Multiple Award Winners

Antler Up by DBD Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Client: Edmonton Football Club)

Integrated Awards: Branding Programs & Element Awards: Logo/Wordmark

DDB was tasked with retiring the Edmonton Football Club’s well-known yet controversial name and facilitating a rebranding process that included introducing a new name. Focusing on fan engagement was crucial to gain acceptance for the new name. Preserving the club’s heritage was also a key consideration, which involved selecting a name that started with “E” to maintain the iconic EE emblem. After soliciting suggestions from the public and creating names internally, around 15,000 options were generated. From a shortlist of seven names, over 40,000 fans participated in ranking the names online, leading to the selection of “Edmonton Elks.” After a 10-month rebranding process, the new name was introduced with an exceptionally positive response on social media and triple-digit merchandise sales growth. The ‘Antler Up’ video gained widespread attention, solidifying the community’s support.

Art Frenzy by DDB Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Client: Southern Alberta Art Gallery)

Integrated Awards: Branding Programs & Integrated Awards: Brand Identity/New Brand

DDB undertook the rebranding for the Southern Alberta Art Gallery’s (SAAG) annual art auction, a vital funding source for the gallery and its pr ograms. Inspired by the frenzied activity at an auction, the SAAG Art Auction was renamed and transformed into SAAG Art Frenzy. A fresh new branding system with a distinct tone was introduced with a playful logo, font, colours and an invitation in an oversized, puzzle-like format. The Art Frenzy character “Whimsy,” designed by an artist, embodied the attendees’ spirit. The event also featured double-sided “Mine. Not yours.” auction paddles, posters, Instagram stories and radio spots. The lively new branding even led some of the attendees to dress in a similar style as the Art Frenzy character.

On the left, multiple closed Defy booklets, showing front and back covers. On the right, an open booklet with a quote that reads "Defy starts here, on this page, in a conference room, the hallway, your notebook, while you listen, snack, share a cocktail."

Defy by DDB Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Client: Association of Registered Graphic Designers [RGD])

Element Awards: Environmental/Experiential & Integrated Awards: Branding Programs

DesignThinkers, Canada’s largest annual graphic design conference, is organized by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD). Every year, they work with a new design partner to create a fresh brand identity. DDB Canada’s theme for DesignThinkers 2022 was “Defy,” encouraging designers to become disruptors and rule-breakers to produce more innovative work. The branding emphasized simplicity and boldness, featuring a custom visual language of 50 symbols designed by four of DDB Canada’s team members, all in RGD’s brand colours. These symbols, combined with “Defy-isms,” were creatively applied across various mediums, including social media, a micr osite, posters, notebooks, lanyards and signage, creating a distinct and engaging identity with whimsical animations, high-quality printing and interactive badges.

FUNCTION by Whitman Emorson in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Integrated Awards: Brand Identity/New Brand & Integrated Awards: Branding Programs & Element Awards: Logo/Wordmark

Founded by two legends in the scene, FUNCTION is a platform for ballroom-first culture, stories and events that focuses on uplifting IBPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ voices and highlighting Canadian ballroom talent. The brand identity created by Whitman Emorson was built upon the serendipitous realization that a “10” — a perfect score from judges at ball — occurs within FUNCTION’s name. This is reflected in the wordmark, custom type, graphics and a series of shapes that mirror ballroom movements, visually connecting the platform to the scene. The branding was applied to a custom trophy, zine, website, postcard set, event invites, posters, stationery, swag and social media/podcast templates.

Three (3) National Magazine Awards posters

National Magazine Awards by Rethink in Toronto/Vancouver, Canada (Client: National Magazine Awards Foundation)

Element Awards: Motion & Integrated Awards: Branding Programs

Drawing inspiration from printed magazines’ most distilled form, the spine, Rethink designed the identity for the 2021 National Magazine Awards, one of the most prestigious award programs in Canada’s publication community. The magazine spine was brought to life using dynamic motion — stacking, bouncing and interacting with one another, symbolizing relationships among publications and the diversity of award submissions. Red was used to represent Canadian excellence, gold and silver to signify recognition levels and the type Lausanne to pay homage to the “Canada Modern” era. The identity was applied in physical and digital posters, social assets, signage and templates for the live-streamed event. The result merged dynamic motion with Canadian design heritage.