01
Audience research & strategy

Our audience research focused on Crafted Liberation’s impact. Our goal was to understand the emotional drivers behind support for this project. We identified two key personas:

  1. The Drivers: Primarily Iranian women living outside Iran, deeply connected to the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
  2. The Drivers: Primarily Iranian women living outside Iran, deeply connected to the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

These insights informed every aspect of our brand strategy, guiding the website and content creation to engage these audiences emotionally and effectively.

01
Brand design & copywriting

The brand design embodies RK Collective’s philosophy of ‘design for function, not decoration.’ The aesthetic for RK Collective is minimalistic and modular, using earthy, neutral colours and a clean, sans-serif font. For Crafted Liberation, we introduced a vibrant Persian-inspired colour palette, reflecting the cultural significance of the project. This differentiation in design helped to establish RK as the umbrella brand, with Crafted Liberation as its signature project.

For Crafted Liberation, we introduced a vibrant Persian-inspired colour palette, reflecting the cultural significance of the project. This differentiation in design helped to establish RK as the umbrella brand, with Crafted Liberation as its signature project.

01
Brand design & copywriting

The brand design embodies RK Collective’s philosophy of ‘design for function, not decoration.’ The aesthetic for RK Collective is minimalistic and modular, using earthy, neutral colours and a clean, sans-serif font. For Crafted Liberation, we introduced a vibrant Persian-inspired colour palette, reflecting the cultural significance of the project. This differentiation in design helped to establish RK as the umbrella brand, with Crafted Liberation as its signature project.

For Crafted Liberation, we introduced a vibrant Persian-inspired colour palette, reflecting the cultural significance of the project. This differentiation in design helped to establish RK as the umbrella brand, with Crafted Liberation as its signature project.

Funding and partnership communications for impact-driven brands

About

Over the years, we’ve written, designed and refined more than 100 pitch decks, grant applications and proposals for government, investor and partnership audiences.

This includes helping clients secure public funding, craft investor communications and shape strategic partnership pitches — as well as pitching our own circular startup, ReCo Refill, through Boomerang Labs with coaching from EY and some of Sydney’s top innovation leaders.

Our co-founder, Danling Xiao, has worked in corporate investor pitching since her early career, gaining experience within some of Australia’s major corporates across financial services, infrastructure and engineering.

Project goals
  • Support purpose-led brands in securing grants, partnerships and investment
  • Strategise communication to align with different audience types
  • Design pitch decks that are targeted, strategic and engaging

01
Where we help: Grants, partnerships & investment

Government funding
Over the past decade, we’ve secured more than 10 grants and tenders from the City of Sydney — including for large-scale public art, sustainability and circular economy initiatives. We also support clients in securing funding from both the City of Sydney and NSW Government through clear, compelling applications.

Brand partnerships
We’ve built brand partnerships from the ground up — for ourselves and for our clients. From pitch decks to strategic communications, we help purpose-led brands attract and grow partnerships across Australian and global markets.

Investor communications
We refine complex ideas into clear, credible investment narratives — building trust with investors and strengthening founder confidence. Through Boomerang Labs, we pitched ReCo Refill to Australia’s leading impact investors and VC firms, gaining strong validation from the ecosystem.

02
How we help: Clarity, confidence & cut-through communication

Our approach is audience-first, agile and built on listening.

1. Start with the right audience
Not every funder or partner is the right fit. We help you filter and focus — shaping your story to meet the motivations and KPIs of those who are. We look at what your audience knows (and doesn’t), where friction points might arise — and adjust your messaging to meet them with clarity and relevance.

2. Craft clear messaging and pitch deck
We’re known for distilling what matters into one strong, clear idea — then building a pitch around it.

3. Build through feedback
Every pitch is a living progress. Through each presentation and feedback, we help bring the outcome closer.

Project impact
  • Secured multiple government grants and public funding for purpose-led initiatives
  • Developed and pitched strategic partnerships to major corporates and impact investors
  • Supported ongoing growth of investor and brand relationships through clear, compelling communications
  • All pitch decks built collaboratively and tested in real-world conversations for relevance and cut-through
Key takeaway
  • Knowing your audience is the first critical step
  • Simplicity, storytelling and smart design are key to success
  • Pitching is a process — iteration builds clarity and confidence
  • Tailored communication increases your chance of funding or partnership
Our services
  • Funding and grant writing support
  • Brand and investor pitch deck design
  • Messaging and communication strategy
  • Stakeholder engagement consulting
Credits

Thumbnail and banner: Fishburners

Pitch decks
Can we support your growth journey?

We’re on a mission to help you transform your vision into action, overcome challenges, and co-create a brighter future for all. Contact our co-founder Danling to discuss your project today.

Contact us

Relevant case study

Crafted Liberation: Audience-led strategy for cultural disruption

How deep audience research and cultural insight shaped a brand narrative around one of the most politically-charged design projects in Australia.

Flyover: Rebrand through customer insights

Discover how we used qualitative research to transform Flyover’s brand — reshaping perception, redefining its identity and increasing sales.

Ipoh: Customer and market research to guide reusable lunchbox strategy

From customer interviews to market trends and competitor mapping, we delivered the insights behind a smarter, purpose-led launch.

Circular Sydney: Mapping local circular innovation with expert insights and AI

Circular Sydney is a collection of 33 interviews capturing real-world circular economy stories from Sydney’s changemakers — produced with AI tools, young talent and a vision to make local innovation accessible to all.

Basalt Orange: Digital audit and ongoing advisory

We continue to support Basalt Orange with strategic digital advisory — from SEO and social media to a focused growth roadmap that prioritises sustainable growth and helps allocate budget efficiently as a small business.

Flyover: Rebrand and website redesign for a new phase of growth

A strategic brand refresh and website design to support Flyover’s shift from CBD takeaway to full-service dining destination. Sales increased by 100% post-launch.

ReCo Refill: Branding, packaging and e-commerce website

We created an end-to-end brand and e-commerce experience, including strategy, storytelling, website and launch for a zero-waste refill delivery system.

Crafted Liberation: Digital storytelling through website and social media

Collaborating with RK Collective, we supported the digital rollout of Crafted Liberation’s first Australian exhibition — including branding, website, visual content, social media strategy and mainstream media partnerships.

RK Collective: Branding and website for award-winning product design house

RK Collective's branding and website capture the studio’s creative spirit and values, while building on award-winning designer Nila Rezaei’s established reputation.

Kakawa Chocolates: Shopify website redesign to boost sales

Transitioning from WordPress to Shopify, Kakawa’s website was redesigned with stronger branding and a streamlined custom box ordering experience — delivering a significant lift in sales conversion.

Wasteland: Using public art to catalyse commercial marine debris recycling

A large-scale art installation at Sydney’s Customs House, Wasteland pioneered the use of marine debris recycling. The project sparked dialogue around plastic pollution and paved the way for commercial adoption by major brands.

ReCo Refill: Circular packaging and delivery system for plastic-free home essentials

A fully developed circular business model supported by strategic partnerships, investor engagement and brand storytelling to drive transition to a circular economy.

Radish Events: Using AI to transforms food waste management

We developed a custom AI solution to help Radish Events track and reduce food waste, improving operational efficiency and aligning with sustainability targets.

City of Sydney: 10 years of successful project bids and funded collaborations

Over the past decade, we've secured competitive grants to deliver creative and sustainability-led initiatives — experience we now apply to help others launch innovative projects.

Funding communications
for impact-driven brands

We help impact-driven businesses secure funding and partnerships by clearly articulating their purpose and path to growth.

Funding communications
for impact-driven brands

We help impact-driven businesses secure funding and partnerships by clearly articulating their purpose and path to growth.