Creative partnership for a powerful new brand
CQUniversity Digital Media students combined creativity and compassion to deliver a complete brand identity redesign for not-for-profit organisation Engedi, helping the organisation modernise its image and strengthen connection with the community.
As part of a collaborative design unit, students Kayla Johnson, Mary McKendary, Manda Rule, and Naomi Turner formed a team called KNMDesigns to take on the project.
Student Kayla Johnson said the team selected Engedi’s brief from a list of potential not-for-profit clients as they were drawn to the organisation’s values.
“As a growing disability support organisation, they needed a full brand redesign, and we were excited to help them create something that looked modern, professional and friendly,” Kayla said.
“Our goal was to produce a design that Engedi could be proud of, one that reflected their core value of being a ‘people-first’ organisation.”
The project team created a new logo, colour scheme, website, digital templates, and a comprehensive style guide.
The completed brand identity kit featured four logo variations, a refreshed colour palette, website redesign, report and letterhead templates, email signatures, and a digital style guide.
Throughout the semester, the team worked closely with Engedi representatives, meeting regularly to present progress updates and gather feedback.
“The Engedi team were so down-to-earth and generous with their time. They gave us valuable feedback and really made us feel like part of their organisation,” Kayla said.
“We learned how essential communication was in teamwork and how important time management was to keeping the project on track.
“It was so rewarding to be complimented by Engedi for our professionalism and to know that the branding materials we created would be used to help a not-for-profit organisation continue its great work.”
Engedi Administration Supervisor Sam Ward-Grodd said the team had been excited and impressed by the quality of work delivered by the students.
“They were very easy to work with, excellent communicators, responsive, and reliable. It was a very positive experience,” Ms Ward-Grodd said.
“It was wonderful to see how the students were able to understand our industry. They approached working with our team with great respect.
“My favourite moment during the process was when the CQU students unveiled the revised website drafts and logos, seeing the pride on their faces for their hard work was fantastic.”
She said the new website design, brand colour story, and logo would assist Engedi in refreshing the organisation’s image and better showcase it's services within the community.
“We were particularly appreciative of this as we are a not-for-profit working in the disability space, so having access to this calibre of graphic designers was not something we thought possible,” she said.
“We planned to use as many of the items created by the students as possible. The digital assets created by the students would give fresh branding to our organisation, and our new website would provide our referrers and service users with a more streamlined and positive experience.”
Ms Ward-Grodd encouraged other not-for-profits to get involved with CQU’s pro bono project, highlighting the benefits for both students and community organisations.
“CQU advertised the project on the radio. We got in touch and applied to be part of the program, it was a very simple process,” she explained.
“We had a very positive experience working with the team at CQU. I would definitely encourage other local not-for-profits to participate in any future offerings.”
