PROJECT
Ascent is the parent company of several footwear brands that were operating with fragmented, dated identities across retail, print and events. Inconsistent visual styles and gaps in the asset library were weakening brand recognition and diluting the customer experience across the group. Despite robust products, Ascent was often overshadowed by competitors with sharper marketing. I was brought in to unify the brand and build a scalable visual framework that could carry the parent business and its growing portfolio of sub-brands.
ACTION
I unified and redesigned existing assets under the Ascent umbrella from their own brand and their brand ecosystem. This included expansion into newly acquired brands such as FootMotion, Pure Performance, Run Junkie, Dominion Cross and Comfort Plus.
My scope ranged from print design and management, web and DAM graphics and product shots, photography, brochures, struts, posters and other POS merch. Animation, motion graphics and video editing for TVC, oOH! and socials. Store signage, vehicle wraps, marquees, pull-up banners, stock cage and event collateral.
RESULT
I established a cohesive digital and print footprint that supported growth, letting each brand keep its individuality while sitting clearly under the Ascent umbrella. Improved brand clarity strengthened product recall and drove higher sales of hero styles, broader range uptake, stronger customer engagement and an uplift in five-star reviews. I restructured the DAM to improve how the team organised and retrieved assets. I also led a remote team of eight designers plus a junior direct report, holding the creative standard across the multi-brand portfolio.
A star solution: I created a unique solution for events POS by transforming sturdy stock transportation cages into elegant, reconfigurable, branded centrepieces that became a signature feature of Ascent's event presence, drawing interest from other brands asking to purchase the solution from them.
RECOVERY
For Ascent’s recovery footwear range, I designed a strong event led presence tailored to endurance athletes across marathons, triathlons and Ironman events. I delivered a comprehensive suite of assets including displays, signage and promotional kits for major events such as City to Surf, marathons, trade fairs and expos, and I coordinated pack up and logistics to ensure everything arrived on time and presented flawlessly on site.
I invented a unique solution that transformed standard stock transportation cages into innovative, branded centrepieces that could be reconfigured for different events.
The solution became a signature feature of Ascent’s event presence and generated interest from other brands seeking to adopt it for their own activations.
TOP Groove pull-up banner series for triathlons and other endurance events
MIDDLE DL brochure specifically for triathlon and event recovery
RIGHT One of a kind solution converting event stock cages into POS display and countertop
BELOW Product shots for one style in the Groove recovery range in Ascent’s DAM
SCHOOLS
Ascent’s school program built early trust through free lace tying lessons, positioning the brand as a partner in learning. Fragmented assets and the absence of a clear CTA meant parents had no prompt to connect with the brand or continue into a follow up funnel beyond the classroom, limiting longer term engagement.
I redesigned the lace tying kits to include take home assets for parents, with a strong educational focus and a simple CTA directing them to Ascent’s social channels.
These linked to competition mechanics where parents received entry for submitting lifestyle photos of their child wearing Ascent shoes resulting in highersales, enhanced brand storytelling and increased socialfollowers. This also created a life photo library Ascent could use for marketing and promotions.
LEFT A-Frame and lace tying pencil case
ABOVE School range DL, social tiles, lace tying flyer
RIGHT Personalised school DL, aluminium wall signage
BELOW SKU angles for Ascent’s DAM
WORK RANGE
I identified that a unified design solution would not cut through across construction, nursing, farming, light industry and casual wear. I built niche specific asset systems for each audience, delivered through POS, displays, marquees and event kits used at trade days, gymkhanas, union fairs and exhibitions. All assets were anchored within a clear Ascent framework, driving stronger relevance on the ground while improving recognition, impact and sales across these markets.
LEFT Urban, light industry and casual wear
MIDDLE Union, educational and conferences
RIGHT Gymkhanas, ag events and field days
These pull-up banners demonstrate how a single style was positioned to resonate across several niches through targeted imagery.
ABOVE Permanent aluminium wall signage for stores
RIGHT DL for the workwear range
BELOW Product shots for workwear range in Ascent’s DAM
