Forcibly Displaced People Network
Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) is Australia’s first LGBTIQA+ refugee-led organisation, advocating for justice and dignity for people who have been forced to leave home because of who they are, who they love, and how their bodies look. They came to us at a moment of growth—when their work, partnerships, and programmes were expanding—and they needed a digital home that could hold that complexity without losing the warmth and care at the centre of their mission.
We partnered with FDPN on a brand refresh and the redesign and development of their WordPress website, including an e-learning platform and donation integration. The goal was to make it easier for different audiences—community members, supporters, partners, and professionals—to find what they need quickly, feel safe while navigating, and take meaningful action.
Project Team
Brand Refresh: Zoe Tang
UX/UI Design: Federica Minini
Development: Sofiia Bondarenko
The Challenge
FDPN holds a lot: urgent advocacy, community support, research and publications, events, and learning. When an organisation does this much, the risk is that a website starts to feel like a long stream of posts—valuable, but hard to navigate, and easy to miss what matters most.
FDPN needed clearer pathways into their work, alongside a tone that felt human and affirming. That meant designing for belonging as much as for information—balancing safety, clarity, and accessibility, while still creating a distinctive visual identity that reflected FDPN’s community roots.
What We Did
We started with discovery and research through a kick-off workshop, existing assets review, and a design direction moodboard to align on what “warm, strong, and trustworthy” looks like for FDPN.
From there, we refreshed the brand identity—introducing an approachable palette of purples, greens, and cream, and developing a responsive logo with a minimalist, line-drawn rainbow. Typography was chosen for impact and legibility, with a secondary handwritten style used sparingly to keep a grassroots, activist edge.
On the website, we modernised the UX and UI and restructured content so the site could move beyond a blog-style format. We designed modular Gutenberg blocks and a mega menu to support multiple audiences and content types, and we developed the site’s key journeys, including e-learning and donations, within a wider content “hub” that could hold programmes, events, policy, evidence, and organisational information in a way that still feels navigable.
Throughout, we focused on a cohesive visual system—using geometric shapes, confident colour blocks, and black-and-white imagery—paired with small interaction details (like subtle hover states) to help people move through the site with confidence.
Impact
The new brand and website give FDPN a clearer, safer-feeling digital home—one that supports the reality of their work without asking visitors to do the heavy lifting. Improved structure and navigation reduce friction for people arriving with different needs, while the visual identity reinforces a sense of belonging and trust. Behind the scenes, the flexible WordPress foundation and modular build make it easier for FDPN to keep publishing, grow programmes, and stay consistent as their work evolves—helping more people find the right information, connect with support, and take action.
