Making Home Ownership Feel Achievable
Integrated Brand Campaign for Keystart
In 2021, Keystart—an initiative of the Western Australian State Government—launched a new brand campaign designed to reinforce its core proposition:
Helping more Western Australians achieve home ownership with deposits as low as 2%, without lender's mortgage insurance.
Despite offering one of the most accessible pathways into home ownership, Keystart's role within the housing journey had become increasingly misunderstood. The organisation was frequently mistaken for a builder, broker or bank, and its unique value proposition was being lost amidst the complexity of the property market.
The challenge was to cut through that confusion and clearly communicate what makes Keystart different.
The Challenge
Buying a first home can feel overwhelming.
Prospective buyers are confronted with an ecosystem of banks, brokers, developers and government initiatives, each with their own processes and messages.
For Keystart, the challenge was to:
- Clearly articulate its unique offering.
- Build stronger awareness and understanding of the brand.
- Differentiate itself from traditional lenders and other players in the housing industry.
- Make the pathway to home ownership feel more approachable and achievable.
The campaign needed to simplify a complex proposition while remaining engaging and memorable.
The Creative Approach
Working alongside Copywriter Anneliese Sullivan, Art Director Ellen Treharne and Animator Tracy Kim, we developed a campaign built around humour and distinctive visual storytelling.
Rather than focusing solely on product features, we chose to address the confusion head-on through a series of entertaining scenarios that highlighted the role Keystart plays in helping Western Australians get into their first homes.
The campaign was brought to life through:
- Animated online videos.
- Broadcast video-on-demand content.
- Humorous radio spots.
- Social media executions.
As the sole designer and illustrator on the project, I created a playful visual world that made a traditionally complex financial product feel approachable, human and easy to understand.
Creating a Distinctive Visual Language
Illustration became a key tool in simplifying the message.
The creative approach allowed us to:
- Turn complex financial concepts into relatable stories.
- Inject warmth and personality into the category.
- Differentiate the campaign from more traditional banking communications.
- Create a memorable and ownable visual identity for the campaign.
The combination of humour, storytelling and illustration helped transform what could have been a dry educational message into something engaging and highly shareable.
The Outcome
The campaign successfully reinforced Keystart's role in the home ownership journey and helped bring greater clarity to one of its most important customer propositions.
Beyond its commercial impact, the campaign also received significant recognition within the Australian creative industry, celebrating the power of storytelling and craft in solving complex communication challenges.
Services
- Illustration
- Campaign Design
- Motion Design Support
- Storyboarding
- Visual Storytelling
- Integrated Campaign Development
Client
Keystart
Collaborators
Anneliese Sullivan – Copywriter
Ellen Treharne – Art Director
Tracy Kim – Animator
Recognition
- PADC Skulls – Silver, Broadcasting & Online Film (Campaign)
- PADC Skulls – Bronze, Radio, Streaming & Audio (Single – Lizards)
- Campaign Brief's The Work 2021 – Published Project (Film/TV Craft – Other)
- Campaign Brief Awards 2021 – Finalist, TV Campaign of the Year
- Campaign Brief Awards 2021 – Finalist, Integrated Campaign of the Year
Result
An award-winning integrated campaign that helped redefine Keystart's position within the housing market, using humour and illustration to simplify a complex proposition and make the dream of home ownership feel more attainable for Western Australians.
