Kate Owen

Kate Owen, Futago, Founder & Head of Design, B.Env.Des, B.Arch (Hons)

Kate Owen is a Founding Director and Head of Design at Futago, a Hobart brand consultancy renowned for shaping some of Tasmania’s most iconic identities and experiences — including The Agrarian Kitchen, Fat Pig Farm, Pagan Cider, and the internationally awarded Battery Point Sculpture Trail. Since founding Futago in 2004 with her identical twin sister, Kate has been quietly instrumental in elevating ‘brand Tasmania’ through work spanning brand strategy, identity, wayfinding, experience design, public art, and digital projects. Futago stands out as the only communications design company in Tasmania to receive international recognition multiple times, competing with firms from New Zealand, Europe, and America. Longevity and cultural integration are hallmarks of their work, which can be seen in everyday Tasmanian experiences such as Parks and Wildlife passes, Service Tasmania shops, and engaging visitor interpretation at Cradle Mountain. Recent projects include rebranding social services leader Colony47 as Home Base to fight youth homelessness, developing a new brand and website for Hobart’s Botanical Gardens, and collaborating on an awareness campaign with Sexual Assault Support Service and Laurel House following the Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. Raised on a remote Tasmanian farm, Kate credits her vivid imagination and creativity to her rural upbringing. She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honours, grounding Futago’s work in authenticity and intelligence. Kate’s influence extends to industry leadership: In 2016, she was named one of the top 25 most visible female graphic designers in Australia since 1960, according to a national PHD survey. Her decade-long tenure on AGDA’s National Board included roles as National Secretary, State President, and State Councillor for Tasmania. In 2014, she was key to bringing the National AGDA Awards to Hobart for the first time—a milestone event still remembered as one of the association’s most successful. Kate Owen’s career is a testament to the power of creative vision, commitment to design excellence, and her lasting impact on Tasmania’s visual and cultural landscape.