A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Reshape the Conversation on Child Sexual Abuse

The design process involved over 65+ stakeholders, including government officials, industry experts, and victims-survivors. We conducted 40 hours of workshops and 15 hours of testing to ensure the brand resonated authentically with its diverse audience. Our approach was centred on human-centred design principles and co-design, focusing on creating a brand that honours victim-survivors’ experiences and advocates for systemic change

This comprehensive design process ensured that every aspect of the brand was carefully crafted to balance empathy, expertise, and organisational sustainability. The final design was implemented through extensive co-design sessions and qualitative testing, resulting in a sensitive and impactful brand.

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse’s rebranding tackled a complex challenge requiring empathy, expertise, and scalability post-Royal Commission. Engaging over 65 stakeholders, we created a brand led by victim-survivor voices, inspiring hope and reflecting years of groundwork. Balancing functionality and long-term organisational sustainability, the brand emerged as a national knowledge resource and safe space for victim-survivors. Accessibility was paramount, incorporating safety, trauma-informed design, and visual accessibility to ensure authenticity and impact at every touchpoint.

The co-design process involved extensive testing and refinement, resulting in a brand that resonates with diverse audiences. Initiatives like ”Stories to the Forefront” and ”Here for Change” engaged stakeholders and positioned the brand with a strength and unlike the sector had previously seen.

The refreshed brand and website functionally showcase the National Centre’s extensive scope. It is a trusted knowledge hub that provides a safe space for victim-survivors, educational resources for families and communities, leading research, and tools for government and policymakers to foster systemic change.

The brand is layered with meaning and symbolism. As one example, the National Centre’s logo is rich with symbolism embodying unity, progress, and tangible impact. Three circles forming the shape of Australia represent the unity of founding organisations: Blue Knot Foundation, The Healing Foundation, and the Australian Childhood Foundation. The space between the circles creates the mathematical delta symbol, symbolising ”measurable change”. An embedded exclamation mark (!) underscores the commitment to action. The logo reflects the ethos of ”Here for Change,” the organisation’s guiding mission developed in this project. On top of this, The website includes real-time maps of child sexual abuse research activity across Australia, fostering collaboration and improving study quality. Donation features support the organisation’s long-term sustainability, amplifying voices and driving change towards a safer future.

The key innovation of this project is placing victim-survivors at the heart of every decision regarding the brand and website experience. This approach reflects the organisation’s impactful vision for a better tomorrow and commitment to prioritising victim-survivors—a sentiment we aimed to visualise.

We elevated victim-survivors’ voices, addressing their need for policymakers and the public to ”see the people behind the statistics” as one victim-survivor stated in our co-design workshops stated. This conversation inspired an innovation and core communication device within the brand which was the creation and implementation of ”Stories to the Forefront,”. Stories to the Forefront perfectly intertwines strategy, storytelling, and design to highlight lived experiences.

Each story is uniquely represented with typographic thumbprints, emphasising the individuality of child sexual abuse and the human toll behind the sobering statistics of its prevalence. This approach achieves our goal of finding a unified balance between empathy and expertise to memorably elevate awareness of the issue unlike anything else in the sector for clear market cut-through.

Every Royal Commission represents a critical juncture—a moment poised for societal change. It offers an opportunity to advance crucial issues but also presents the risk of disengagement or mishandling, endangering the cause’s impact and future trajectory. The consequences of failure are immense; a misstep could set the cause back years, decades, or even generations.

Fortunately, the brand has ignited a transformative movement, empowering victim-survivors and reshaping the national dialogue. Initiatives like ”Stories to the Forefront,” digital adaptations, and the impactful ”Here for Change” event at Old Parliament House in Canberra demonstrate the enduring impact post-Royal Commission, fostering heightened community awareness and expanding industry knowledge. This project symbolises hope, fundamentally challenging stigma and guiding us toward a more compassionate and better future.

Dr Leanne Beagley, CEO of the National Centre, commented, “As a result of the work, the National Centre has arrived on the national landscape of this really important work to prevent child sexual abuse and respond better to those who live with the traumatic impact. The groundwork laid, and the brand conveyed is highly aligned with whoxqm this means the most: the victims and survivors. The important long-term value is unmistakable.”

Victim-survivors have responded with overwhelming positivity, expressing the brand has “moved them to tears” and made them feel “seen”, “validated”, and “proud to be part of the National Centre’s community.” This feedback underscores the strategic role of design in providing support and advocacy.