How Black Canvas helps Peak2Park feel like an invitation

Before someone joins a community event, they need to be able to picture themselves there. The invitation needs to make room for them as they are, with their family, their friends and their own reasons for taking part.

That is an important part of the thinking Black Canvas brings to The Optimise Health Peak2Park. Behind the colours, images and information is a straightforward intention: help people feel welcome.



As Director and Founder of Peak2Park, I value that distinction. We can say an event is for the community, but the way we present it needs to carry that invitation too. Black Canvas helps give that intention a visible, practical form.

A local connection grounded in family

The two sisters behind Black Canvas are Toowoomba born and bred. They are mothers and local business owners who speak with genuine gratitude about the community that has supported them. Their connection to Peak2Park comes from that sense of belonging, rather than a particular enthusiasm for competitive sport.

In fact, Anna and the team readily describe themselves as not particularly sporty. What draws them to the event is seeing families together, people of different ages and abilities taking part, and the community enjoying a positive day out.

Their perspective matters. When the people shaping an event's visual identity understand that participation means different things to different people, the invitation can become broader. It can speak to a walker, a parent with little legs beside them, or someone simply wanting to spend time with friends.

For Black Canvas, contributing their design skills is a way of giving back. Their answers return to a simple recognition: none of us achieves much entirely on our own.

Designing an invitation people recognise

Black Canvas wants Peak2Park's artwork to feel bright, positive and approachable. The colours and imagery should communicate the fun and togetherness people can expect from the event.

As mothers, the sisters particularly appreciate an experience families can share, making memories and encouraging active lives without everything being measured through competition. Their creative intention is to help someone who would not normally consider an event like this recognise a place for themselves.

Consistency supports that work. Black Canvas has established Peak2Park's branding across colours, typography, imagery and graphic elements, creating a recognisable connection between social posts, signs and the website.

But consistency does not mean treating every piece identically. A sign needs to communicate in a different way from a website. A sponsorship document has a different reader and purpose again. The aim is a shared identity that still respects what each person needs from the material in front of them.

Two projects with different jobs

The Peak2Park website and Sponsorship Prospectus offer a useful view of this thinking in practice.

Black Canvas approached the website as more than a place to register. It brings together practical event information, including details such as start times and course maps, while conveying the community spirit of the day. Images of real people enjoying the event help connect the information with the experience it describes.

The Sponsorship Prospectus serves another purpose. It helps communicate the event's purpose, vision and community impact to the sponsors whose support makes Peak2Park possible. Bold graphics, colourful infographics and carefully considered layouts give structure to the event's statistics and achievements.

For the team, an especially rewarding part of that work is showcasing the charities that benefit and helping potential sponsors understand the difference their contribution can make.

One project helps people understand participation. The other helps people understand support. Both depend on making a meaningful connection, rather than simply producing something attractive.

Clarity is part of the welcome

An inviting image cannot do the whole job if the important information is difficult to find. Black Canvas pays attention to information hierarchy, legibility, colour contrast and the way designs work across formats, from a small phone screen to large event signage.



These are practical decisions with a human purpose. Someone looking for registration information or event details should not have to work through unnecessary confusion to find them. Clear communication can make the step from interest to participation feel more manageable.

For me, that is where good design and community care meet. The welcome is expressed in the detail, including how easily someone can understand what they need to know.

The contribution behind the scenes

Much of Black Canvas's work happens quietly in the studio. The sisters describe themselves as fairly introverted, supported by a wonderful team and grateful for the clients who trust them. They also describe their Christian faith as important to the kindness, dependability and generosity they aim to bring to their work.

Their contribution is a reminder that a community event needs more than the people visible on the day. It needs different skills, perspectives and forms of care working together.



Thank you to Anna and the Black Canvas team for the thought they put into helping Peak2Park feel recognisable, clear and welcoming. Alongside organisers, volunteers, sponsors and participants, they show that there is more than one way to be part of this community. Everyone has something to contribute.

Q&A with Black Canvas

What connects Black Canvas to Peak2Park and what does being involved mean to your team?

We're Toowoomba girls, born and bred, and as sisters, mothers and local business owners, we have a real appreciation for the community that has supported us over the years.

We're not particularly sporty ourselves, but we love everything Peak2Park represents, families coming together, people of all ages and abilities getting involved, and our community enjoying a fun, positive day out.

We've been fortunate to be in business for many years, and we never take that for granted. One thing we've learnt along the way is that none of us achieves much on our own. We all depend on one another, whether that's in business, in our families or within the wider community.

Being able to contribute our skills to an event that gives so much back to Toowoomba is a small way for us to say thank you and play our part.

When you begin work on Peak2Park artwork what do you want people to understand or feel when they see it?

Above all, we want people to feel welcome.

Peak2Park isn't just for serious runners or fitness enthusiasts. It's for families, friends, walkers, little legs and those who simply want to get out and enjoy being part of something.

As mums ourselves, we particularly love that it's an event families can enjoy together, creating memories and encouraging healthy, active lifestyles without the pressure of competition.

We want the artwork to reflect that sense of fun, energy, togetherness and community spirit. It should feel bright, positive and approachable, and hopefully encourage someone who might not normally participate in an event like this to think, "That looks like something we could do!"

How do you develop and maintain a consistent Peak2Park brand across the different materials and channels you create for the event?

Consistency is something we're passionate about as graphic designers. A strong visual identity helps people recognise an event instantly, whether they're seeing a social media post, a sign around town or information on a website.

We have established the Peak2Park branding, to use consistent colours, typography, imagery and graphic elements to create a recognisable look across all the different materials.

But it's not simply about making everything look the same. Each piece has a different job to do, so we consider how and where people will see it, while ensuring everything still feels like part of the Peak2Park family.

Good design is also a team effort. We enjoy collaborating, sharing ideas and working alongside people who bring different skills and perspectives to the table. We're very much a behind-the-scenes team, and there's something rewarding about knowing our contribution helps bring a much bigger vision to life.

Could you take us behind one Peak2Park design or creative decision you're particularly proud of What was the thinking behind it?

There are a couple of projects we're particularly proud of, because they show how good design can make a real difference.

The Peak2Park website is an important communication tool for the event. We wanted it to be more than somewhere people go to register. It's a place where participants can find everything they need, event details, start times, course maps and practical information, while also getting a sense of the excitement and community spirit of the day. The imagery plays a big part in bringing that to life, showing real people enjoying the event and encouraging others to get involved.

Another project we particularly enjoy is the Sponsorship Prospectus. It has a very different purpose, helping attract and retain the generous sponsors who make Peak2Park possible. We've used bold graphics, colourful infographics and engaging layouts to bring the event's statistics and achievements to life, while clearly communicating its purpose, vision and community impact.

It's especially rewarding to showcase the wonderful charities that benefit from the event and help potential sponsors see the difference their support can make.

For us, both projects are examples of what we love about graphic design. It's not simply about making things look good, it's about communicating a message, connecting people and helping a great community initiative continue to grow.

What do you consider when making event information both visually engaging and easy for people to understand?

Good design isn't just about making something look attractive. It needs to communicate clearly and make life easier for the person reading it.

With an event like Peak2Park, people need to find important details quickly, dates, times, locations, registration information and what's happening on the day.

We think carefully about the hierarchy of information, legibility, colour contrast and how the design will work across different formats, from a small phone screen to large event signage.

Our goal is always to make things as clear, simple and inviting as possible, while keeping the personality and excitement of the event.

What is it like to see your work become part of the event and what would you like people to know about the team behind it?

There's something really special about seeing our designs come to life out in the community, particularly at an event we've been involved in behind the scenes for many years.

As designers, much of our work happens quietly in the studio. Seeing so many people attend on the day and enjoy themselves at the event is incredibly rewarding.

We're two sisters, both mums and both fairly introverted, who love what we do and feel very fortunate to have built a business in our hometown. Family has always been an important part of our lives, and those values naturally carry through to the way we run our business and the relationships we build with our clients.

We have a wonderful team around us, and we're continually reminded that what we achieve is only possible because of the people we work alongside and the clients who put their trust in us.

Our Christian faith is important to us, and we try to reflect that in the way we work, being kind, dependable, generous with our time and always looking for ways to serve others.

We're not usually the ones out front, and we're certainly not the sporty types! But we love being part of something that brings people together.

Events like Peak2Park are a wonderful reminder that everyone has something to contribute. From the organisers and volunteers to the sponsors, participants and the many people working behind the scenes, it takes a whole community to make something special happen.

We all have different gifts and abilities, and there's something pretty special about seeing what happens when we bring them together.