People with disabilities in Australia face a number of barriers to meaningful, secure employment. These barriers mean only 48% of people with disabilities are employed - compared to 80% of people without.

As Australia’s only commercial design studio supporting people with disability, Blend Creative is undoubtedly a trailblazer in its field. Currently, 32 out of its 39 staff identify as people with disability, ranging from highly complex, requiring full time nursing staff on site, to high functioning.

Since opening its doors in 1990, the Adelaide-based creative agency’s mission, Design by Example, has been its north star – not only producing work that is highly accessible, but also creating a work environment that is truly inclusive.

Designing career pathways ↓

As well as providing employment opportunities, the agency also offers training in Essentials of Graphic Design and the Fundamentals of Graphic Design. And in 2025, with the support of SA Learning Centre, it is preparing to introduce a Certificate I in Visual Arts and receive a recognised Australian qualification. Staff will be able to then choose to extend their training to Certificate II Printing and Graphic Arts to further build confidence.

Over the past eight years, Blend Creative has also restructured its teams to offer career progression opportunities into production. And its growing client base gives staff the opportunity to get experience in different graphic design processes and functions, while supported by the agency’s graphic designers and training and development team.

Meaningful work like Australia Post’s Accessibility and Inclusion Plan has even won the agency the 2023 Social Traders Game Changer award for SA and WA.

“We worked with Australia Post to bring the lived experience voice into all elements of the plan. This was present in each aspect of the document, from content creation that Australia Post prepared to the design we crafted, which meant that the validity and authenticity of the document shone through.” says Account Director, Monique Russell.

In the next phase of development, the agency is focusing on providing staff with new ways to build their work experience and grow their confidence and resilience.

“We are looking to establish work enclaves that will provide our staff with the ability to integrate into external employment workplaces in a supported and considered way,” Monique explains.

In the next two years, Blend Creative will also look to increase its service offerings, adding copywriting and journalistic services to its repertoire. It also plans to bring easy read translations in-house and dedicated resources to work on digital and press campaigns.

“And in three to five years Blend Creative aspires to become an employer of choice to designers, providing work/life balance in a purpose driven workplace,” says Monique.

Creating a roadmap for success ↓

As the only creative agency of its kind in Australia, Blend Creative was looking for expert guidance, advice and mentorship on how to reach its goals. That’s why the team decided to take part in Sefa Partnership’s Social Enterprise Growth Incubator Program in 2023.

The 10-month program helped the agency develop a pathway to help it progress to a self-sufficient social enterprise. Mentors helped the team create a Theory of Change and a three-year business plan with financial intelligence – the biggest missing piece, according to Monique.

“Not having this gives the impression of instability, uncertainty and unsustainability. Working with David Hubbard from Cinch meant we could dive deep into those financial elements that can be elusive – where we’re losing time and the levers we can manipulate for example,” says Monique.

The leadership team has been able to identify the tipping point for financial viability, understand its capacity and make more informed decisions, rather than ones based on assumptions.

This work has allowed the agency to evolve with confidence, understand its main drivers of success and create a plan for growing impact in a targeted way.

“We move forward fearlessly. We know what we need, we know how to get there and we can speak factually to that. The provision of greater certainty, supported by the right tools and internal resourcefulness, gives us confidence to pursue the path of expanding our impact in the future.”