Awards of Distinction

Municipal Branding Message Project by The City Of Mississauga

Judge's Pick

It can be immensely challenging working with in-house clients, especially if the client is the government. As the implementation continues, the current brand work has given the city a refreshing facelift, ushering it into modern times as the city continues to grow. The bold contemporary look hints at current design trends, but pushes boundaries for branding cities. The range of applications, from signage to stationery, and website to parking passes, demonstrates that design collateral for governments can be distinct, flexible, delightful and innovative. The new branding makes a big splash, and knocks on the door of the City of Toronto, its more well-known neighbor, demanding renewed attention and consideration.

— Cecilia Mok RGD

The City of Mississauga is on the cusp of great change, and needed a new brand identity to reflect the city’s past and optimistic future. The new identity is strong, open and bold. The shape forms a future-focused “M” and the open spaces embody the spirit and possibility of a young city that continues to build and shape its future. There was a lack of resources and budget for this project –with less than a year to research, engage stakeholders, define positioning and brand story, design, test and present to council before elections. Key collaborators included Brand Manager David Ferreira, and the team at Trajectory –primarily, Jeanette Hanna and Paul Hodgson for research, positioning, stakeholder engagement and all-around creative encouragement. Project objectives and deliverables were met on time, and the implementation continues to be rolled out.

Rebranding Project by Haliburton School of Art+Design 

Judge's Pick

I chose this project because the design itself is scalable to many mediums and applied to collateral in inventive ways. It looks elegant and minimal on its own as a logo, but can also be transformed into a pattern or a graphic image that works well on the mug and coasters. I also love that despite its minimal-ism, it still has personality and is personalized to the school by referencing the red doors. Lastly, the execution and typography are all tight. The typeface choice balances well with the heavy “H” graphic and feels appropriate fora design school. 

— Sabrina Majeed RGD

The name of the Fleming College school was changed from Haliburton School of the Arts to Haliburton School of Art+ Design to better represent the diverse range of art and design-related programs offered. Changing the school name provided the opportunity for a complete rebranding project which began with a new logo. The logo is a tribute to the campus’s iconic red doors, and also works as a container shape to express the school’s unique, studio-based programming. The talented in-house team completed the entire project, from concept to execution. The new brand received unanimous support and buy-in from faculty, staff and external partners, and resulted in renewed spirit, excitement and pride among student groups and community members. The brand launch was a resounding success, both internally and externally.

Frozen-Themed Aircraft by Westjet 

Judge’s Pick

This design was tastefully done in a Nordic theme, without over doing it for the parents. Any child who is a fan of Anna and Elsa would lose her mind boarding this aircraft. I should know, I have two.

— MATT COYLE RGD

The primary objective of the project was to trigger immediate recognition of the strong partnership between West Jet and Disney as guest-centric brands. In-house designers with aircraft knowledge worked closely with the Disney Yellow Shoes agency and ‘Frozen’ film producers to conceptualize, adapt and lay out what would become a Boeing 737-800series aircraft with custom livery. Custom interior elements such as decaling and embroidery were designed and applied, relying heavily on the technical knowledge of the internal creative team and the close partnership with Technical Operations at West Jet and Transport Canada. These interior elements include overhead bins, bulkheads, anti-Macassar (head rest covers) and decals on the washroom mirrors. The result of this collaboration is a well-executed and comprehensive ‘Frozen’ experience for West Jet guests that starts from the initial look at the aircraft and continues to the wonder and surprise that comes with walking into the aircraft, locating your seat with a custom anti Macassar and visiting the washrooms throughout the flight. The ‘Frozen’ aircraft received global coverage and was trending on various social media platforms in the weeks after launch. Bookings in the weeks following the reveal of the aircraft increased significantly with positive impacts to revenue. The design is largely unparalleled in the aviation world and evokes a huge sense of pride.

Electric Vehicle Exhibit by Bruce Power 

Judge’s Pick

Bruce Power successfully embraced this challenge with a fun and integrated hands-on component for kids, while educating and engaging their visitors and com-munities about the benefits of clean transportation. The simple and innovative design approach, including the typography, Visitors’ Centre exhibit, charging stations and additional elements, was brilliantly executed.

— Jody De Haas RGD

To promote clean electricity powering clean transportation, Bruce Power purchased its first electric vehicle and teamed up with the Plug ’n Drive organization to install charging stations around neighboring communities. To reach the public with this message, an electric vehicle exhibit was hosted at the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre, a tourist attraction where children could play on a miniature electric car and adults could learn more about electric vehicles. Static poster holders were installed to display content, which can be changed out and refreshed as the technology evolves. The exhibit offers a fun, informative and engaging environment to learn about this new, clean technology.

Star Performers Digital Brochure by Investors Group across Canada

Judge’s Pick

This is a strong digital design piece with great juxtaposition of images and graphic elements that looks dynamic and balanced at the same time. Each page unfolds in a surprising way without being too busy or disjointed. There is a great use of duotone on the historical illustration, overlapped by the city-scape and consistent use of the color palette. The warm color on the top merges well with the cool color. It is quite different from the Investors Group’s customer-facing materials, and great to see the team taking a bit of risk with an internal document.

— Ray Cheah RGD

This project was created to promote the company’s incentives conference for the network of planning specialists across Canada. It focused on Panama City’s appeal as a desirable vacation destination with something for everyone. Overlapping, paneled imagery was used to promote themes of diversity, energy and excitement and give the audience a sense of the lush landscape, the ruins next to the city, and the beautiful beach. As the team’s first foray into the digit-al publishing world, the project involved plenty of trouble-shooting. The limited distribution capability of the corporate standard web browser was resolved by using the Digital Publishing option in In Design. The result is a digital brochure that effectively showcases the key selling points.

Toronto Pride Campaign 2015/2016 by Sun Life Financial in Toronto, Canada

Judge’s Pick

This was an excellent example of how careful consideration and inspired execution can success-fully adapt a key brand asset for a unique campaign. The final product achieved the objective of the brand standing out in its support of the LGBTQ community, while staying true to its core identity.

– Jon Arklay RGD

This campaign’s objective was to shine light on the company’s support for the LGBTQ community, both outwardly and internally within its workforce. This was the first time in 10 years that one of Sun Life’s key brand assets, the Whimsical Sun, had been modified; it was integrated with the colors of the rainbow. This graphic was the corner stone for the entire campaign. The tight budget required a smart Supporting collateral was posted to the Sun Life intranet and social media channels. The internal feedback was out-standing. To show continued support for Pride in 2016, the ‘rainbow sun’ was used to produce a large window display on the front of SunLife’s Toronto head office. The artwork is featured on multiple Instagram accounts, including @Sun Life CA, where it is among the channel’s all-time highest ranked posts. Media buy that would show-case the design in multiple key locations within the heart of Toronto at Union Station and Dundas Square. Digital signage kept the production costs in check while providing maximum views. The biggest challenge was striking the right creative balance between embracing the celebration of Pride, while remaining true to the Sun Life brand image. The result is confidently coy messaging and a clean aesthetic that highlights the brand in a positive light.

Beyond The Product Campaign by Structube 

Judge’s Pick

This is a strikingly visual journey into the products used in the daily lives of consumers. It presents an easy to navigate visual system and a great story that is meaningful to the audience; a deep and technologically rich experience. Very well done.

– Brian Ready RGD

A microsite was created to host the footage and interactive features of the campaign. Key considerations included balancing speed with quality and performance, integrating e-commerce features and creating a design that addressed ‘Beyond the Product’ is a10-part web series offering a close look at the cultures behind Structube’s products, with a mission to challenge and dispel the negative connotations often attached to manufacturing in India or China. Project, the team created an object-based system for storing information about episodes and used YouTube auto scaling and YouTube API, plus Google Analytics for tracking video views and page visits. The series is hosted on a be spoke responsive microsite which has amassed over200,000 visits in its lifetime. The ‘Beyond the Product’ web series is an immersive experience that provides a real glimpse into the sights, sounds and tastes of some of the oldest cultures on earth. the episodic nature of the series. The marketing team’s strategy was to collaborate closely with the Web Developer and the lead Graphic Designer to ensure the vision aligned with the project’s technical requirements. To execute, track and measure the project, the team created an object-based system for storing information about episodes and used YouTube auto scaling and YouTube API, plus Google Analytics for tracking video views and page visits. The series is hosted on a be spoke responsive microsite which has amassed over200,000 visits in its lifetime. The ‘Beyond the Product’ web series is an immersive experience that provides a real glimpse into the sights, sounds and tastes of some of the oldest cultures on earth.

SAKS Canada Partnership Launch by Capital One Canada 

Judge’s Pick

Clean, sophisticated design. Looks very easy for the user to navigate.

– Robin Colangelo RGD

The entire launch was a flawless execution of a large volume of work. Despite tight timelines and regulatory restraints, the campaign successfully came to market on time. Weekend application bookings vastly exceeded projections and shattered store-opening records for the entire HBC family of stores. The weekend numbers even surpassed the high record previously held by the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City.

Annual Report 2015 by Bruce Power

Judge’s Pick

This elegant and beautiful explanation of the success of the company provides a clear and concise vision of the goals while pulling the viewer in.

– Chris Hacker RGD

For the Bruce Power 2015 Annual Report, the focus was to create a very visual publication that would tell the story of a busy and positive year for the company. The design of the publication required a sophisticated, professional look and feel for investors and stakeholders, while remaining easy to understand for those unfamiliar with the nuclear industry. This piece engages the viewer with full page, monotone photographs and bold, oversized typography. As the content of an Annual Report can be mundane, the varied feel of the page layout is used to keep readers interested throughout the report. For the center spread, a double-gatefold-out section was included in an unexpected lime green color to put extra emphasis on their biggest achievement. The objective for creating this book was to welcome and excite new employees, who receive the book by mail one week prior to their first day at Sentry. The book is an integral part of the onboarding process, providing valuable insight in to the company and its culture, and welcoming the individual Collaboration between thein-house creative studio and the marketing department made it possible to draft and review content for a quick turnaround. By keeping the writing in-house, the messaging and writing style was more accurate than it would have been with an agency. In the end, the team successfully produced a quality piece that has been very well received by new employees.to the Sentry family. The logo and wordmark encompass the key message: One team. One family. One goal. The book also features photographs of the office space, lobby entrance, artwork and workspace, combining it all with the brand look and feel – it’s sophisticated, elegant and modern.in 2015. For finishes, working closely with the printer made it possible to identify the most interesting solutions. While the inside pages were printed on glossy text-weight paper, the contrasting cover was printed on 130-pound uncoated, cover-weight paper with a clear gloss foil stamp and debossed title. The finished product makes an impact with the reader right from page one.

Employee Welcome Book by Sentry Investments 

Judge’s Pick

This is a very innovative idea to welcome and excite a new employee before their first day at the office. The attention to design details is absolutely exquisite, and the design and feel of the publication gives a wonderful flavor of the company atmosphere. Bravo.

– Saskia Rowley RGD

The objective for creating this book was to welcome and excite new employees, who receive the book by mail one week prior to their first day at Sentry. The book is an integral part of the onboarding process, providing valuable insight into the company and its culture, and welcoming the individual Collaboration between thein-house creative studio and the marketing department made it possible to draft and review content for a quick turnaround. By keeping the writing in-house, the messaging and writing style was more accurate than it would have been with an agency. In the end, the team successfully produced a quality piece that has been very well received by new employees.to the Sentry family. The logo and wordmark encompass the key message: One team. One family. One goal. The book also features photographs of the office space, lobby entrance, artwork and workspace, combining it all with the brand look and feel – it’s sophisticated, elegant and modern.

Chris Cran Art Book by National Gallery of Canada

Judge’s Pick

A very creative and imaginative project. The treatment on the cover is very well used, beautiful and efficient. It is not easy to work with an artist and deliver a product that this artist will be proud of. Well done graphically and typographically, and very good use of the space. Congrats!

– Patrice Boudreault RGD

This catalogue accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada of works by Canadian artist Chris Cran, and includes work spanning from his early career to present day. Cran’s Chorus works area series of small round paintings which represent visitors’ expressions, providing silent commentary on the works that they accompany. The half tone dot was chosen as an approach for the cover, as it is a technique that has remained consistent in the artist’s multi-faceted career. The colour sleeve was incorporated as a way to reference the many layers in this artist’s practice. The use of one of the Chorus faces on the cover was also a humorous nod to the visitor experience. Communicating ideas to the artist and curator, respecting the production cost and subcontracting the typeset while ensuring all design aspects were followed from beginning to end, were key considerations for this project. The exhibition design and all marketing materials were also based on the look of the publication.

Montreal Greenhouse Project by Deloitte 

Judge’s Pick

This project gave the best first impression and was the most memorable for me. I love the simplicity of the shapes and pattern, and felt it was executed very well. There’s something special about creating 3D, tactile art rather than doing a traditional painting or mural.

— Adam Shutsa RGD

The Deloitte Greenhouse project consists of innovation centers located across Canada, each abiding by the Deloitte global brand style guide, with its own unique features. For this space, the objective was to evoke feelings of surprise, disruption and energy, using tactile, interactive materials. The concept was developed through close collaboration with a Brand Expression Manager and the Corporate Real Estate design team. Inspiration for the design came from interior design sites and magazines, with ideas collected on a Pinterest board which grew to over 300 pins, and the final design was inspired by National Australia Bank in Sydney. A full-scale vector file created with Adobe Illustrator was chosen overpainting, to save time and cost. A limited budget made it difficult to travel to the site, which meant that the majority of the designs were created based on floor plans, photos and video walk-throughs of the space. A work-back schedule where items were listed based on urgency and importance made it possible to complete the project within the tight two-month timeline. The end result is a design that builds intrigue, momentum and a feeling of excitement as people walkdown the hallway.

Home Ground: Contemporary Art From The Barjeel Art Foundation by Aga Khan Museum

Judge’s Pick

The colors, textures and materials used throughout the exhibition provide a cohesive and intimate setting enhancing the art work and creating an atmosphere that is both curious and welcoming.

— Hilary Greenbaum

This powerful exhibition from the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) ran the gamut from photography to installation, sculpture to painting, and more. Visitors experienced the work of 12 Arab artists examining how private life is shaped by current political events. The primary objective was to translate what it means to be displaced and communicate ideas of identity and survival. For this contemporary exhibition, the space needed to translate a sense of nostalgia and push visitors to consider the meaning of the ‘home’. The contrasted palette with very dark black walls against faded pastels, gave the artwork backgrounds on which it could be super imposed and still be part of an overall dialogue. A companion catalogue for this exhibition was designed in collaboration with the book designer, Lauren Wick ware. The design was greatly appreciated by the Barjeel Art Foundation, who subsequently presented ‘Home Ground’ back in the UAE for Art Dubai, and ‘Now Magazine’ named the exhibition one of their ‘Top 10 Art Shows’ for 2015.

Maharaja Exhibition by Art Gallery of Ontario 

Judge’s Pick

I was impressed by the simple but adept construction, the creation of the portals, the framed vistas, and the sense of mood and place that was achieved in this project.

– Michael Lejeune

This exhibition shows cases the magnificence of India’s kings from the early 1700suntil the mid-1900s, exploring250 years of power, wealth, beauty and conflict to reveal how royal status and identity, as well as court culture and patronage, were trans formed during a period of enormous political change. The design highlights the splendor of the Indian courts using a variety comment. This is a great approach to a complex subject and well executed, despite production challenges of visual cues and materials. Fabric text panels, wall stencils and architectural elements like arches and multi-level platforms are used to create a lush experience, setting a court mood for the visitor while engaging them with didactic and interpretive materials. The team met with experts from the Indian community to capture the culture’s visual and textile influences.

Persona Project by The Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI) 

Judge’s Pick

This is a great approach to a complex subject and well executed, despite production challenges.

– Michael Macaulay

A five-year study by The Martin Prosperity Institute (MPI) exploring the future of democratic capitalism found that most policy recommendations are offered without grounding in the needs of real people. To address this, disconnect, the MPI Persona Project was created based on interviews with American citizens. From these interviews,13 personas were created to represent a cross-section of occupational and demographic categories. The MPI Persona Project cards and exhibition are the public manifestation of this work. The production phase required development of a box, 125 unique cards, over100 curated stock photos, icons from The Noun Project and illustrated representations of each persona and artefact. Information hierarchy, navigation and seamless user experience were essential considerations. For the cards, the turnaround time was approximately three months from initiation to delivery of the printed product. The exhibition was completed simultaneously over a two-month period. The exhibit required sourcing a durable substrate that would allow for the persona panels to be handled and mishandled by users. Collectively, the team decided to use Sintra PVC with UV-based inks, as it offered the most rigidity and durability for the panels. The project has officially launched in Washington, D.C. on-stage at ‘New America’ with Roger Martin and Anne-Marie Slaughter. It is a newly minted and living project that will continue to evolve.