours that I love.“
Des Palmer - Business owner and tour guide
The Challenge
Australian Bird Tours had a strong offering and an experienced guide in Des Palmer, but the brand hadn't been built out beyond a logo, and there was no fully-featured website to bring new customers in or make bookings easy. The tours themselves also needed to be documented properly, capturing the birds, the locations and the experience in a way that reflected the quality of what Des offers.
The Solution
Our design team began by building the brand around Des's genuine expertise and the tours themselves, rather than starting from a generic template. Time spent out on tour capturing real photography and video meant the website and marketing could be built on authentic content. After the initial website build, we took the initiative to work in a booking system to the site architecture, recognising that removing friction for customers would matter more to Des's business than visual polish alone.
Taking on an ongoing retainer let us treat the site as a living asset, updating bird stories and tour dates monthly so it stays current with the seasons and Des's calendar, while the broader marketing strategy work has focused on steadily building awareness beyond his existing word-of-mouth customer base.
Outcomes
Australian Bird Tours now has a complete brand identity, a website that makes booking simple for customers, and a growing library of authentic photography that reflects the real experience of the tours. The ongoing retainer keeps the site current with new stories and dates each month, and the ongoing marketing strategy has given Des a clear path to build awareness and grow beyond word of mouth.