Recommended identity system

Two rounds. Lead designer: Codex, working from the full pack (brief, the client's words, three competitor intelligence reports, the tone benchmark, voice guides and naming plan). Production: Mode. Three brands, one family: Aussie Jobs carries the authority, the UK desk borrows it unchanged, Aussiekaners stands apart as the community directory. Every file below is vector; type is outlined; nothing names the founder.

Round two · the Aussie Jobs mark

Nicole's reaction to the first-round AJ monogram: "Why have we gone with that weird AJ?" Codex's own diagnosis: it asked the initials to do too much, and the eye had to solve a construction before it could read AJ. Three replacements, all typographic, ranked. AK-1 is approved and fixed; the UK desk follows whichever Aussie Jobs mark is chosen.

AJ-4 The Red Full Stop
Recommended · AJ-4 · The Red Full StopAussie Jobs signs its own name with a single red point. No monogram to explain. IBM Plex Sans Condensed SemiBold, carbon black #090A0B, signal red #E3062C. The favicon is the A from the wordmark with its point. Codex: "The client already trusts the Aussie Jobs name. AJ-4 stops asking them to accept a second, unfamiliar idea."
AK-1 approved
Aussiekaners · AK-1 · Approved and fixedThe Kept Number. Shown beside each Aussie Jobs option so the family row can be judged.
AJ-4 stacked
UK desk on AJ-4The wordmark unchanged, red rule, UK WORKING HOLIDAY DESK.
AJ-4 at sizeWordmark at 400, 172 and 96 px; the A-and-point favicon at 32 and 16.

Alternatives, ranked

2 · AJ-5 · The Lowercase IntroductionA plain lowercase aj in IBM Plex Sans Condensed Bold, the j's dot replaced by the red point. The warmer route, and a visible cousin of AK-1 without the serif. Codex's test: AJ-5 and AK-1 side by side must read as related brands, not divisions of one company.
AJ-5 stacked and at size
UK desk on AJ-5
3 · AJ-6 · The Clear InitialsThe initials shown plainly, separated by the red rule, nothing shared or cut. The direct repair of round one, for anyone who still wants an AJ. Codex's risk: it may keep some of the engineering tone.
AJ-6 stacked and at size
UK desk on AJ-6

Aussiekaners · AK-1 in full

Round one record · AJ-1 Registered Cut (retired), UK-1 on it, AJ-2

Retired after client review because the combined initials did not read naturally. Kept for the record.

The recommendation

The recommendation: a recruitment and migration practice needs a disciplined primary mark that reads as a serious company. The kangaroo and the springbok hybrid are retired. The name carries the identity, with one red point for Aussie Jobs and one gold point for Aussiekaners.

The 34 earlier directions remain at /logo/. Round two direction: research/LOGO-DESIGN-ROUND-2-AJ-CODEX-2026-10-17.md. Codex's verdict on the 34: the mascot family was too sporting, the geometric family too generic, the typographic family closest; only S (Shared Stem), P and U fed into this system. Full design direction: research/LOGO-DESIGN-DIRECTION-CODEX-2026-10-17.md.

Mode preview · 17 October 2026 · noindex