A woman with blonde hair wearing a black top, smiling, standing in front of a graphic background with large text that says "Joe Kelly."

SHOWCASE

The logo for Ascent, featuring the name in dark blue lowercase letters with a stylized mountain and pages in shades of blue to the right.
Collection of black casual and athletic shoes with white soles, shown from various angles.
Multiple computer screens display online shoe shopping websites with various shoe images and product details.
Pike Performance logo featuring a silhouette of a running woman integrated into the word 'Pike' in blue text.
A black silhouette of a person riding a motorcycle against a pinkish sky at sunset.
Logo featuring a stylized airplane flying over a globe, with the words 'Dominion Cross' below.
FOTMOTION logo with large, stylized text in dark blue and yellow
Six pairs of brown and navy flip-flop sandals shown from different angles on a white background.

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.

Three vertical banners advertising Recovery Footwear with photos of three athletes, one crouching and two standing, and a woman sitting on rocks, all wearing sandals. The banners feature text promoting get into the groove and list athlete names, with the website at the bottom.
Display of black flip-flops with tags hanging on a black frame, with a background of blue sky and palm trees, and the words "Get into the groove" and the brand name "ascent."
Posters advertising Groove sandals with beach background, one showing a white sandal and another displaying a black sandal, both with the Ascent logo.
Brochure featuring recovery footwear with an image of a man and woman walking, and a detailed interior page showing a sandal with numbered parts and descriptive text.
Tropical beach with a leaning palm tree, clear turquoise water, white sandy shore, partially cloudy sky.
Two pamphlets with a shoe sole on the cover, promotional material for Ascent, showing benefits of Groove technology for foot support and comfort, with a small shoe sole to the right of each pamphlet.
A row of children’s black Mary Jane shoes with a strap, shown from various angles, some with red and floral patterned insoles.

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 higher sales, enhanced brand storytelling and increased social followers. This also created a life photo library Ascent could use for marketing and promotions.

Brochure displaying various styles of Ascent school and formal shoes for different age groups and genders, with images of children and shoes, and information about features and endorsements.
A classroom with young students holding up shoes, standing in front of a teacher and digital whiteboard.
Four children in school uniforms standing in front of a backdrop with the Ascent logo. The text reads "School Sports Shoes in Disguise" and shows a diagram of a school shoe highlighting features like a thermoplastic heel counter, removable supportive insole, full grain leather upper, multi-layered cushioning system, midfoot stabilizer, and perpetual rubber outsole.
A sidewalk sign advertising school, sports shoes in disguise, with a photo of four children in school uniforms and casual clothes.
Promotional flyer for Carinya Christian School featuring students and school shoes with details about shoe styles and contact information.
Brochure displaying various styles of boys', girls', and unisex formal, junior, and sport shoes from Ascent Footwear for school and youth.
Flyer promoting shoe lace tying lessons and school shoes endorsed by the Australian Physiotherapy Association, with images of various shoe styles, and a child tying shoelaces.
Blue shoe-shaped backpack with white laces and a logo that says 'ascent' and a website URL.
Flat lay of a smartphone displaying an Instagram profile of ascentfootwear, surrounded by four marketing images of kids' shoes and school-related themes. The images showcase children in school uniforms, close-ups of shoe details, a shoe with annotated features, and children in school uniforms standing together.
Set of yellow work boots shown from side, top, sole, and back views.

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.

Three vertical banners advertising Ascent Work Footwear. The first and third banners feature a brown work boot with the website ascentfootwear.com.au at the bottom. The middle banner shows three models and an illustrated cross-section of a work shoe highlighting various features; it includes the text "Footwear with Integrity." The background of each banner has different outdoor and indoor scenes.

These pull-up banners demonstrate how a single style was positioned to resonate across several niches through targeted imagery.

LEFT Urban, light industry and casual wear

MIDDLE Union, educational and conferences

RIGHT Gymkhanas, ag events and field days

Three young adults standing and sitting against a white background, wearing casual clothing, with a diagram of a specialized boot showing features like a thermoplastic heel counter, removable supportive insole, full grain leather upper, multi-layered cushioning system, midfoot stabilizer, and perpetual rubber outsole, along with the brand name Ascent and the tagline 'Footwear with Integrity'.
Folded brochure showcasing safety footwear with various boots, diagram of inside safety shoes, and a man modeling yellow safety boots on the cover.
A white stylized paper airplane icon on a blue circular background.

SITUATION

Ascent had fragmented and dated branding, inconsistent visual styles and gaps in the asset library. Its digital, print and event presence lacked consistency, and newly acquired brands felt disjointed under the Ascent umbrella. Ascent wanted to grow but was limited by low brand recognition and a weak market presence despite having robust products which were often over shadowed by their competitors’ inferior products with sharper marketing.

ACTION

I redesigned existing assets to unify them under the Ascent brand and extend consistency across their brands and ecosystem. This included building a streamlined DAM and delivering aligned digital assets, oOh!, POS, in-store artwork, brochures, print, signage, wraps and event collateral to create a clear, cohesive brand presence across all touch-points.

RESULT

I established a strong, cohesive digital and print footprint that supported growth and expansion, allowing each brand to retain individuality while remaining clearly unified under the Ascent umbrella. Improved brand clarity across all touch-points increased product strength recall, driving higher sales of hero styles, broader range uptake, stronger customer engagement and an uplift in 5 star reviews.