ARENA LaunchPad

Giving LaunchPad its own identity within the ARENA brand.

Brief

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) was preparing to launch LaunchPad, a new early-stage funding program designed to support promising renewable energy and clean energy startups earlier in their commercialisation journey.

Unlike ARENA’s established funding programs, LaunchPad needed to reach a younger, earlier-stage cohort of deep-tech founders, technology developers, accelerators and incubators, many of whom may be unfamiliar with government funding processes. The program also needed to generate awareness and quality applications while clearly differentiating itself from ARENA’s larger, more established funding programs.

Creatik was engaged to develop a distinctive LaunchPad sub-brand within the existing ARENA brand architecture, along with the visual system and toolkit needed to take it to market.

Challenge

This was a brand that needed to operate in two very different worlds.

LaunchPad needed the energy, optimism and accessibility of the startup ecosystem, while retaining the credibility and trust that comes from being backed by ARENA and the Australian Government.

That distinction mattered strategically.

ARENA is widely recognised for supporting technologies further along the innovation journey. LaunchPad was deliberately designed to support promising ideas earlier, helping address the funding gap that can prevent breakthrough clean energy technologies from progressing far enough to prove their potential.

The new identity therefore needed enough independence to signal this is a different kind of opportunity, without becoming disconnected from the organisation behind it.

It also needed to simplify a potentially complex government funding proposition, avoid bureaucratic language and familiar “green” visual clichés, and feel relevant to highly technical, mission-driven and time-poor founders.

The challenge was to create a brand that felt fresh enough for startups and credible enough for government.

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Solution

We built the LaunchPad identity around a simple idea: propelling progress.

At the centre of the identity is a graphic device formed from four circular shapes that progressively increase in size, creating a sense of movement, momentum and ideas springing forward.

The circular forms also reference cycles found in nature, connecting the system back to sustainability without relying on the predictable visual language of renewable energy. The result gives LaunchPad an energetic and optimistic symbol that reflects its role as a catalyst for emerging ideas.

Around it, we developed a visual language that deliberately brings technology and nature together. Organic forms, natural textures and imagery sit alongside more structured digital elements, reflecting the intersection between innovation, technology and the environment.

A contemporary palette of bold blues and greens creates a more tech-led expression, with brighter accent colours bringing the confidence and energy of a startup brand. Selected colours and typography connect back to ARENA, ensuring LaunchPad remains clearly part of the broader brand ecosystem rather than becoming an unrelated standalone identity.

Importantly, the identity was designed as a working system rather than simply a logo. The concept was developed across landing pages, social content, digital communications and campaign applications, giving ARENA a flexible platform capable of supporting the initial launch and future funding rounds.

The result is a distinctive identity that gives LaunchPad the freedom to speak directly to Australia’s emerging clean energy innovators while retaining the credibility of the organisation backing them.