Image Credit : Letterform (Brand Voice/Copy)
Elise Lampe (Illustration)
Cassie Brock (Illustration)
Alexandrena Parker (Photography)
Project Overview
The Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC) is the national peak body for gender equality, uniting 24 front-line organisations across 19 industries. Run entirely by volunteers and independent of government funding, AGEC engages in rigorous research, advocacy and policy development to drive systemic change for women in all their diversity.
Seesaw’s rebrand for AGEC sought to elevate their visual and verbal presence, providing clarity, cohesion and emotional strength to their communications. With the strategic positioning “A collective voice for a gender-equal Australia,” the brand articulates AGEC’s unique role as both a trusted expert and an advocacy powerhouse.
The identity needed to appeal to a wide range of stakeholders, from member organisations to government policymakers, while reflecting the passion and intelligence of the people behind the movement. Bold typography, custom photography and an inspired visual language created a distinctive look and feel that captures AGEC’s impact and ambition.
Created as part of Seesaw’s 'Design for Good' program, the project involved collaboration with female creatives working pro-bono across art direction, illustration and photography. The result is a brand that speaks with clarity, pride and purpose, ensuring AGEC is equipped to lead the national conversation on gender equality.
Project Commissioner
Australian Gender Equality Council (AGEC)
Project Creator
Team
Anita McArthur (Creative Director)
Merren Spink (Lead Designer/Art Director)
Nikki Johnstone (Account Director)
Letterform (Brand Voice/Copy)
Elise Lampe (Illustration)
Cassie Brock (Illustration)
Alexandrena Parker (Photography)
Project Brief
AGEC had a powerful voice, but not a brand that reflected it. As a volunteer-run organisation operating at the national level, they had the credibility, networks and evidence-based insights, but their brand lacked cohesion, recognition and strategic presence.
The brief was to create a brand that could unify 24 member organisations under one banner, amplify their collective advocacy, and position AGEC with the strength and clarity needed to influence national policy, including the push for a National Gender Equality Act.
The challenge wasn’t just visual, it was deeply strategic. AGEC needed to communicate with vastly different audiences, including government departments, academic institutions, business leaders and the broader public. The brand had to feel bold yet trusted, inclusive yet authoritative.
Our approach began with positioning, distilling AGEC’s story into “A collective voice for a gender-equal Australia.” This strategic anchor informed the entire visual language, allowing for clear differentiation and emotional connection.
We retained and refined the original ribbon symbol for equity, added confident typography and colour, and commissioned considered illustration and photography, emphasising diversity across race, age, body type and ability.
This was not just a new look. It was a new platform for change. Every brand asset was crafted to enhance advocacy, inspire membership and honour the voices of women across Australia.
The AGEC brand now speaks with clarity, coherence and pride, just like the individuals it represents.
Project Innovation/Need
The AGEC brand is innovative in both purpose and execution. At its core, it solves a problem common in the advocacy space: how do you create a design system that is powerful enough to influence national policy, while remaining human, accessible and community-led?
Rather than default to predictable visuals or soft, gendered tropes, we took a bold approach. Inspired by the graphic legacy of feminist publishing, the identity blends historical cues with modern, digital-first application. The result is a visual language that feels smart, current and deeply rooted in activism.
What makes this project especially novel is the model of co-creation. Through our 'Design for Good' program, we brought together a female-led creative team, including illustrators and photographers, who worked pro bono to bring the identity to life. This included art-directed portrait photography that celebrates real diversity, rejecting tokenism in favour of honest, powerful representation.
The brand itself embodies the idea of “a collective voice.” Typography projects strength. Layouts emphasise collaboration. Colour is vibrant, inclusive and full of energy. Every visual decision reinforces the brand’s core purpose: to unite and amplify.
The project also addressed a specific gap in the sector, providing AGEC with a unified, flexible toolkit that enables its many member organisations to act and speak as one.
It brings together the professionalism of a national peak body with the emotional charge of a grassroots movement. In doing so, it creates a new benchmark for branding in social advocacy.
Design Challenge
One of the biggest challenges was delivering a powerful, professional brand identity for a national advocacy organisation with no formal budget. As a volunteer-run, independently operated body, AGEC needed a brand that could elevate its authority without the resources typically afforded to political or commercial organisations.
Our solution: to take this on as part of Seesaw’s 'Design for Good' program, our BCorp commitment to dedicate a portion of annual income to purpose-driven, pro-bono design projects. We assembled a dream team of female creatives who donated their time and talent to co-create a brand that reflected AGEC’s values and ambition.
Strategically, the challenge was to unify 24 diverse organisations under one banner without diluting their individuality. Visually, we needed to communicate strength and intelligence. And socially, we had to represent women in all their diversity, across age, race, body type, ability and identity, while avoiding tokenism.
Technically, we had to design a digital-first, scalable system that would work across AGEC’s various platforms, publications and member communications, all while ensuring accessibility standards were met.
The new brand also had to work with their existing ribbon logomark that had established equity within AGEC’s network. Instead of discarding it, we refined it, preserving brand loyalty while improving clarity and scale.
The outcome was a design system that met every challenge head-on: financially, socially, and strategically. It’s inclusive, usable, representative, and most importantly, powerful.
Effectiveness
The AGEC rebrand has delivered real, measurable impact for the client, its network, and the wider gender equality sector. Since launch, engagement across AGEC’s channels has increased, driven by a clearer identity, more compelling messaging and greater confidence among member organisations to share, amplify and align.
Members now have a strong, unified brand they are proud to be part of, helping them advocate more effectively in their own spaces, from government submissions to workplace education and digital campaigns. With a shared language and consistent visual system, AGEC presents as a national force, cohesive, strategic and influential.
From an operational perspective, the design system is highly effective. The toolkit includes adaptable templates that empower AGEC’s volunteers and partners to create materials quickly and confidently, without needing specialist design skills.
Importantly, the rebrand has positioned AGEC to influence policy at the highest levels. With increased clarity, presence and credibility, the organisation is better equipped to advocate for structural reform, such as a National Gender Equality Act.
This is not just a visual uplift. It’s a strategic transformation that empowers an entire sector to speak more clearly, act more collectively and push harder for change.
The project proves that when brand and purpose align, design becomes a catalyst for social impact.
Graphic Design - Identity and Branding - Community
This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.
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