Award for Logo Design
Award Sponsor: Jacknife
Winner: Isabella Iacoe
Winning Project: Malo Selo
Award Sponsor: Jacknife; School: University of Toronto; Educator Support: Atanas Bozdarov
Malo Selo, meaning “small village,” is a Toronto restaurant introducing Macedonian comfort food and home style Balkan cuisine to a contemporary North American audience. Drawing on folk traditions and imagery of village life, the brand evokes feelings of home, warmth and hospitality. Inspired by the intricate needlepoint of traditional Macedonian folk costume, the design employs the cross-stitch unit as a versatile building block across graphics, layouts and type.
Playful cross-stitch scenes of village life animate printed materials while a custom Cyrillic-inspired font supports both English titles and Macedonian phrases. A house motif, featured in the logo and menu shape, reflects home style cooking and the restaurant’s welcoming atmosphere. The restrained colour palette highlights bold Macedonian red drawn from the national flag. Extending beyond the restaurant, products such as Ajvar and Rakija coolers put a contemporary spin on Balkan staples—allowing customers to continue the experience at home.
Honourable Mentions
- Splendor by Ashley Loyst, York University, Toronto, ON
- REI by Eva Morenets, Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, BC
- Canadian Fossil Museum by Maika (Nguyen) Nguyen, Seneca Polytechnic, Toronto ON
- Resonance Film Festival by Mya Rock, Conestoga College, Kitchener ON
- Citadel Theatre - Conceptual Redesign by Joel Sims, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB
Judges
- Adriana Ivory RGD, Design Director at The Garden, Toronto, ON
- Laura Prpich RGD, Graphic Designer at Caribou Creative, Courtenay, BC
- Amanda Schutz, Creative Director at Curio Studio, Edmonton, AB
- Kristin Steenstra, Senior Designer, Brand Communications at Q30, Toronto, ON
- Greg Thomas, Senior Graphic Designer at Jacknife, Toronto, ON
Sponsored
