Brand Strategy | Identity | NFP
Palmerston Association
Rebrand
A brand lost in a sea of sameness – and one that wasn’t yet telling the full story of who Palmerston is there for. Our strategic brand workshop and approach changed both.
Client
Palmerston Association
Sector
Not For Profit
Services delivered
Market
Perth & Western Australia
The Organisation
A brand that hadn't kept pace
with the organisation.
Palmerston Association has been helping Western Australians affected by alcohol and other drugs for decades. With a reputation built on genuine care, culturally safe practice, and a quiet determination to go where others won't, the organisation had grown into something significant — but their brand hadn't kept up.
As competitors grew louder and government funding became more competitive, the gap between who Palmerston truly was and how they appeared in the market was becoming a real strategic liability.
The New Palmerston Brand
Our Approach
Strategy first.
Clarity before creativity.
Brand Discovery Workshop & Strategic Foundation
A full-day facilitated Brand Master Workshop excavated what Palmerston truly stood for — not what looked good on a tender, but what was real. Purpose, vision, mission, and values all emerged through structured exercises built around the organisation's lived experience.
- Purpose crystallised — To positively influence the lives of people, families and communities affected by alcohol and other drugs
- Six values defined — five anchored in Noongar language, honouring the organisation's deep First Nations relationships
- Archetype direction established: Sage + Everyman foundations, evolving toward the boldness of the Outlaw
Creative Strategy & Identity Development
The answer was already inside the logo. Palmerston's existing leaf mark — symbolic of turning over a new leaf, new beginnings, the start of a new life — contained a stylised turn and movement that became the foundation for the entire graphic extension.
- The leaf's turn abstracted into curved organic shapes — facets representing different stories, journeys, and communities
- A modular panel lock-up system built so that any artwork slots into the same structural framework
- Colour palette deepened from clinical blues to rich navy, teal, ochre, coral and sand — grounded and warm rather than institutional
12-Month Marketing Strategy & Implementation
A comprehensive Brand Master Guide delivered the strategic and visual reference document for every brand decision going forward. This extended into a full 12-month marketing strategy, translating new brand foundations into a consistent market presence across every channel and touchpoint.
- New corporate website to coincide with new brand launch
- Annual report, corporate collateral, DL brochures, and PowerPoint templates developed
- Digital and social content strategy mapped to brand archetype and audience segments
The Creative Insight
The answer was already
in the logo.
Palmerston's existing logo contains a stylised leaf — symbolic of turning over a new leaf, new beginnings, the start of a new life. Rather than replacing it, we looked at what it was already saying.
The leaf's organic turn and movement became the source of the entire graphic extension: abstracted into curved facet shapes that represent different stories, different journeys, different communities. Those shapes form a modular panel lock-up system — a structural framework into which any artwork can be placed.
Artistic expression is central to Palmerston's recovery programs. By making that art the brand's primary visual asset, the identity doesn't just represent the organisation. It carries its purpose.
The Brand in Action
A system that works
across every touchpoint.
The modular panel system wasn't built to look good in a brand guide — it was built to work in the real world. Across the website, collateral, presentations, and digital channels, the identity adapts without ever losing its character.
Featured
Website & Digital Presence — Desktop, Tablet & Mobile
Built for how people arrive
The website was designed with unique entry paths depending on whether you're seeking help for yourself, a friend or family member, or another purpose — ensuring no one has to search to find their way in.
Accessible by design
Built to best-practice accessibility standards and automatically translated into 30+ languages — ensuring every person Palmerston serves can find their way in, regardless of background or first language.
Infinitely adaptable
The modular panel system means the brand never looks the same twice — but always looks like Palmerston. Art therapy pieces, cultural works, and recovery program paintings each slot into the same framework with equal presence.
Results & Outcomes
A brand that matched
their ambition.
Palmerston's new identity gave the organisation something it had lacked: a brand that matched its ambition. The name stayed. The logo was refined. But the identity became unmistakably, unreplicably their own.
More importantly, it gave the whole team — from frontline clinicians to the CEO — a shared language for who Palmerston is and what it stands for. That alignment doesn't just feel good. It wins tenders.
That changed the direction of the brand.
Marketing strategy and implementation support.
Five anchored in Noongar language, honouring deep First Nations relationships.
Got a project like this?
Strategy first.
Everything else follows.
We work with NFPs, government agencies, and purpose-driven organisations ready to build a brand that genuinely reflects who they are and what they stand for.
Start a conversation— No obligation. Just a straight conversation.
