Where good goes further for Vinnies
St Vincent de Paul
Services
Brand Strategy,
Campaign Development,
Brand Positioning,
Art Direction,
Digital Design
THE BRIEF
The St Vincent De Paul Society of NSW has been making a difference for people experiencing hardship for over 140 years now. A key pillar of this positive impact is Vinnies – the Society’s retail business. As consumers become more aware of the negative effects of fast fashion, Vinnies retail outlets provide an easy way to help more people to do more good, by shopping, donating and volunteering.
The Society launched a new 5-year strategic plan in 2023, to further position Vinnies as the first choice for customers, volunteers, and donors in the for-purpose retail sector. The strategy is driven by a number of new initiatives, including brand development and the launch of an owned eCommerce platform.
Houston was proud to be appointed Vinnies’ brand strategy partner – helping the organisation to navigate their complex brand architecture and rich heritage, while cultivating a new era that could do even more good work for the community.
The Society launched a new 5-year strategic plan in 2023, to further position Vinnies as the first choice for customers, volunteers, and donors in the for-purpose retail sector. The strategy is driven by a number of new initiatives, including brand development and the launch of an owned eCommerce platform.
Houston was proud to be appointed Vinnies’ brand strategy partner – helping the organisation to navigate their complex brand architecture and rich heritage, while cultivating a new era that could do even more good work for the community.
The Society launched a new 5-year strategic plan in 2023, to further position Vinnies as the first choice for customers, volunteers, and donors in the for-purpose retail sector. The strategy is driven by a number of new initiatives, including brand development and the launch of an owned eCommerce platform.
THE SOLUTION
There’s a simple yet powerful truth that sits at the heart of Vinnies Shops – they transform unneeded clothes and other goods into much needed support for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. This truth underpinned our strategic work and lay the foundation for a creative refresh, which elevates the brand identity to connect to a new audience, while still celebrating the iconic aspects of the Vinnies identity and heritage. The quality of goods, fashion cred and the ease with which you can do good all gave dimension to the new brand platform.
The new visual identity has been designed to be more impactful, more accessible, more inspiring and more optimised for digital platforms. Layering and texture was integral, drawing inspiration from the three stacked hands depicted in the St Vincent de Paul Society logo and emphasising clothing as a symbol of help, community and connection.
This new chapter of the Vinnies brand was kicked off by an activation which invited the community to ‘Bring Your Best’. For 72 hours, a giant 4-metre donation box popped up in the heart of Sydney CBD, encouraging people to donate their high-quality pre-loved items. Setting the tone for the good that Vinnies can continue to do for vulnerable communities.
The new visual identity has been designed to be more impactful, more accessible, more inspiring and more optimised for digital platforms. Layering and texture was integral, drawing inspiration from the three stacked hands depicted in the St Vincent de Paul Society logo and emphasising clothing as a symbol of help, community and connection.
This new chapter of the Vinnies brand was kicked off by an activation which invited the community to ‘Bring Your Best’. For 72 hours, a giant 4-metre donation box popped up in the heart of Sydney CBD, encouraging people to donate their high-quality pre-loved items. Setting the tone for the good that Vinnies can continue to do for vulnerable communities.
THE RESULT
The new brand positioning, brand guidelines, campaign and e-commerce platform all provided an effective and efficient way for Vinnies Retail to promote their story, across a range of stakeholders.
Houston’s development of the Bring Your Best campaign served as an immediate reflection of the impact the refreshed brand will have on Vinnies and how they connect with the community. Historically, roughly 20% of donated goods are suitable for sale in stores – leading to extra time, effort, and costs for sorting. Out of the incredible 350kg of donations made during Bring Your Best’s 72 hours activation, 97% were high-quality, sellable goods.
The launch of Vinnies Finds in late May 2025 had a similarly impressive impact. 400 orders were places on the first day alone, with 4000 items sold in the platform’s first week. Over 70,000 sessions were recorded over the first two months that Vinnies Finds was live – most of them through mobile, further validating the positive benefits of the new identity’s digitally-driven, mobile-first approach.
97%
high-quality, sellable goods
4000
Items sold online in first week on vinniesfinds.com.au
70,000+
impressions
Services
Brand Strategy,
Campaign Development,
Brand Positioning,
Art Direction,
Digital Design
To re-invent and refresh this perception of vinnies, we went back to the heart of the customer experience—the retail store—and focused on what keeps Australians coming back.
To celebrate the launch of the refresh Vinnies NSW brand and start putting the brand promise into action, we created an activation campaign – ‘Bring Your Best’. The idea? 72 hours. One statewide call to action. The very best quality goods you’ve got to donate. The chance to make an even greater impact. And one 4m high donation box that popped up in Sydney CBD.
Over the 72-hour activation period, an incredible 350kg of donations were made – with 97% of those being high-quality, sellable goods.
Over the 72-hour activation period, an incredible 350kg of donations were made – with 97% of those being high-quality, sellable goods.
We infused the brand identity with a renewed sense of ‘joy,’ celebrating the unpolished charm and unique essence of the retail experience—reigniting the thrill of the hunt and the delight of discovery.
The system itself is grounded in a rule of layered thirds, inspired by the three hands in the logo. This not only adds visual richness but also deepens the logo’s significance, symbolising the multi-dimensional support and compassion inherent to our brand.
To champion this new curated online shopping experience, we art-directed a photoshoot featuring real Vinnies pieces, styled to give them fresh, modern appeal. The photography captures the authentic, unpolished, and unique spirit of the in-store experience, with each look tailored to feel bespoke to the model. These shoots were created to launch and celebrate the new e-commerce site.
The refreshed Vinnies NSW brand needed to do more than just look and feel fresh. It needed the mirror the browsing and buying habits of a younger audience too. Enter Vinnies Finds – a brand-new, eCommerce platform that curates high-quality items from Vinnies NSW stores, so that customers can shop online.
We designed the brand identity to feel digitally-dynamic – with layered modules and hover states keep the brand feeling dynamic and hands-on, even if you’re at home.
We designed the brand identity to feel digitally-dynamic – with layered modules and hover states keep the brand feeling dynamic and hands-on, even if you’re at home.
With pops of colour and texture, bold typography, authentic imagery and layers of expression, the Vinnies NSW brand was designed to connect with a fashion-first audience who were inspired to do real good. It’s full of life, with purpose and presence in equal measure – no matter how it shows up in physical or digital spaces.
The rebrand and campaign both helped to kickstart a brand-new era for Vinnies and the Society as a whole – proving that the best was yet to come. The community was more than ready to bring it. And Vinnies had a brand with layers of meaning, ready to meet them every step of the way.
Relevant Projects
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