Project Overview

In a world where digital engagement drives change, the Australian Red Cross needed a refreshed digital identity — one that not only communicates its mission but also resonates emotionally with diverse audiences.

With a commitment to empathy, trust, and action, the Red Cross embarked on a comprehensive digital brand refresh and website transformation, an 18-month project now progressing towards an August launch.

As Lead Product Designer at Deepend, I led this transformative journey, crafting a digital brand experience that brings the Red Cross’s values to life.

My work spanned creative design, digital brand strategy, and website transformation, ensuring the new identity is modern, flexible, and deeply empathetic.

  • Conducted extensive user research, including stakeholder interviews, usability testing, and data analysis.
  • Leveraged analytics to refine design decisions, optimising conversion rates for donations and engagement.
  • Implemented A/B testing to enhance UX elements, ensuring an intuitive and frictionless experience.
Australian Red Cross component designs by Elisabeth Brassé
  • Establishing UX guardrails to ensure components meet user needs
  • Developing a new UI toolkit
  • Designing 36 new and updated UI components for the Optimizely CMS
  • Creating the GEL / Online Design System
  • Partnering closely with the external development team to ensure a seamless build and to maintain quality control.
  • Introducing a ‘component spec sheet’ to streamline communication between design and development teams.
  • Collaborating with the internal Red Cross team on QA, continuous improvement, and A/B testing.

A key aspect of this project was delivering best-practice guidance for all Red Cross staff and volunteers, leading to a significant uplift in UX across the site.

I designed 76 optimised pages as best-practice examples for internal teams to implement.

I also created a UI Design System available as a Figma library and a dedicated internal GEL site with best practice guides and how-tos so that all team members can deliver great user experience.

“This is fantastic work! Including not only component and template designs, but also guiding the team in best practice uses of these designs really adds so much value. Oh, and – our team’s recent donations campaign has been super successful! We can’t thank you enough.”

– Christine Kurpitz, Head of Digital, Australian Red Cross