Maxwell Fabrics

Client: Maxwell Fabrics Ltd.
Challenge: Expand a local fabric company’s reach
Solution: Build aesthetics and functionality into a customer-centered website

www.maxwellfabrics.com

When the leadership of a family-owned business moved to the younger generation, it was time to revisit the company’s brand and marketing strategy.

Signals has worked with two generations of the family that owns and operates Maxwell Fabrics Ltd., a trade only supplier to the residential design community. Over the past three years, Signals has helped Maxwell grow from a solid local business into serious competitor in the highly competitive US market.

It started with a brand renewal that revitalized the visual identity and secured Maxwell’s position as a fashion-wise supplier of modern-classic, fabric collections. Then, to support the company’s mission of making beautiful fabrics accessible, we developed fabric sample books and a series of marketing materials. We also developed an advertising campaign for high-end interior design magazines to expand Maxwell’s presence in the US market.

Next, we designed and developed a new website that has enabled Maxwell to take advantage of the growing potential of online marketing. Our research into customer needs and competitors’ sites ensured that the new site would be built to address the changing needs of Maxwell’s client base, with a focus on giving existing customers greater control over their accounts.

Visually, the site speaks directly to interior designers and decorators. It showcases Maxwell fabrics within a user interface that is both functional and displays a strong sense of style. The new site also incorporates a sophisticated data management system that is integrated with the company’s order taking and inventory control system. Customers can order samples, check and order stock, obtain pricing, manage shipping and generally manage their accounts. In addition, the new site encourages visitors to create a web user account and take advantage of the tools that are provided throughout the site. This feature was designed to convert website visitors into trade accounts.

Maxwell people are now engaged in creating and applying new content and measuring the site’s effectiveness by reviewing site analytics. The site is relatively new, but Maxwell is already seeing a return on its investment in terms of the reduction in time required to personally attend to trade accounts.

Signals is proud to have helped shape the next generation of Maxwell’s growth.

WoodWorks

Client: WoodWorks
Challenge: Turn a content-rich website into a compelling marketing tool and resource centre
Solution: A site that showcases the natural advantages of wood

www.woodworks.org

WoodWorks came to Signals with a mission to convince its visitors to use wood in their next building project.

The organization was established by the Wood Products Council which is an alliance of all the major wood associations in North America, as well as research organizations and government agencies. Our challenge was to transform the ontent-rich WoodWorks site into an effective, one-stop point of access to resources and support for architects, engineers, contractors and developers.

Understanding that this audience is under pressure to contain building costs and may have misconceptions about working with wood, we set out to handle their objections upfront. We helped WoodWorks to shape their key messages and highlighted the top seven benefits of working with wood on the home page.

These advantages include practical concerns such as cost, code acceptance and fire protection, as well as sustainability and carbon footprint issues.

As well as marketing wood as a building material, the site also serves as an education and resource centre, housing a wide range of design tools, publications and technical support. We reorganized the site architecture to make it easier for visitors to find the resources and materials relevant to their needs. And we built the new site in WordPress so that it can be easily updated in-house.

The design of the WoodWorks site is open and inviting: the beautiful, almost sculptural images of wood convey the message that wood is the natural building material of choice.

Two Worlds

Client: International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR), Canadian Branch
Challenge: Inspire Canadians to support cancer control in developing countries
Solution: A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved

www.twoworldscancer.ca

Signals has done a lot of work in cancer control in Canada and we’re proud of the impact we’ve made. But the reality is that three quarters of the world’s cancer burden remains in the developing world. So, we were keen to support a new Canadian not-for-profit with a mission to help reduce the cancer burden and suffering in resource-challenged countries.

Headed by Canadian cancer expert, Simon Sutcliffe and run by a dedicated team of volunteers, the group was originally known as the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR), Canadian Branch. The organization needed to build awareness of its work and was looking to recruit medical professionals and attract donors.

Taking this on as a pro bono project, we conducted the Signals Discovery and Brand DNA process, and renamed the organization: Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration. This name reflects the reality that there are currently two worlds in cancer control — one with resources and one without.

A visual brand, fundraising materials and a website followed, using the work of yet another volunteer, photographer, Chuck Russell who create a series of photo essays that communicate the desperate need.

Signals continues to support Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration.

Singleton Urquhart Brand Renewal

Client: Singleton Urquhart LLP
Challenge: Set this law firm apart from similar practices
Solution: Brand illustrations, ads, web site

www.singleton.com 

Singleton Urquhart, a long-time Signals client, was one of the first local law firms to recognize the value of branding in attracting new clients and recruiting employees.

But branding a law firm is a challenging business. Like most professional service groups, lawyers tend to have similar attributes and expertise.

Our goal was to set Singleton Urquhart apart from other law firms with similar practice areas. We recommended custom illustration as a way to communicate the brand character and effectively distinguish Singleton in the marketplace.

We started by positioning the firm as “The Problem-Solvers”. From there, we developed a series of custom illustrations. Each illustration communicates a message about the firm’s expertise in areas such as construction and environmental law.

This approach offers several advantages. By creating custom illustrations, we were able to communicate both the primary “problem solving” message and aspects of it, such as “cutting through red tape”. Elements of the illustrations are also tied to specific practice areas.

Exclusive usage rights for the illustrations give our client the advantages of a unique set of illustrations tailored to carry their specific messages, without the inherent limitations and compromises of stock illustrations.

Canada Post Stamps

Client: Canada Post
Challenge: Tell a story in a space that’s one inch square
Solution: Capture the essence of the big idea

Signals has been designing stamps for Canada Post for almost 30 years.

We were especially honoured to have been selected to design two series of stamps that have become part of the signature legacy of the Vancouver 2010 Games, as well as the issue marking Canada’s participation in the 2012 London Games.

Stamp design calls for special mix of discipline and creativity: the challenge is to distill and convey the essence of an individual, event or idea within the space of less than one square inch. The process, however, is similar to the process that guides all Signals design projects.

It starts with a brief outlining the background, message or story to be told, along with other parameters, such as illustrative or photographic treatments and production specifications. Signals designers then develop concepts, which are presented in close to final form in a large version and at actual size for review by Canada Post. Once a concept is selected, the design development is completed and the rigorous process of preparing the artwork for stamp production begins.

Over the years, we’ve designed stamps and a variety of philatelic products for a wide range of subject matter including:

• 50th Anniversary of Canadian broadcasting
• The first Canadian AIDS stamp
• The Canadians in Hollywood series
• Several series of Christmas stamps
• A Lunar New Year issue
• One of the Millennium stamps commemorating Canadian achievements
• Several Olympic issues

Canadian stamp designs are housed in the National Archives of Canada.

Ridgemount

Client: Ridgemount
Challenge: Brand a new real estate development
Solution: Clarity, consistency and big picture thinking. Modern Mountain Living

Branding is all about making an emotional connection with your audience. This becomes even more important when it comes to attracting homebuyers.

Our client is building a new community in the scenic East Mountain area of historic Colchester County, Nova Scotia. They’ve identified first-time homebuyers as their primary target audience.

Our research revealed that these potential buyers likely have young families. Independent thinkers who value safety & privacy, they are looking for solid value in their investment and room for their families to grow. Our challenge was to attract their interest, before any ground was broken.

To reach this audience, it was important to distinguish Ridgemount from the other subdivisions in the area. We needed to communicate that this is a community where families can enjoy the natural beauty of country living, close to the convenience of town. We developed a brand for Ridgemount that focused on this unique mix, positioning it as “Modern
Mountain Living”.

For the visual identity, we chose a strong, natural colour palette and created a logo that clearly locates this community in the countryside. The bold treatment of the Ridgemount name conveys sense of strength and rugged independence, which is reinforced by the icon of a stag that grounds the logo. The tagline, rendered in contemporary type evokes the fresh, modern feeling of the development.

In the website and marketing collateral we developed for Ridgemount, we continued to feature images of nature and forested countryside that communicate the expansive, pristine beauty of this rural residential development.

Responsible Care Reports

Client: Methanex Corporation
Challenge: Create a context for corporate responsibility
performance
Solution: Connect Responsible Care principles to universal values

Corporate responsibility, also known as “social responsibility,” “corporate citizenship” and “sustainability” has become the new standard on which many organizations are judged.

Increasingly, stakeholders and shareholders want to know how companies operate, what effect their activities have on the environment and what impact they have on the communities in which they operate. Methanex, the world’s largest producer of methanol, reports on these issues every year. Our challenge is to create a context for the information presented in the company’s Responsible Care/Social Responsibility Report.

A long-time member of the Canadian Chemical Industry Association, Methanex has integrated the principles of Responsible Care® into everything it does, from the way the company is structured to the way its product is produced and transported. Having worked with Methanex on a variety of corporate communications over the years, we understand that the principles of Responsible Care are rooted in universal values: trust, open communication, respect and caring for one another. In fact, the very values that good neighbours share the world over. This concept formed the springboard for developing the 2011 Responsible Care Report.

To introduce the global neighbour theme, we  created an original illustration of “the world of Methanex” that presents landmarks and icons from the company’s operations around the world. And to show the human side of Responsible Care, we selected realistic and engaging photos of people who live in the communities where Methanex operates.

By putting “the world of Methanex” on the covers, we illustrated the global scope of this international enterprise. At the same time, the people images  convey a friendly, accessible approach and reinforce the good neighbour theme.

This is the fifth Responsible Care/Corporate Social Responsibility Report that Signals has designed for Methanex Corporation.

East Village

Client: North Hasting Business Improvement Association
Challenge: Revitalize the Hastings-Sunrise / Grandview-Woodland commercial area
Solution: East Village: A vintage neighbourhood with a progressive attitude

www.eastvillagevancouver.ca

The North Hastings Business Improvement Association (BIA) brought Signals on board to help reposition a commercial district that spans two distinct neighbourhoods: Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodland.

Our challenge was to create a new identity for the commercial district that would be independent of the two communities – an identity that would encourage people to recognize this business area as distinct from East Hastings.

The branding process took six months to complete and involved a merchant survey, one-on-one interviews with merchants and residents of the area and a discovery workshop with the BIA Board of Directors. Based on this research, Signals developed a BrandDNA document which included a positioning statement that captured the area’s unique character: “A vintage neighbourhood with a progressive attitude.”

From the outset of the project, a name change was under consideration and was included as a question in the merchant survey. Accordingly, as part of the rebrand, we developed a list of potential new names for the commercial area. We presented the names in relation to the existing name and also tested each name against the new brand positioning and key messages. From the short list, the BIA board members selected “The East Village.”

While there are many East Villages across North America, most notably the iconic New York City community, this name was felt to be a fit because it best reflected the characteristics our branding process had uncovered: the friendly, neighbourhood feeling; the history of cultural diversity, the proud tradition of independence and forward thinking and an East Vancouver perspective. As well, the “village” moniker helps to distinguish the business/commercial section from the broader Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodland communities.

Once the name was approved by the board, Signals developed the visual identity, creating a series of custom illustrations that convey the quirky, welcoming personality of area. To launch the brand, an announcement presenting the name and visual brand was distributed to the commercial businesses throughout the area. The BIA’s new website marked the first presentation to the public, followed by street banners which appeared in the commercial area.

People have strong feelings about their communities. So, it’s not surprising that the rebrand has generated a great deal of interest, controversy, and even criticism. Along the way, we at Signals have learned a lot about the process of evolving neighbourhood identities.

Initially, the reaction to the re-brand was very positive. But it was not long before the new name came under fire, primarily from a group of residents who aimed their criticism at the BIA and the branding process.

The most vocal critics are champions of the unique and historic Hastings- Sunrise community – a position we respect at Signals. They argue that changing the name will have a negative effect on the community’s identity and sense of place. But the critics may have misunderstood the purpose of the rebrand: it was not directed at the Hastings-Sunrise community, it was intended to revitalize the business district that runs through two different neighbourhoods.

The branding initiative aligns with the BIA’s mandate to support local business. Funding for the BIA and its initiatives comes from a special levy paid by the Commercial Property owners within the BIA boundaries to improve the economic health of the business district.

The public debate about the rebrand has raised questions about branding commercial areas and the expectation of residents to be consulted. Some residents have approached the City to challenge its policy concerning the naming of business districts.

While the controversy continues, it has stimulated a considerable amount of interest in The East Village. In the words of one merchant, the brand renewal has engaged residents and merchants in a discussion of “who we are as a community.” What’s more, it has attracted visitors and generated valuable exposure for the area in major and local newspapers, as well as on TV and online. Since the brand renewal, two businesses have opened with “East Village” in their name.

From our perspective, the controversy rings true to the brand – it’s another manifestation of the tradition of “independent thinking” that has always characterized this unique Vancouver area.

Brand Marks

“In a media savvy society, cluttered with a barrage of information, only the most memorable symbols survive.”

In his Foreword to Symbols and Trademarks of Canada, Signals Principal, Kosta Tsetsekas describes the challenge of creating successful brand symbols.

“A graphic symbol … works to encapsulate a message by reducing or distilling it to a few essential elements. …Successful designers not only create new imagery, but adapt familiar forms in ways that compel us to look at them in a new light or with a fresh eye.

“The most outstanding brand symbols offer a cogent statement, employing an elegant technical solution that doesn’t waste a line. This, coupled with a novel visual approach, most frequently results in easily understood and memorable communication.”

The marks shown here are representative of close to 30 years of Signals’ branding work. Well over 100 of our branding projects have been recognized in national and international collections, including:

Symbols and Trademarks of Canada, Volumes 1 & 2
International Logos & Trademarks 3
Logo International
Successful Logos Worldwide 3
Trademarks 12
World Corporate Identity, Volumes 1, 2 & 3

Bull Housser

Client: Bull Housser
Challenge: Update a traditional law firm’s brand to match its progressive character
Solution: Opening doors for business in BC

bht.com

For law firms, knowledge, stability and professionalism are essential. Our challenge was to create a brand that would communicate these solid qualities, while also conveying the forward-thinking nature of one of BC’s most respected law firms.

Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP has been a fixture of the BC legal landscape for more than 120 years. When we met with Bull Housser, it was clear that the firm’s visual brand did not reflect its modern character. Well respected, but viewed as a fairly traditional, conservative organization, Bull Housser was looking to update perceptions – both inside and outside the firm. So they engaged Signals to conduct a brand renewal aimed at re-positioning the firm and preparing it for growth.

Our Discovery sessions were opportunities for the lawyers to exchange views about the firm’s history and their vision for the future. The discussions with partners, associates and staff revealed the firm’s strengths and its focus on the business of BC.

Bull Housser has played key role in shaping the province of British Columbia: its lawyers have advised on some of the largest developments in the province and know BC issues well. The firm is also distinguished by its depth of legal knowledge and flexible, pragmatic approach with a focus on client relationships. From these core strengths, we developed what we call Bull Housser’s Brand DNA, including the key messages that formed the foundation for creating a new visual brand.

The new identity builds on Bull Housser’s strengths: it conveys the firm’s confident, progressive character and unique BC focus. The mark itself is based on a type treatment of the first initials of the name-sake partners’ names (Bull, Housser and Tupper). The initials are integrated to form a modern mark that suggests the firm’s integrated approach to the practice of law, as well as a link to its history. The name itself has been shortened to “Bull Housser,” as it is known in the legal community. The West coast colour palette clearly identifies this as a BC law firm.

To roll out the brand, we designed and developed a new website and created a series of collateral pieces, including marketing and advertising materials. The website home page showcases Bull Housser’s involvement in several major BC projects, notably the Canada Line and Vancouver Convention Centre expansion. The site and all collateral materials feature compelling BC images, reinforcing Bull Housser’s commitment to supporting the business of BC. We also developed brand guidelines to help ensure consistency in the firm’s messages and implementation of the new visual brand.