Past Projects by RGD Emeritus Members
Written by Bob Hambly, Donna Darby, and Michel Viau
RGD Emeritus Members share memorable projects from their illustrious careers.
Harry Rosen's Harry magazine
Bob Hambly RGD Emeritus, Ex Founding Partner, Hambly & Woolley Inc.
"Fortunately, I got to work with many talented people over the years. They taught me to appreciate different points of view, provided solutions that I would never have thought of and showed me new ways to explore my own creativity. I particularly cherish the 19 years that we worked on Harry Rosen's Harry magazine. So many individuals contributed to each issue–editors, writers, designers, photographers, stylists, make-up artists, prop-makers and illustrators. I feel lucky to have worked with them all", says Bob.
We-Vibe
Donna Darby RGD Emeritus, Creative Director, Utopia Communications Inc.
"I’ve been fortunate in my career. I always seemed to have really great clients and wonderful projects to work on. One of the most unusual, which really made me stretch as a designer, was work for an adult toy company. We-Vibe was an Ottawa-based company that believed in high-end products made with body safe materials and good clean fun. I worked for them for just over four years until a severe concussion took me out of the workplace altogether. We did soup to nuts, web, print, merchandizing, packaging, advertising and point of purchase displays. I was very proud of all it. We knew we were doing well when the stores requested more of our promotional materials, and the magazines always gave us preferential placement. Unfortunately when I went to enter the project into the Applied Arts Awards, I was turned down because the magazine’s management didn’t want to freak out their advertisers", says Donna.
Canadian Airlines International
Michel Viau RGD Emeritus, Founder, President and CEO, Ove Brand Design
"As I reflect on my career spanning over 40 years, there are so many projects that have left indelible marks on my journey. One certainly stands out. Rewind to 1987, a time when Canada boasted two national airlines, Air Canada and Canadian Pacific Airlines. It was then that our small design firm received a golden opportunity—to pitch for the rebranding and visual identity program following the merger of Canadian Pacific Airlines and Pacific Western Airlines, now WestJet. We poured our hearts and souls into every aspect of the project, from naming (Canadi>n with the “motionmark” strategically replacing the “a” in English and the “e” in French thus making the “logotype” bilingual) and conceptualizing the identity for the fleet of airplanes, down to the smallest details, from ticket jackets and boarding passes to cups and swizzle sticks. The “Canadian Airlines International” project wasn't just another assignment; it was a defining chapter in our firm's history. It taught us the power of belief—in ourselves, in our team and in our collective vision. It showed us that greatness lies not in playing it safe but in daring to reach beyond our comfort zones", offers Michel.
Future articles featuring RGD Emeritus Members will offer their advice and recollections of career decisions, both good and bad.
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