Delivering the goods: Onfire puts SUB60 in the fast lane

After more than 40 years on New Zealand roads, courier company SUB60 has a new look. Auckland brand agency Onfire has overhauled the identity, bringing fresh energy to one of the country's longest-serving courier brands.

Founded in 1982 as New Zealand's first point-to-point courier service, SUB60 built its reputation on getting urgent deliveries where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Acquired by Freightways in 1990, the business has since grown into a nationwide on-demand courier operation.

The company had come a long way. Its branding, however, was showing its age.

Onfire was brought in to give SUB60 a stronger, more contemporary presence on the road, without losing the recognition it had built over four decades.

A familiar name. A new direction.

SUB60 had something many brands would envy: an established name, loyal customers and decades of credibility.

The challenge was to build on those strengths while bringing its specialist services together under one consistent identity.

Onfire developed a master brand system that gives SUB60 a more unified presence, while allowing its individual divisions to maintain their own roles.

The thinking behind the work came down to something easily overlooked in the courier industry. Behind every delivery, every deadline and every kilometre travelled, there's a person doing the job.

That became the foundation of the brand platform, 'Our People Deliver'.

Rather than focusing solely on vehicles, logistics and technology, the new positioning puts SUB60's people front and centre.

Built to stand out

SUB60's familiar red and yellow weren't going anywhere. Instead, Onfire gave the colours a much bigger job to do.

A bold new logotype, strong typography and sharply angled graphics give the identity a sense of speed and forward momentum.

The biggest impact is on the road. Applied across the fleet, the new livery turns everyday delivery vehicles into moving advertisements. Bright, confident and hard to miss, whether parked on the street or driving through city traffic.

For Onfire Managing Director Sam Allan, the project also brought back a few memories. “Having spent time working as a bicycle courier on the streets of London, this project took me back. I understand the demands of the job and the pride that comes with being part of the courier community.”

That connection made seeing the new identity on the road particularly satisfying.

When Allan spotted one of the newly branded vans, he ran across the street to give the driver a high five. The enthusiastic response suggested the new look was striking a chord with the people behind the wheel too.

More than a new look

The refreshed identity now gives SUB60 a consistent presence across its point-to-point courier, medical logistics and secure transport services.

It also brings the brand's broader values into sharper focus, from customer service and innovation to the people who keep the operation running every day.

For a business that's spent more than four decades delivering for New Zealanders, the job wasn't to become something different. It was to look as capable, confident and relevant as the business has become.

And with its new fleet hitting the streets, SUB60 is already making an impression.

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