Redesigning the SSI digital experience
Background
Settlement Services International (SSI) is one of Australia’s largest charity providers, supporting refugees and newcomers to build new lives. After 15 years, the brand had reached an evolution moment to better reflect the scale and impact of the organisation today.
While SSI serves diverse communities across Australia, it also needed to clearly communicate its value to funding partners across government and business. Together, we repositioned the brand around a unifying core purpose — equality — creating a clearer and more compelling story for all audiences.
Opportunity
Following a sustained period of growth and diversification, SSI’s Board and Executive recognised the need for a unifying brand strategy. One that could bring the organisation together, simplify how it showed up in market, and create a strong platform for national expansion.
Brand positioning
To uncover the most authentic expression of the brand, GHO conducted more than 30 stakeholder interviews across teams, partners and external audiences connected to the organisation.
Brand positioning
We complemented this with independent research and collaborative workshops designed to challenge thinking and align teams around a shared future vision.
Brand identity
The strategy was endorsed by both Board and Executive at first presentation. This created immediate momentum to develop a new brand identity and tagline that modernised the look and feel while bringing all sub-brands together under one cohesive system.
The new tagline, ‘For equality of life’, and refreshed brand identity have since been rolled out across the organisation. Including a new website and dedicated refugee experience featuring service directories and resources hubs.
Website
With the brand foundation established, we reimagined the SSI website experience to better support both community users and key stakeholders.
Working closely with the SSI team, we designed and built an innovative digital platform connecting more than 50 human services with individuals, families and children across Australia. Because SSI is driven by equal opportunity, a central challenge was delivering an accessible, intuitive experience that could scale to meet the needs of all Australians.
Refugee app experience
Through a GHO CoLab Design Sprint, we co-created and prototyped an app concept designed to support migrants settling into Australia.
The concept focused on helping people access local information, set up essential services like banking, and navigate the critical first steps of settling into a new home — all in one place.
