Overview:

Over the course of more than a year, Erin worked in close collaboration with the NSW Department of Education’s School Leadership Institute (SLI) to develop visual representations of their organisation and programs.

The project focused on structuring and articulating the SLI’s work through a suite of diagrams, infographics and supporting materials that could communicate effectively across a wide range of stakeholders, from government to school staff.

Challenge:

The SLI was working with complex, interrelated procedures and programs that were difficult to articulate concisely.

The material involved multiple layers and relationships that needed to be communicated in ways that were both accurate and accessible. The challenge was not only to represent this visually, but to work through and untangle it—clarifying how different components related to one another and how they could be communicated consistently across contexts.

Approach:

Erin worked closely with the SLI team through a highly collaborative and iterative process.

The project began with verbal descriptions and rough sketches, which were analysed and translated into initial visual structures. These were then developed through multiple rounds of iteration—often more than 20 versions for a single diagram—supported by workshops and ongoing feedback.

This process was central to the work. The development of each visualisation became a means of testing and refining the frameworks themselves, enabling the team to clarify relationships, establish hierarchies and articulate their work more precisely.

The visualisations were also user-tested within the SLI, with feedback incorporated to ensure their relevance and effectiveness in practice.

Circular formats were used across the framework visualisations to avoid implying hierarchy and to reflect the interconnected and iterative nature of the SLI’s programs. This approach also aligns with the Department’s visual language, ensuring consistency across materials.

Key Outputs included:

• A suite of visual representations articulating the SLI’s organisation, procedures and programs

• Supporting communication materials, including:

  • reports

  • brochures

  • icon sets

  • Infographics and flow charts