Heartfelt | From Exhibition to Enduring Resource
Awareness strategy, fundraising, creative direction & design
Image credit: Gavin Blue, Heartfelt President
When Netra first volunteered her time to help create our flagship exhibition, it had a huge impact and went a long way towards educating the public about what we did as a charity.
She followed that with our Heartfelt book, taking on the enormous task of bringing together the stories, images and contributions of around 70 families and photographers. She was tireless in her pursuit of making the book the very best it could be, approaching every detail with care, creativity and an incredible level of professionalism. The result was something truly beautiful that our families could treasure.
She also designed our Heartfelt running shirts almost ten years ago and, remarkably, they are still considered contemporary and proudly worn today. That says so much about her eye for design and her ability to create something timeless rather than simply following a trend.
But what makes Netra truly special is not just her extraordinary design talent. It is her generosity, kindness, reliability and willingness to give her time to support our families and our charity.
Heartfelt is immensely grateful for everything she has given us over the years. We couldn’t recommend her highly enough.
Gavin Blue
President, Heartfelt
I have volunteered with Heartfelt as a photographer and designer since 2009. The organisation provides photographic memories to families experiencing stillbirth, premature birth, or serious and life-limiting childhood illness.
Sharing the stories
In 2011, I conceived and produced a photographic exhibition to help raise awareness of Heartfelt’s work and explain why these photographs matter to families.
I developed the concept and creative, designed the story panels, catalogue and invitations, secured sponsorship to cover production, and coordinated the launch and fundraising activity. The exhibition was later expanded into a second, larger event.
The exhibitions were powerful, but their reach was inherently local.
The next challenge was finding a way to take those stories further.
Images from the Heart
I proposed turning the concept into a book that could reach families where Heartfelt’s service was actually being considered: in hospitals.
Cost and workload had prevented the idea progressing previously, so I offered to drive the project and developed a print-on-demand model requiring no upfront investment from Heartfelt.
A call for submissions produced approximately 70 family stories. Rather than selecting only some, I advocated for every consenting family to be included. No parent should be told their child’s story wasn’t significant enough to belong.
That principle drove the creative direction: The child, not the photography, was the focus.
Each child’s name was given prominence, and the book was deliberately sequenced so more confronting images appeared progressively later, allowing healthcare professionals to guide families through it sensitively.
Designed to keep working
The model later evolved into a $75 hospital sponsorship program, with families able to include a memorial message inside the book they sponsored.
Published in 2017, Images from the Heart went on to become more than an awareness piece. Hospitals used it to educate staff and help prepare parents for what their stillborn or extremely premature baby might look like.
The 70 approved stories and images also became an ongoing source of social media content for Heartfelt.
The book remains in use today.
What began as a local exhibition became an enduring resource for awareness, education, informed choice and remembrance.