Guided by insight, observation, and collaboration. We build emotional brands by way of our human-centric creative process that guides all phases of strategy, design and development.
HUE™ is our strategic brand discovery + development platform.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve built HUE to allow our team to holistically focus on the human experience across all stages of our research, strategy and design development process.
The platform guides our fully-unified end-to-end approach to constantly measure empathy when understanding our audience throughout the entirety of our creative development with fluidity and consistency.
The result is a combination of integrated thinking and a flexible workflow that makes certain the brand experience performs, converts and fulfills its intended engagement and purpose-driven potential.
Ultimately, HUE leads our brand building process towards today’s audience expectation of richer stories, emotional connection and greater purpose .
For more insight into the way we work, contact us.
Our human-centric process is structured, yet agile for effectiveness at every stage of research, strategy, creativity and production.
We begin every project with extensive research.
• Qualitative & Quantitative Research
• Brand Audits, Perception Audits, & Competitive Audits
• User Experience Research (Attitudal, Behavioural)
• Interviews (Internal, External)
• Consumer, Cultural and Category Insights (Customer Intercepts)
• Brand Equity Analysis (Consumer Awareness, Brand Perception)
• Customer Journey Mapping (Digital & Offline)
• Trend forecasting & Analysis
• Opportunity mapping
• Workshops (In-person & Remote)
Gathering, distilling, analyzing and documenting information ensures projects are guided by real insights, discoveries, and experiences to meet specific needs, or reveal the challenges or obstacles.
Strategy is at the core of our business.
HUE™ strategic brand discovery + development platform:
• Industry Trends (Market, Demographic, Marketing)
• Competitive Landscape (Global, National, Local)
• Challenges (Past, Present, Future)
• Audience Segments (Consumers, Customers, Employees)
• Needs & Perceptions (Consumers, Customers, Employees)
• Brand Future (Visioning, Innovation, Growth)
• Brand Values (Beliefs, Actions, Behaviors)
• Brand Character
• Brand Positioning (Story)
• Workshops (In-person & Remote)
Infusing research, the goal is to create a simplified, yet long-term plan for connection with desired audiences, develop the positioning and guide the brand character, all while in alignment with the business strategy.
We know the power of words.
• Discover & Research
• Competitive Audit
• Brand Naming (Corporate, Division, Sub-brand, Service, Program)
• Product Naming (Tangible, Intangible, Technology)
• Descriptors & Taglines
• Market Spectrum
• Trademark and Domain Search
• Legal Consultation (Patent, Trademark and Copyright)
Naming strategies for companies, products and services must be compelling, unique and memorable to connect and initiate brand trust with intended audiences.
We design brands for the future.
• Brand Refresh / Rebrand
• Brand Identity System (Brand, Subbrands, Products)
• Brand Guide Booklet (Copywriting, Illustration, Photography)
• Brand Application (Stationery, Brochures, Publications, Posters)
• Marketing (Advertising, Direct Mail)
• Apparel (Product Design, Tagging)
Beyond a logo, the complete brand identity platform is the applied visualization of the strategy including copywriting tone, and all the visual elements that communicate the established position of the brand.
We have extensive packaging experience.
• Business Consultation (Production, Scale)
• Creative Development (Design, Positioning)
• Custom Dielines & Templates
• Preproduction Sampling (R&D)
• Product Design (Industrial Design; Structural Design)
• Print Coordination (North America & Overseas)
• Merchandising (Point-of-Sale, Display, Promotion)
Beyond aesthetics, packaging must be functional, communicative and scaleable. It must also be properly positioned to achieve a perceived value beyond its actual price in context for where it will be placed.
We build messages for wider audiences.
• Advertising & Marketing (Print & Online)
• Direct Mail
• Email Marketing
• Social Media Campaigns
• Interactive & Video (Experience, Storytelling, Production)
Campaigns put the story and message in front of an intended audience, with the goal of increasing brand awareness. Effective brands are recognizable and understand the value of a cohesive message across multiple marketing channels.
We design experiential brand spaces aligned with strategy.
• Retail Store Design (Interior Brand; Merchandising; Traffic & Flow)
• Office Environments (Interior Design, Showroom)
• Tradeshows (Architecture, Brand Display, Banner)
• Signage (Storefront, Wayfinding)
A complete brand ecosystem provides more opportunity for brands to connect with clients, customers, and employees emotionally while also establishing and solidifying culture, ideology and beliefs.
We carry brand strategy throughout multiple channels.
• Digital Strategy
• Web Design (Architecture, UI/UX, Ecommerce, CM Systems)
• Interactive Displays (Experiential, Storytelling, Production)
• Video (Experiential, Storytelling, Production)
Today’s modern brands must be well coordinated, agile, and have the ability to shift and leverage its business to take advantage and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of digital opportunities, such as web, mobile, social media, and video.
We may consider an equity partnership for qualified projects.
We know that high-level strategy and creative expertise can drive exponential business growth, especially for early stage start-ups looking to become investment ready when capital is in short supply.
Alongside a traditional fee-based partnership, we may consider a partial value-share arrangement and invest our extensive brand strategy and design experience in exchange for equity or value that can offer future exponential return.
We review this opportunity on a project-by-project basis depending on the size, scale, and complexity of the project; the initial investment; and the leadership teams involved.
Contact us for more information.
The winner is the chef who takes the same ingredients
as everyone else and produces the best results.
~ Edward de Bono
Our clients’ projects continue to be celebrated and recognized in local, national and international design award programs.
• Communication Arts Design Competition Shortlist: Bird Dog Driver Safety, 2022
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Love Me Some Seed Crackers, 2022
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: LouLou Lollipop, 2022
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Legend Distilling Wyatt Whisky, 2022
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Forget Beauty Skin Care, 2018
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Legend Distilling Naramaro, 2018
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Ajles Skin Care, 2018
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Legend Distilling Black Moon Gin, 2017
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Gabbie’s Premium Cider, 2016
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Go Goat! Mix and Bake Biscotti, 2015
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Salt Spring Coffee Cold Brew, 2015
• Applied Arts Design Awards: Packaging Series, Go Goat! Mix and Bake Biscotti, 2015
• Applied Arts Design Awards: Packaging, Salt Spring Coffee Cold Brew, 2015
• Design Edge Canada Regional BC and Yukon Region – Honourable Mention, 2015
• Design Edge Canada Regional Awards: Go Goat! Mix and Bake Biscotti, 2015
• Design Edge Canada Regional Awards: Salt Spring Coffee Cold Brew Coffee, 2015
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Salt Spring Coffee Cold Brew Coffee, 2015
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Go Goat! Mix and Bake Biscotti, 2015
• Applied Arts Design Awards: Packaging Series, Left Field Cider Co., 2014
• Design Edge Canada Regional Awards: Left Field Cider Co. Brand Design, 2014
• Design Edge Canada Regional Awards: Salt Spring Coffee Seasonal Program, 2014
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Left Field Cider Co. Packaging Series, 2014
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Sapadilla Soap Co. Packaging Series, 2014
• GDUSA American Package Design Awards: Great Wall Tea Co. Packaging Series, 2014
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Packaging – Salt Spring Coffee, 2013
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Packaging – Left Field Cider Co., 2013
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Packaging – Sapadilla Soap Co., 2013
• GDUSA American Graphic Design Awards: Packaging – Great Wall Tea Co., 2013
• Design Exchange Awards: Visual Communications – Sapadilla Soap, 2007
• Earnie Awards: – Jack and Lily – Voted #1 Baby/Kids Brand in Canada, 2007
• Neenah Paper’s Paperworks Design Award: Jack and Lily, 2006
• How Magazine Self-Promotion Design Annual: Merit, Jack and Lily, 2006
• National Post Design Exchange Awards: Visual Communications – Capsoles, 2005
• 21st annual PDN/Nikon Self Promotion Awards: Direct mail, 2005
• Applied Arts Design Annual: Design Complete Program, Jack and Lily, 2005
• National Post Design Exchange Awards: Visual Communications – Jack and Lily, 2004
• Communication Arts Design Annual: Corporate Identity, Jack and Lily, 2004
• Neenah Paper’s Paperworks Design Award: Silver, AGD Stationery, 2004
We’ve been fortunate to have our work published in books, journals and publications. We are proud to contribute to our profession.
• LogoLounge Volume 9, Rockport Publisher, Selected Projects, 2016
• DesignEdge Canada – leading media brand for the graphic design industry,
“The look and feel factor”, Editorial, November 2016
• Applied Arts – Canada’s premier magazine of visual communications,
“Strategy on the Shelf”, Editorial, May/June Issue, 2015
• Design Edge Canada – Online, Creatives Choose: Best work of 2014 (Part II), 2014
• LogoLounge Master Library Volume 2 – 3000 Animal and Mythology Logos,
Rockport Publisher, Selected Projects, 2010
• Really Good Packaging Explained: Top Design Professionals Critique 300 Designs
and Explain What Makes Them Work, Rockport Publisher, Selected Projects, 2009
• Big Book of Self Promotion, Crescent Hill Books Publisher, Selected Projects, 2009
• New Packaging, published by Sandu Cultural Media Company
in Hong Kong, Selected Projects, 2009
• LogoLounge Volume 5, Rockport Publisher, Selected Projects, 2009
• Branding: A Way of Business., published by Sandu Cultural Media Company
in Hong Kong, Selected Projects, 2009
• Design and Design Book of the Year, Selected Projects, 2009
• Almanac of Asia-Pacific Design, published by Sandu Cultural Media Company
in Hong Kong, Selected Projects, 2009
• Market Smart: The Best in Age and Lifestyle – Specific Design, Selected Projects, 2009
• Color Management for Packaging: A Comprehensive Guide for Graphic Designers, Rotovision, Selected Projects, 2008
• Solar White Paper Promotion, Neenah Paper, Jack and Lily Brochure, 2007
• Logo Savvy, Top Brand-Design Firms Share Their Naming and Identity Strategies,
Rockport Publisher, Selected Projects, 2007
• Bringing Up Baby – Raising the Bar on Children’s Graphics,
Graphic Design USA Magazine, 2005
• How to Build a Winning Brand, North Shore News , 2003
• Instructor, Various Design Universities, 2009-Current
• Applied Arts 2017 Design Awards – Design Judge
• RGD Student Awards – Judge, 2016
• Functional Arts Scholarship jury, The BC Arts Council, 2015
• Events Chair VP, The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, 2009-10
• Advisory Committee, International Council of Design (ico-D), 2009-10
• Events Chair VP, The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, 2007-08
“Exhibit A studio consistently meets challenges and exceeds expectations.”