Designing for sports and recreation projects

Sisters Zain and Farah Al Aqrabawi took on the project in May 2023, anchoring the work in the founders' story. Farah designed the mark by turning a single padel ball into a visual rhythm—multiplying it across the wordmark so the balls form the letters Z and Y in motion. The identity grows outward from this central idea: a four-typeface hierarchy, a gradient-led palette of five named colour blends and a pattern language drawn from the ZY mark itself. The tagline, 'Fuel your passion. Find your people,' frames the hub as both a training space and a social one.

The identity carries across signage, apparel, drinkware, bags and stationery, so every touchpoint returns to one idea: two friends, in motion. ZY opened its Dubai location in March 2024, with a brand system built to scale as the club expands.

Credits

• Design: Farah Al Aqrabawi Associate RGD
• Creative Direction and Client Lead: Zain Al Aqrabawi
• Client: ZY Padel & Fitness Hub (Co-founders: Zaid and Yousef)

Weaving Indigenous Stories into the Toronto Maple Leafs by Design de Plume

As part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' ongoing reconciliation efforts, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment partnered with Design de Plume to develop commemorative branding for the 2025 Indigenous Celebration Game. The brief asked DDP to reimagine the iconic maple leaf crest through an Indigenous lens—expanding it into a full system of assets for limited-edition merchandise, in-game visuals and broader community engagement. The challenge was to create work that respectfully honoured cultural teachings while remaining recognizable to fans.

Led by Co-CEO Jennifer Taback RGD and rooted in her community of Shawanaga First Nation, the work is rich with intentional symbolism. Turtles, strawberries, plant medicines and beadwork carry meanings of love, protection and connection to family and land. Shades of blue and orange reference the life-giving waters of the Great Lakes and the team's stated commitment to reconciliation. The designs were brought to life as an animated light show accompanying a performance by the Smoke Trail Singers Drum Group and applied across limited-edition merchandise sold to support Indigenous youth.

The impact was wide-ranging and concrete. Jersey auctions raised over $60,000 for the ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency. Beyond the fundraising, the project challenged Canadians to engage with Indigenous culture not as something historical or peripheral, but as active, living and present—woven into one of the country's most-watched sporting moments.

CREDITS

• Creative Director and Lead Designer: Jennifer Taback RGD, Co-CEO
• Designers: Ashley Wadge
• Graphic Designer: Jennica Robinson, Design Lead
• Project Managers: Keely Moxam, Project Co-ordinator; Lisa Baer-Tsarfati, Project Manager and Strategist

Peterborough Nordic Club Website Redesign by Jack Henry Associate RGD at Loon in the Mist Creative

The Peterborough Nordic Club is a not-for-profit community organization that maintains classic and skate ski trails at the Lift Lock Golf Club. Founded in 2016, the club serves both seasoned skiers and first-time visitors, offering memberships, rentals, trail maps and pass purchasing. Their existing website had become a barrier rather than a welcome: navigation was unclear, key information was difficult to find and the site was not built for mobile use on the trail.

Loon in the Mist Creative (formerly OmniWorx Design) approached the redesign with four goals: simplicity and accessibility, visual storytelling that evokes the outdoor experience, multi-use usability for different visitor types and a platform the volunteer board could manage with minimal overhead. The resulting site is built on Squarespace for ease of maintenance and uses clean information architecture to surface trail maps, conditions, rentals and memberships quickly—on any device.

The impact has been tangible and practical. Members and visitors report finding what they need more quickly. Mobile access on the trail is significantly improved, with trail maps and rental information readily available in the field. Real-time trail condition updates via an Instagram link reduce confusion and support the club's communication with its community. The board now manages content updates with far less effort, freeing volunteer time for the work that matters most.

Design & Branding for Partner Skateboards Corp. by Aidan Searle RGD

Partner Skateboards was built from the ground up as an art-forward, experimental skateboard company with inclusion at its core. The brand champions underrepresented individuals in skateboarding—queer and trans communities, women and people of all colours and abilities—producing ethically made, high-quality merchandise sold online and at local events, with ambitions to reach skate shops across Canada, the US and Europe.

The visual language is entirely hand-drawn, intentionally expressive and unafraid to be imperfect. Rather than polish, the work prioritizes human energy: marks that feel alive, seasonal drops that refresh the palette while keeping a through-line and a design practice that runs in tandem with the creative director's current obsessions and interests. Each collection feels distinct while building on the brand's roots—a tension between reinvention and continuity that mirrors the culture of skateboarding itself.

Partner's brand demonstrates that sport-adjacent design can operate as a genuine artistic and cultural platform. By centring community visibility from the outset, the brand has built loyalty among audiences who rarely see themselves reflected in mainstream sports branding.

Credits

• Creative Director, Art Director, Graphic Designer: Aidan Searle RGD
• Photography: Devin McKillop, Meghan Tansey Whitton
• Flower Shoot: Collaboration with Far Our Floral
• Pig Illustration: Demi Parsons

University of Regina Cougars + Rams Athletics Rebrand by Trajectory Brands Inc.

At the University of Regina, varsity athletics carries deep institutional meaning. Two brands—the Regina Rams, one of the most storied football programs in Canadian university sport, and the Regina Cougars, representing all other varsity teams—coexist under one athletic umbrella. The challenge wasn't about choosing one identity over the other. It was about creating a unifying presence strong enough to hold both, while giving each the room to remain distinct and emotionally resonant for athletes and fans.

Trajectory approached the rebrand by putting legacy at the centre. Through research into the history, rituals and pride of both programs, the team developed an integrated varsity athletics identity that translates historic equity into a contemporary visual language. The system introduces new primary and secondary marks alongside a comprehensive suite of sport-specific identifiers, all designed to perform across digital platforms, facilities and the field of play.

The result is a bold, flexible ecosystem—one that reinforces the overall athletics presence while preserving the distinct personalities of the Rams and Cougars. A standout merchandise and apparel program, among the most distinctive in U Sports and Canada West, anchors the identity in culture as much as competition. The refreshed brand supports recruitment, builds internal pride and gives athletes and fans an identity they are proud to wear.

Credits

• Creative Director: Paul Hodgson
• Senior Designer: Blair Francey RGD
• Strategy: Stephen Weir
• Designer: Will Kim