Rebrand for Community First Development

Communication and Engagement Strategy & Full Brand Collateral Suite Design

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are making exciting things happen. As they create businesses and ventures for their communities, sometimes projects hit a roadblock. When that happens, they invite Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV) to speed community development projects up again. Run by First Nations people for First Nations people, ICV is a community development charity that always keeps communities and their priorities in the driver’s seat.

As their 20th anniversary came up, ICV wanted to refresh and renew the way they told their story. Their name confused many stakeholders, with high volumes of spurious enquiries taking up valuable time. They chose a new name, Community First Development, to show what they did.

Once the new name was decided on, it became clear that a full rebrand was needed to keep telling the story of the name.

Services

collaborators

Kimiah Alberts – Founder of Wantok Designs

Krystal Hurst – Creative Director of Gillawarra Arts

CONSULTANTS

Emma Gray – Communication Strategist
Bronwyn Shin – Senior Graphic Designer

Artwork by Krystal Hurst of Gillawarra Arts, vectorized by Kimiah Alberts of Wantok Designs
Logo by Kimiah Alberts of Wantok Designs

ICV approached contentgroup and our design partner Wantok Designs to create the new brand, as well as the communication and engagement strategy to bring stakeholders on the journey.

Recognising the importance of Aboriginal voices and perspectives leading the project, contentgroup worked in close partnership with Kimiah Alberts, Founder of Wantok Designs and a Gungalu, Koinjmal, Yiman and South Sea Islander woman from Queensland. Kimiah created the new logo mark, with contentgroup’s team providing mentoring and support as we co-created a comprehensive set of rebrand materials. The logo and branding were based on an artwork created by Krystal Hurst, Creative Director of Gillawarra Arts and a proud Worimi woman with family ties to the Biripi people. From envelopes to donor gifts, office signage to presentation templates, the design team delivered over 100 design pieces in just a month and a half.

Style guide for Community First Development
Business Card Mockup
certificate

contentgroup also created a practical rebrand communication and engagement strategy. The document needed to be used by community development team members engaging with communities across Australia, staff presenting to business partners, and donor retention teams. To understand how people from different backgrounds would read the document, contentgroup embedded a strategist in the ICV offices to prototype and iterate a document with experts from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. The new brand has gone live and positive feedback is flooding in. Community First Development is well placed to walk into the next 20 years.

It has been an exciting time as an organisation – who would have thought we would launch the new name during a global pandemic! That made for some communications challenges. We appreciate all the support offered to us by contentgroup – we were certainly well equipped with plenty of graphics and strategic thinking to overcome the hurdles as they arose.
Sharon Babyack
General Manager, Impact & Strategy