Sector Award Winners

Sector Award Solo Designer

Laura Prpich in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada

“Brand design is what I like to consider the ‘meat and potatoes’ of a business. Once a strong identity is created, there is really this trickle-down effect where the rest of the collateral just begins to fall seamlessly into place.”

Laura Prpich is a graphic designer with over 23 years of experience. Living and working on Vancouver Island, Canada, she founded Caribou Creative in 2010 and works predominantly with small independent businesses across the globe that have a vested interest in sus- tainability. Laura’s work at Caribou has been recognized internationally, including features in How Magazine, Hello Canada, Apartment Therapy and The Dieline. She’s also a recurring judge for the Juno Awards.

Her favourite pastimes include scrounging around dirty record shops, getting humbled by the ocean’s waves and spending time in her hometown of Bladworth, Saskatchewan, sipping whiskey with the locals and listening to tales about “the good life.”

Sector Award In-House Agency

Sinai Health Foundation in Toronto, Canada

“To our team, brand design is making connections with our communities, and finding unique ways to tell a story.”

Sinai Health is a leading academic health science centre and a trailblazer for integrated care. Sinai Health Foundation takes the vision of Sinai Health’s people and helps turn it into a reality. Thanks to philanthropy, Sinai Health Foundation helps fund world-class facilities and supports game-changing research.

Vince Rozas (he/him), Director of Design and Production, leads the in-house design team. Cecilia Mok (she/her), Senior Designer, provides creative solutions through in-hospital materials, event collateral and fundraising campaigns. She has previously worked on the Sinai Health Corporate Communications team. Heather Scott (she/her), Designer, uses research to develop solutions while keeping context, usability and longevity in mind. All three graduated from the York University/Sheridan College Joint Program in Design (BDes) and are Affiliate Members of the RGD.

Sector Award Small Creative Agency

Vanderbrand in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“A good brand identity is a creative output of research, strategy and positioning.”

Vanderbrand is a Toronto-based independent creative agency with a focus on brand identity, design and art direction. They create brands with unique character and defined narratives informed by research, strategy and positioning. Their team works with leading companies in architecture, hospitality, technology and retail. Their work has been recognized by Canadian and international juried competitions, and has been featured in global publications including AIGA Eye on Design (United States), Creative Boom (United Kingdom), Taschen (Germany), The Brand Identity (United Kingdom), The Dieline (United States) and Victionary (Hong Kong).

Sector Award Medium Creative Agency

Whitman Emorson in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

“We believe that brand design is only as good as the strategy that underpins it. We use research to understand context, category and define the white space that our clients can own.”

Started in New York and based in Toronto, Whitman Emorson is a design studio that solves complex problems with a human touch.

Female-founded and led, they are a team of creative thinkers — designers, strategists and writers — bound by the desire to produce strategic, thoughtful and responsive work. Clients become long-standing partners and collaborators as they strive to understand an organization’s needs and deliver on strategic and creative opportunities.

Sector Award Large Creative Agency

DDB Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

“Our approach to brand design is simple. Although we have a defined process, we’re not precious about it. We adapt our approach for each client and always keep the door open for unexpected ideas.”

Connected to DDB’s worldwide network, DDB Canada is a creatively-acclaimed, full- service agency with offices in Edmonton and Toronto.

Their mantra is their promise — Unexpected Works. It means that the best idea is the one you never saw coming. The thing that catches you so off guard that you can‘t look away. And the only path to genuinely unexpected works is through creativity.

It’s their fundamental belief that creativity is the most powerful force in business.