Project
Role
Lead designer
Sector
Communications
Category
Brand identity
Sling & Stone
Reliability under real-world constraints
Sling & Stone is a global communications and marketing agency working with high-growth startups, technology companies and challenger brands. The agency specialises in disruptive campaigns designed to shift perception and build narrative momentum for ambitious organisations. The challenge was not simply to create a consistent, flexible identity system, but to design one that could be reliably used by non-designers in a client-communication context.
The Approach
The existing brand lacked personality, consistency and the bold disruption Sling & Stone needed. The new identity system is designed to support an output-driven environment while addressing the key operational constraint: needing to be easily executed by non-designers. It prioritises clarity, usability, and speed of execution over complexity or expressive control through:
Simple, adaptable visual devices providing expression without requiring design expertise to implement
A vibrant but restrained palette for consistency across user-generated materials
Defined parameters rather than offering full creative freedom that allow for variation while maintaining brand consistency
A straightforward typographic hierarchy ensuring accessibility and ease of use
My Role
This project explores how identity systems function when design ownership is distributed. Rather than optimising for design control, I established a brand concept and system that prioritises usability, clarity, and repeatability over high-design fidelity. In this context, simplicity is the mechanism that enables scale. I also led the rollout across presentation and social templates, ensuring the new identity could be applied consistently and dynamically across all touchpoints.
Details
Project
Impact
Created a simplified, scalable identity system suitable for non-designer use
Enabled consistent brand application across distributed global teams
Balanced storytelling flexibility with operational clarity
Ensured brand consistency in high-speed, presentation-heavy environments
Supported Sling & Stone’s role as a narrative-driven communications agency
Studio
SomeOne Sydney
Creative Team
Creative Direction — Tom Dabner
Client Services — Rebecca Bosustow
Design — Michelle Jin (Lead), Tom Dabner
Motion — Tom Dabner