Client
Raising Literacy Australia (RLA) is a not-for-profit organisation based on Kaurna Yerta, supporting families and bubs during the critical early years before school. Following the success of its Words Grow Minds campaign, RLA identified an opportunity to develop an adapted campaign that would resonate more strongly with Aboriginal families and communities across South Australia.
Shaping Deadly Minds was created as a culturally responsive evolution of the campaign, informed by community feedback and initially piloted across Adelaide, Whyalla and Port Augusta before a broader statewide rollout.
We developed the campaign’s creative direction and visual identity, working with Eastern Arrernte artist and We Create team member Pat Caruso to create the campaign artwork. Our challenge was to retain the core literacy message while expressing it through culture, community and identity.
The artwork became the foundation of the campaign narrative, representing how language, confidence and identity grow through connection. We developed a palette inspired by the diverse colours of First Nations Countries — from desert ochres and coastal blues to river systems and bushland greens — reinforcing a sense of inclusion, belonging and connection to Country.
Language was also central to our approach. We evolved the familiar “Talk. Play. Read. Sing.” messaging into “Yarn. Play. Story. Song.”, using culturally relevant language to make the campaign feel authentic, familiar and community-owned.
Positive representation was another key consideration. By featuring a father or male carer, we positioned Aboriginal men as active leaders, nurturers and educators in their children’s literacy development.
To bring the idea of “shaping young minds” to life, we further developed the artwork into a tactile plasticine style, creating a visual metaphor for how young minds, confidence and learning are shaped through words, interaction and guidance.
The final campaign creative provides RLA with a consistent visual and messaging system designed to make Shaping Deadly Minds visible, keep its messages consistent and strengthen connections with community and supporting services.