1889 Trading Co.

Integrated Award Winner – New Brand & Branding Program

ZAK

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Client: Chinese Canadian Museum

1889 Trading Co. is the retail experience of Vancouver’s Chinese Canadian Museum, located in the historic Wing Sang Building in Chinatown. Named for the year the building was established, the new brand needed to honour its cultural legacy while inviting museum visitors, local audiences and tourists into a contemporary retail experience. The identity began with the original trading house’s role as a place of exchange, connection and community. Its name links the present-day shop to that history, while a custom numeral lockup turns the interlocking eights into a subtle infinity symbol, expressing continuity and prosperity.

A complete visual system of custom illustrations, patterns, scalloped seals, bilingual layouts, packaging and environmental graphics was designed to feel rooted in cultural history without becoming nostalgic or overly literal. The system was built to work across merchandise, events, digital content, signage and future programming. The result is a distinctive retail identity that extends the museum experience beyond its exhibitions. 1889 Trading Co. now provides a flexible platform for sharing Chinese Canadian stories, supporting local creators and connecting visitors with objects of culture, memory and contemporary expression.