Edition 19 of the round-up is hitting inboxes on Monday. This one is dedicated wholly to Melbourne Design Week. We’ve curated some of our selects and mapped our trail.
MDW 2026 is full to the brim with incredible events, activations and adventures. We’re looking forward to exploring, and supporting our wonderful design community.
For those not familiar, the round-up is a monthly EDM where we collect things we like for likeminded people to enjoy too.
Link in bio to sign up.
Helping to establish a new brand is a privilege and a personal ride.
In 2025 we saw @primarylingerette grow into itself, hosting its first activation in Richmond. Taking the brand offline, creating a space where people want to be. A space where a generally onerous task (buying undergarments) can feel like a pleasure.
Since launching in 2024, Samantha Harrison (Primary founder) has moved at a sustainable pace towards her ambitions, with integrity at every step.
We believe in her vision, and the need for an alternative to big department stores and over-sexualised views of women.
2026 is going to be a big year for Primary, and we’re honoured to be in the passenger seat with Sam at the wheel.
View our work for Primary on the site. Link in bio.
Photos by @dancastano
Strategy is a lofty word.
And, to the same affect, what we do at JAC AND can sometimes be a little vague to the outside world. So, let’s distil.
Put simply, strategy is a process we use to lay foundations.
It isn’t just for building brands. We use strategy to align teams and define pathways to new places.
Strategy doesn’t have to be exhaustive. It’s scalable to phases, needs and ambitions.
Done well, it has immediate impact. Strategy is the connection between brand, organisation and audience.
We wrote more about this on LinkedIn, head there to read. Link in bio.
Earlypay is an ASX-listed company helping Australian businesses get paid and get ahead since 2001.
When Earlypay approached us to help them find brand clarity, we didn’t know what invoice finance was and our research showed us that plenty of other people don’t either.
Our strategy was to lean into the clean cut-through of their name and position them as market leaders in invoice finance by simply stating what it is.
This rebrand was not a reinvention. With respect for legacy, we built a robust brand system that brings the core benefit to the surface, and that celebrates the brand’s inherent humanity. People helping people, on their terms.
Read the case study, link in bio.
With thanks to @letterform.co for their help with words, as always. And @aakanshakukreja for her commitment to what is truly a deep brand system (for something that appears simple on the surface).
Free Form is almost completely sold out, prior to completion.
We can’t take full credit for this, of course. The project has great people behind it and integrity in the build. In the same breath, we are incredibly proud of the campaign.
The true success was in the EOI phase, where we attracted a likeminded community with subtle cues that stepped away from the norm.
These non traditional investments and choices were brave on the clients part (and likely made the real estate agents squirm) but they worked. They respected that the audience are discerning and creative.
Well done to @gestalt_property and a stellar team, for doing things differently and proving it works.
With thanks to our project partners:
@sarahforgiephoto@elizabeth___bird@henrytrumble@oscargronner@letterform.co@svmorganwork@wrkwrks
Project documentation by @ben.moynihan with our ever patient model, @alfresco.dining .
We are thrilled to introduce Oliver Veselovski, our not so new Senior Designer.
Olly joined JAC AND late in 2025 and has added immense value already – both to our business and our clients.
His experience spans diverse sectors and his skillset is dynamic in range. Olly is comfortable leading major brand projects and producing finished art with attention to detail. Big thinking and technical ability in one.
That aside, what appealed to us most, and what our clients can already attest to, is his incredible work ethic and easy demeanour. A natural fit for JAC AND, where we value everything that surrounds the craft as much as the craft itself.
We are proud to have Olly on board and are looking forward to taking JAC AND into its next phase together.
Photo by @piercarthew
It was an honour to design Sandra Black: Holding Light with @artgallerywa .
Designing art publications is a beautiful process with a meaningful outcome. A legacy piece for all involved.
Learning about Sandra Black’s impressive career as we worked through the design was a privilege. To her name, she has 500 group exhibitions, 40 solo, significant contributions to academia and representation both locally and abroad.
Through our work, we aimed to showcase her life and work with the integrity it deserves.
Available now via the AGWA Design Store.
When our longtime friend and collaborator @jillhaapaniemi left the big smoke for a better life, she really went all in and started a yoga studio.
@butteryoga is a community space for Bass Coast locals and friends from afar.
We helped bring the concept to life with a light brand strategy and an identity that breaks the mould.
Over a year in and we’re proud to see Jill kicking goals with Butter. We’d like to see her come back to the concrete jungle, but unfortunately the endeavour is a big success and that’s looking unlikely.
If you’re down that way, drop in. If you’re not, plan the visit.
Signage by @made_visual
Illustration by @eirianchapman
Photography by @jillhaapaniemi
Jac is writing about all matters brand on LinkedIn. That’s right, not Substack.
You may view these pieces as ramblings of sorts. Thinking out loud, connecting dots and trying to make sense of complex ideas.
So far there are a couple of articles published about brand experience and taking brand beyond the boardroom.
Come along for the ride and you might even see yet another opinion on AI.
Link in bio.
A few more moments from our JAC AND 10 party. Thanks again to everyone who helped us celebrate turning double digits, especially @long_prawn who made it special, fun and fancy all in one.
📸 @chawks
