Navigating Workplace Wellness
Brand Identity, Visual Design & Creative Direction Business NSW, supported by EML Group
10
Webinars
5
Live events
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NSW small business owners were warned of a tsunami of mental health claims heading their way. Complex, overlapping and often contradictory workplace laws around WHS, psychosocial risks and workers' compensation were leaving SMEs overwhelmed and underprepared. Business NSW, supported by EML Group, set out to do something about it with a three-year program of practical resources, webinars and statewide events designed specifically for small business.
They needed a brand that felt human, accessible and distinct, with its own identity separate from Business NSW. That's where I came in.
The Brief
Starting from scratch with no existing visual identity, my job was to create a brand that could carry a serious subject without feeling heavy or corporate. The program needed to speak to time-poor small business owners who were already feeling the weight of compliance, not add to it.
The Creative Direction
The starting point was a feeling. The program lead described the situation facing SMEs as a tsunami, an overwhelming wave of legislation, obligations and risk. That became the visual heart of the brand.
After exploring several directions including natural landscapes moving from fog to clarity, we landed on the ocean and the wave as the central metaphor. Not just as decoration, but as a system that could carry the entire three-year program.
Each year of the program has its own wave:
Year 1, Prevention, opens with a rough and turbulent ocean. Heavy, powerful waves that capture the overwhelming nature of confronting workplace mental health obligations head-on.
Year 2, Injury Management, the waves begin to settle. Still challenging, but more navigable as businesses develop strategies and resilience.
Year 3, Community and Public Health Support, calm water. The journey complete, confidence built, the program's promise fulfilled.
The name "Navigating Workplace Wellness" came from this same thinking. And to give the program its own identity within the Business NSW family, I designed a compass as part of the logo mark. A small but deliberate detail that ties the navigation metaphor together and gives the brand something to call its own.
The colour palette paired a deep navy with soft light blue and a warm cream, balancing authority with approachability. No people in the imagery was a deliberate choice, workplace mental health feels too personal to put a face to. The ocean is universal.
The Work
From that visual foundation I designed and art directed the full suite of program collateral across Year 1:
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Brand identity and logo
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Website design and creative direction, working alongside the web developer to bring the visual system to life
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Brochures and one-pagers
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Social media tiles
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PowerPoint and Word templates
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Webinar and event materials
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The Year 1 annual report, delivered to the NSW Government
The Scale
The program delivered across Year 1:
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webinars held
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live events across NSW
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SMEs reached
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guides and resources published
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Annual report delivered to the NSW Government with findings and recommendations