This strategic expansion would extend Guide Dogs NSW/ACT's six-decade legacy, helping them reach hundreds of thousands more Australians with vision loss. But first, the project faced a critical question: should SeeWay live under the established Guide Dogs brand or stand alone?
What began as a positioning exercise together evolved into a comprehensive 18-month brand development journey – spanning naming, strategy, architecture, experience, language, and identity.
- Not For Profit
Sectors
- Brand Strategy
- Naming
- Brand Identity
- Brand Architecture
- Brand Experience
- Brand Language
- Brand Management
Services
Gathering insights from service providers and future beneficiaries inside and outside the organisation. The discovery was clear: this service needed its own distinct identity to reach as many Australians as possible. While the Guide Dogs name carried immense trust, it could deter those in early stages of vision loss who didn't yet identify with needing that level of support.
From this clarity, we anchored our work in Guides Dogs’ powerful purpose: ‘to break boundaries that limit people’. This would set the scene and inspire the founding Brand Idea: ‘Way Ahead’ - celebrating both clients’ personal journeys and the organisation's forward-thinking approach. The brand name would follow naturally too: SeeWay – a strategic combination suggesting both vision and path, emphasising possibilities rather than limitations.
Using existing research, we mapped the client experience around key life triggers, uncovering a critical insight: vision loss rarely follows a linear path. This required a flexible Brand Experience approach, accommodating multiple entry points, from early diagnosis to sudden profound sight loss.
Through interviews with clinicians and stakeholders, we identified key moments of tension and opportunity, developing four Brand Experience principles anchored to 'Way Ahead'. These became the framework for transforming critical moments along the SeeWay journey – converting potential friction and frustration into meaningful support and connection.
Ultimately, we created an abundance of connection points that meet people exactly where they are on their vision journey, making services feel accessible to everyone whilst enabling a seamless pathway to Guide Dogs' specialised support when needed.
We crafted a comprehensive visual identity centred around a relatable digital companion – a friendly face in the often-overwhelming landscape of vision change, with a brandmark that helps cement SeeWay as a genuine guiding presence.
This design system balances SeeWay's relationship within the Guide Dogs family whilst standing independently. Employing high-contrast black and white for maximum visibility, with strategic colour accents, clear shapes, and bold typography, we prioritised end users at every turn. All the while ensuring seamless application across complex digital integration and external partnerships.
The outcome: a brand that feels both trustworthy and forward-thinking – innovative yet welcoming to mature audiences, simple and clear without sacrificing personality or warmth.
With SeeWay's visuals providing bold clarity in a cluttered clinical landscape, we sought to develop a distinctive brand voice to match. Our goal was clear: balance practical guidance with emotional reassurance, ensuring SeeWay could demystify complex situations and build genuine connections - making the path forward feel less isolating.
We built a framework employing clear, accessible language infused with positivity and confidence - a brand voice designed to guide without being clinical, speaking with people rather than at them.
Built for flexibility and functionality, this framework ensures staff and partners can confidently adopt SeeWay’s voice, maintaining consistent yet authentic interactions throughout the brand’s ecosystem.
SeeWay is taking shape across Australia, making real impact - successfully positioned as the accessible companion for early-stage vision loss whilst maintaining strategic connection to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
The brand is fulfilling its purpose: breaking boundaries that limit people. More Australians with low vision are now navigating their lives with confidence and possibility, supported by a smart, comprehensive platform that meets them exactly where they are on their journey. Staff are united around a clear mission, recipients feel supported rather than overwhelmed, and the broader sector is seeing increased advocacy and awareness - driving more targeted programs that actually make a difference.
