What a year it’s been! Let’s take a quick look back, before we say hello to a new year.

In 2012, we worked on many exciting and challenging projects.

One ambitious project we checked off in 2012 was the web refresh of Vancouver Coastal Health Research. We designed a more user-friendly digital experience to showcase the value of their research and also crafted a professional online home for researchers and staff.

For Providence Health Care, we built a digital communication tool, a one-stop shop to house their substantial amounts of news and information. With a few clicks of the mouse, knowledge can now be broadcasted and migrated across site-specific platforms.

Clearly, organizing big data has been…well, big this year.

Another interesting project of 2012 was rebranding one of the oldest and most respected law firms in BC, Bull Housser. We bridged the gap between their prestigious 120-year history and their new, modern character.

In 2012, we had our hand in a couple of big firsts.

We had the honour of creating a brand identity for the very first provincial First Nations Health Authority. Collaborating with talented First Nations artists, we created a brand that is both beautiful and representative of First Nations culture.

We also worked on Pearson-Dogwood, the first land development venture led by a health authority, Vancouver Coastal Health. We loved the challenge of conceiving an identity that reflects the values of this future community: health, wellness, and integrity.

In 2012, we hit a few milestones.

Namely, we marked the 30 year anniversary working with Canada Post and designing special edition and collectors’ stamps.

Last, but certainly not least, in 2012, we beefed up our digital and interactive department. We will always stay true to our design roots, but we love our digital folks, too! Meet our newest members in the team section.

It’s been a tremendous and productive year, and at the tail end, we are delighted to say that we are a happy community of designers, communicators, strategists and developers!

We wish you all a very beautiful holiday. See you in 2013!

Canadian rowers are expected to be serious contenders at the 2012 Olympic Games. And the Signals team has captured their power and discipline in Canada’s London 2012 Olympic Games Stamp.

Designed by Kosta and Mike, the stamp features an illustration of a double-scull boat, created by Signals associate, Keith Martin. Kosta says, “We were aiming for a highly stylized, hyper realistic approach to convey the strength and determination of our Olympic athletes.”

The stamp shows a double-scull boat, gliding over a sheet of water that creates its own wake as it moves. The bow of the boat pushes out over the blue edge as if it is crossing the finish line, with an iconic red maple leaf underscoring our Olympic effort. Printed with a seven-colour process, metallic ink was used to enhance the ripples so the water seems to move as light plays across the surface of the stamp.

Canada Post will issue the stamp on June 27th, 2012 in First Day Cover, postcard and booklet formats. This is Signals’ third Olympic assignment: we also created Sports of the 2010 Winter Games, a series of five stamps, and the two-stamp 2010 Winter Games Commemorative series.

Recognized globally, World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people and organizations around the world to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It’s an important day for Signals because for more than 20 years we’ve worked hand-in-hand with a number of incredible organizations and initiatives that are deeply involved in Canada’s response to HIV and AIDS. Today we reflect on some of that work…

In the early 90’s, near the beginning of the Canadian response to HIV, we branded the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS  and the Canadian HIV Trials Network. In 1996, we did the conference branding and were the Agency of Record at the XI International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver. This conference brand featured the work of local artist, advocate, and Signals’ friend, Joe Average.

We branded the Canadian Association for HIV Research 2000 and in 2009 we helped them roll into the digital age with a website and new look and feel. We continue to work with them every year in a support capacity to help display the work and presentations coming out of annual CAHR Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS.

In 2006, we developed conference branding, a communications and marketing strategy, website and all conference publications at the 17th International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm held that year in Vancouver.

And in 2007, we branded the Canada-Africa Prevention Trials (CAPT) Network, a network formed in partnership with HIV researchers and governments in Uganda and South Africa to expand life-saving HIV clinical trial activities beyond Canada.

Today as we reflect on the work we’ve done in this field, we also take a moment to remember our close friends who we’ve lost to this disease, and continue to honour our friends, clients and colleagues working collectively towards an HIV and AIDS free world.

Sometimes I think Canadians do get the importance of “science branding” better than Americans. Here’s a very good blog post on the subject in the US. “When laypeople don’t know or care enough about what scientists are doing with that money, they don’t notice or care when scientists are suddenly prevented from doing it.” Amen.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665308/why-science-depends-on-good-branding

What’s our quality of life in Metro Vancouver? Where are we doing well? What needs improving? These are questions we can all relate to.The Vancouver Foundation’s Vital Signs for Metro Vancouver – a print and online report – was the perfect project for Signals. And the process of bringing the research and statistics to life turned out to be a truly collaborative experience – as well as a lot of fun!  It seems that our friends at the Vancouver Foundation feel the same way about the project and the results. Check out what they have to say about Signals on their blog.

The Cesarean Task Force of BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre engaged Signals last Christmas to create a campaign to provide up-to-date birthing resources for pregnant women and their families in British Columbia (BC). The campaign was created in response to the increasing trend towards cesarean births. BC’s current cesarean birth rate of about 30% is at an all-time high, and it’s higher than many experts consider an optimal rate.

Signals used its branding process, including a facilitated Discovery Session, to develop the campaign’s name, key messages and sharpen its goals and objectives. The name, “Power to Push” was the most controversial on Signals’ shortlist, but the client realized it would allow us all to tell a story about pushing for the best birth, which is not a cesarean birth in many cases.

Using the in-house illustration talent of Creative Director, John Belisle, we created a rich visual brand for the campaign to connect with this younger, female audience.

The centre of the campaign is a comprehensive website which was created to help pregnant women understand the options available to them in BC. A collection of brochures (nine, in various languages) and posters are being distributed to health care providers across the province. A social media roll out will follow to help spread the word. Misconceptions among women passed on by the news media (think celebrity c-sections!) were a huge part of this design and communication challenge — check out the top 10 birthing misconceptions, they might surprise you!

Our goals are to educate women about alternatives to cesareans, to let them know about the Best Birth Clinic, and ultimately to help women have the best possible birth and to return to optimal cesarean section rates at BC Women’s and across BC.

We are excited and honoured to be part of this important work that will be good for moms and babies all over BC.

Learn more:
» Check out the website: www.powertopush.ca
» Test your birthing knowledge with a birthing quiz.
» Connect with the campaign via YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Genome British Columbia’s new booth was a standout at BIO International – a huge biotechnology conference held in Chicago, May 3 – 6, and attended by industry leaders from 65 countries.

The 10 x 10 exhibit was just one component of our on-going brand renewal for Genome BC. The organization, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, is well known in the scientific community, but needs to reach a wider audience. Over the past year, Signals has been refreshing the Genome BC brand, with a view to making its work more accessible and relevant – in BC, Canada and internationally.

We designed the booth, marketing materials, newsletter and a new website to demonstrate that Genome BC-funded research has the potential to offer solutions for global challenges in healthcare, food supply, energy and the environment. In all communications, clear messaging is supported by strong, appealing visuals that represent the areas where Genome BC’s work can have an impact.

The new website, which also launched in May, has been getting rave reviews; check it out at www.genomebc.ca

When Signals engaged with the CAPT Network project, we were aware of the line we had to walk between portraying the urgent needs and horizon of hope that are the two sides of the coin to the African landscape. In a similar fashion it seems as though the individual countries are trying to walk the same line. They are trying to separate themselves from the broad image that paints their situation too bleak to attract any travelers.

A recent brandchannel.com article confirms; “Africa is suffering from the ‘continent branding effect’ where every country shoulders the reputation of the others,” says government advisor Simon Anholt. “One of the greatest obstacles to Africa’s economic development is the well-meaning attempt from people in the West branding Africa as a ‘basket case.’ But a charity brand is fundamentally different from a growth brand. So Africa is simultaneously trying to present two incompatible ideas: a desirable destination and a charity case.”

“Never mind that some of its nations have done particularly well in terms of growth and stability—Botswana, for example, was one of the world’s fastest growing economies in the last decade. Yet, the reputation of Africa’s overpowering identity remains more dominant than that of her own nations.

Perhaps it’s because the noisiest and most widespread branding of Africa is currently coming from outside of the continent. Africa’s dominant image has been created by the charity brands: the 1985 Live Aid to provide food for Ethiopia, 2005’s Live 8, “Make Poverty History,” G8 politics, Sir Bono and Sir Bob, celebrity adoptions, and Vanity Fair covers. Such campaigns can play a positive role—a strong public voice can put ground swells of pressure on politicians and instigate change. But, en masse, these campaigns have a tendency to create a perception of Africa as a continent that is beyond hope: too much poverty, too much death, and an overwhelming sense of too many problems with too few coherent solutions.”

“Countries like Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Botswana have successfully positioned their wares to appeal to the high-end traveller. Even Nigeria has attempted a repositioning by launching its “Heart of Africa” campaign to a London audience “to promote Nigeria’s national brand assets.” Its message seeks to convince the UK’s business minds that there is more to Nigeria than oil and conflict.”

“We currently rely on the stereotype of the celebrity driven, paternalistic helping hand that belies the true power of the African people and their cultural landscape,” says Iain Ellwood, head of strategy at Interbrand UK. “We are still waiting for the authentic branding of African nations.”

As individual countries rise up, maybe then, the commanding image of an Africa “beyond hope” will be an image of the past.

Read the complete story….

The Recession and Employer Branding

Robyn: I can’t tell you how much I learn about human resource management every time we tackle issues around an employer’s brand. And I know it’s the same for HR professionals who are on a just-as-steep learning curve about branding and brand renewal. The great thing about teaming up with Holly is that we bring two sets of expertise to the table for our clients — we weigh, we consider, we teach each other— and we end up with employer branding strategies that work in the real world of talent management AND further the corporate brand.

This is the first in a series of Q+A’s about employer branding. In this one, Holly explains something to me. Maybe next time I’ll teach her something…?

Q: How is the recession impacting employer branding?

A: Well, first off, I think I would strongly encourage all organizations to be strategic with their human resources, not just in times of economic uncertainty. Some sectors have a continued need for highly skilled workers, and one evolution that we’ll see is more global supply and demand. Let’s not forget, that employer branding is driven in large part by demographics and the shrinking labour pool within North America. Take the health care sector for example, where both the supply for health care workers is shrinking, but the demand is also steadily increasing. Future health care workers may come from offshore, which means employer branding needs to be cross-culturally relevant in order to attract and retain workers.

Secondly, I would say that economically, the recession is one factor to consider. For BC, a lower dollar and a stronger trading relationship with Asia as well as the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics, means that other economic factors may have a different effect than just the recession. When our news media delivers recession-related messages day after day, we may begin to think that this affects all organizations, regions, sectors and industries the same, but it is not the case. Consumer driven organizations may be hit hard, but low-cost providers (Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, etc) are benefitting from the economic climate. Moreover, some organizations, are choosing to invest in their people and expand their business, and are scooping up great people who are let go by nervous employers.

In North America there is a short term and long term impact from the recession. In the short term, there will be more of a “supply” market, which gives employers a slight advantage, and those with strong employer brands may not have as big of an advantage over those that don’t. However, strong employer brands are still important to ensure that new hires are well-suited. Organizations are also finding that this is a time to hone their employer brand with their internal /existing employees, through development and retention programs. Some equate the employer brand solely with attraction and recruitment activities, which is only part of the story. Many organizations are envisioning programs where their next generation of leaders are “home grown”.

Some industries are not as impacted as others by the recession. Government, education, health care, energy, environment and security industries are less affected by the ups and downs of market economy. Banking is also an industry that has been affected, however as the first casualties of the recession (banks were hurting in 2007/08), they will be the first to bounce back and Canadian banking industry is considered very sound by the rest of the world, which may create an export of our home-grown solution. Entertainment is also an area that BC firms will benefit from, as the lower dollar brings productions back to our province. Gaming is anticipated to be stable, and BC is home to a number of world-class gaming companies. Organizations in these sectors should have stable or even growing employment needs, and need to develop strong talent management strategies and employer brands. In emerging nations, many organizations are putting more emphasis on their employer brand. Due to the massive off-shoring that has happened in countries like India, organizations there are finding that they need to stand out from the crowd to attract the growing middle class workers.

What about the long term? Demographically, things have not changed, although we may see fewer retirements en masse as anticipated, since the retirement portfolios of some baby boomers in North America have been negatively affected. The effect will be that the need for employer branding will be less acute or urgent, but no less important. Organizations that did have to lay off sizable staff will need to put effort in employer brand recovery, to ensure that the branding message did not become overshadowed by the recession-based job losses. Organizations that slashed internal spending on areas like staff development, marketing/branding, and R&D may find that their competitive position is compromised by those actions. Thirdly, there is new opportunity as organizations may be forced to work differently and it will provide a reason for refining the work environment and open up different value propositions for prospective employees.

Holly MacDonald is the “Spark” at Spark + Co. She is a seasoned Human Resources Strategist with demonstrated success in developing learning, talent management, and employer brand strategies, coupled with solid project management techniques, to craft workable, scalable, business oriented solutions. Holly has over 15 years of experience in organizations with leading-edge people philosophies and strategies and has a reputation for being very resourceful and for “getting things done.”

holly@sparkandco.ca
http://www.sparkandco.ca

The Signals team had the pleasure of working with Curator Suzanne Greening and a dynamic group of arts and culture lovers in the eastern Fraser Valley. Abbotsford is a growing municipality that enjoys diversity, youth and a true sense of community. Their new arts and cultural centre needed a name, a brand and the right words to articulate its aspirations. You an read more in the AbbyNews by clicking on this link.

The Reach