Family Violence Services Provider Relaunches as Courage Collective Via The Open Arms
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
Courage Collective Family Violence Services (formerly Georgina Martina Inc.) is one of
Australia’s longest-standing refuges, providing critical support for over 50 years. But they felt their identity was holding them back. It didn’t clearly represent their tireless commitment to both helping victim-survivors and addressing the factors that lead to family violence.
After meeting with multiple creative agencies, Courage Collective appointed The Open Arms to help find a name and visual identity that could honour their legacy while embodying their innovative approach to holistic, trauma-informed care.
Michal Morris, Courage Collective CEO, says: “For decades we have been helping people
through some of the most traumatic times in their lives, so our previous name held
significance for many staff and victim-survivors alike. Changing it is not something we
approached lightly. From the beginning, The Open Arms showed up as a partner, not an
agency, working alongside our staff and Board with care, respect and strategic clarity.”
The Open Arms led conversations with staff, board members and victim-survivors to develop a brand strategy and positioning that informed the thinking behind the new name. It was then brought to life via a visual identity, brand language, collateral and new website.
Says Jess Lilley, Creative Partner at The Open Arms:
“The more we understood how Courage Collective works, the more the name needed to represent both the journey of victim-survivors and the strength of the staff helping make new futures possible.”
The new name reflects the courage it takes for victim-survivors to leave, to speak up, and to
rebuild their lives, while also representing the fierce advocacy practiced throughout the
organisation.
Given the sensitivity around the work Courage Collective do, it was important its new visual
language doesn’t rely on photography to tell a story. Instead, The Open Arms created a
world of intersecting shapes born from a new colour palette. The shapes represent all the
intersecting building blocks victim-survivors need to establish a strong foundation for a new
life – building blocks Courage Collective help put in place via crisis accommodation (the blue house), practical support (the blue steps), therapeutic interventions (the purple flower) and dedicated support for children and young people (the yellow stacks). Jess Lilley says, “for me the most moving asset we created was the keyring, to be given to residents on their arrival, representing hope for a new beginning.”
Strategic Partner at The Open Arms, Amy Hollier, says:
“This is a great example of putting our strategic tool, The Empathy Model, into practice to fuel creative thinking that has resulted in a powerful brand language. Bringing it to life as a new website and through other channels has been so rewarding. Courage Collective has a long legacy of feminism, care and innovation. We are honoured to have played a small part in their remarkable journey, partnering with a brilliant team.”
Michal Morris concludes: “The creative result of this partnership is a brand that feels both
brave and grounded; a powerful expression of who we are and where we’re going. Our team
is ecstatic. The work has given us renewed confidence, cohesion and momentum for the
future.”
Credits
Michal Morris, CEO, Courage Collective
Alice Allan, Communications and Project Officer, Courage Collective
Creative Agency, The Open Arms
Jess Lilley, Creative Partner, The Open Arms
Amy Hollier, Strategy Partner, The Open Arms
Shyaire Ganglani, Creative Concepts
Ant Yee, Graphic Design
Caro Latorraca, Graphic Design
Chriate, Website Development
Laura May Grogan, Website Photography theopenarms.com.au
