WHERE

Sometimes our food world and our design world cross paths serendipitously.

After a few early iterations of a logo, and with an upcoming launch of their new iPhone app and City of Vancouver collaboration, Foodtree asked us to help rebrand.

IDEAS

Foodtree helps people to understand where their food comes from, who produces it, and who handles it as it travels from its source to their plate. Using an open, accessible platform via iPhone app, the intention is to empower people to make informed choices about the food they purchase and ultimately eat.

Although manifest as a website and mobile app to share fresh, mouth-watering photos of food in your community in a fun and simple way, Foodtree is a philosophical and fundamental shift in our approach to understanding the where, why and how of the food we consume. If information is power, then this is one of the key ways we as consumers can control our food supply future. Until we empower ourselves in this way, organic and healthy food will remain a novelty and just slightly out of reach of the mainstream.

Yet, mainstreaming this concern about where our food comes from and what’s in it, is precisely what’s required.

WORK

Rolled out simultaneously for launches in Vancouver and Colorado, we crafted a new logo, complete icon system for the app, signage and materials for on-site promotions.

Inspired by the symbols, styles and ideology of the Homesteading movement, the new identity hearkens to a simpler time of getting back to the land and a self-sufficient lifestyle. The hand-crafting and do-it-yourself ethic also produced a unique aesthetic evocative of an era past, but also in resurgence.

Our future may very well lie in the successful merger of a new integration of technology with the sustainable methods from our past. This is what Foodtree represents and the logo and its application is meant to evoke.

Launch website: www.foodtree.com

WHERE

A couple years ago we helped our favourite Izakaya, a Japanese tapas-like restaurant called Hapa Izakaya, rebuild their online presence with a new website. The ensuing years saw more expansion to other locations, and to launch their new, upscale Japanese restaurant, they came back to us.

IDEAS

Unsure if the new concept should be an extension of the existing brand, or break entirely free from it, the client needed our objective opinion to move forward, and the clock was ticking on opening day. Ultimately, though the concept was to be more a sophisticated dining experience with a different targeted clientele, we felt that the Hapa Umi brand should leverage the tremendous equity they already enjoy with the Hapa Izakaya brand.

Working from that foundation, we took original Japanese artwork for a new, more refined Umi ‘chop’ and combined it with new typography based on the Hapa Izakaya wordmark. The predominantly white on black colour scheme was retained along with the addition of grey.

Research on fine dining revealed a tendency to showcase food rather than environments. Photography for Hapa Umi would follow this model, while for the more casual Izakayas, we would initiate a transition to people and environments to create a greater distinction between the two concepts.

WORK

Once the logo and wordmarks were finalized, we directed menu design and creation, signage and print collateral requirements on a rather tight timeline. The somewhat challenging location in the core business and tourist area downtown means visibility for walk-by traffic is essential. Through on-site assessment, negotiation with the landlord, and close collaboration with the sign vendor we have been able to maximize exposure and retain this brand extension throughout the project. A new website was also designed and built to capture online visits in advance of the opening, and a new more extensive site is planned for a later date.

As predicted based on the success of the current restaurants, Hapa Umi opened on time to large crowds and has not disappointed even the toughest critics.

“We would highly recommend the team at Industrial Brand for any of your branding or website needs. The people at IB are intensely passionate about what they do and it shows in their work. While passion is important, know how and skill are equally important factors that contribute to the finished product. With IB, we feel that this combination gives their clients not only great value but also excellent results. Would we work with IB again?  Absolutely!” – Justin and Lea Ault, Proprietors, Hapa Izakaya and Hapa Umi

WHERE

Ledalite, is a Phillips-owned company that creates ergonomic lighting products and technologies for commercial and institutional markets across North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

With a growing consumer demand for LED (light emitting diode) fixtures and a general perception that LED represents the technology of the future, Ledalite saw an opportunity to leverage its position as the industry’s leading innovator of architectural lighting to bring LED to their latest product. Dubbed JUMP, this product would position Ledalite as the preeminent player in this emerging technology. Following our past work on Float and Airwave we were asked to take design lead for the overall look and feel of the product and design the brochure for this International product launch.

IDEAS

Design began using the working name for the product, something that is always a challenge since this is a critical component to the conceptual development of the piece. As such, specific product attributes such as the translucent ribbed lens and unique perforation options of the product figured prominently as inspiration for the brochure design.

In addition, though the mandate was to break free of the standard Ledalite brochure look, there were to be some corporate brand and mandatory content elements we’d have to conform to.

WORK

Often in past brochures, we had to work with standard photography of the product shot dead-on or in a standard three-quarter foreshortened view. Not this time. We worked with local photographer Joe Borelli to create a series of abstract images and photographic textures, pattern and rhythm we could weave into a story in the establishing pages of the piece, and throughout. Layering this photography with the visual and tactile texture of Classic Columns paper (to mimic JUMP’s lens), diecutting and vibrant pink as the product brand colour, brought a distinctive and unique feel to the brochure not seen in any previous Ledalite launch.

Our work led the way for advertising in top design magazines such as Architect, Architectural Record, Form, Architectural SSL and LD+A, and a 4,000 piece dimensional direct marketing campaign.

JUMP was introduced to the world in January 2011 to over 6,000 architects, lighting designers, engineers, and others to great success. JUMP has also been internationally recognized for product innovation and design evidenced by winning a Red Dot Design Award and Architectural SSL Product Innovation Award.

WHERE

GEC Architecture decided the time was right to address two important pieces of their firm: their logo, and how they talk about themselves. To us, these things go hand-in-hand. Without due consideration to the underlying strategies and business objectives, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to evolve or create a new identity that is effective and has any real meaning. Without strategy, any chance that the new brand will last is also just left to chance.

In digging deeply with our process, and involving the partners and key staff at GEC from the start, we were able to bring order and consensus to the project. In our experience, this is often what firms with multiple partners find the most frustrating part of creating new outward expressions of themselves—agreement.

IDEAS

GEC Architecture is an established, Calgary-based firm with a rich history. The work they do represents a depth of knowledge and inherent philosophy that has tangible implications for their studio and their clients. The problem was, oftentimes even those that knew them well would have trouble expressing what it is that makes GEC unique, and the right choice for a given project.

Also on the table was the possibility of a name change. Professional service firms have much to consider here as the trend has been moving away from a collection of partner names to acronyms and more abstract / corporate names. There’s always the equity and familiarity issues to consider, especially the more closely involved still those partners with their names on the door are. However, unless the firm is committed to a name change every five to ten years as partners change, succession planning is an important consideration, and having a name that can transcend individuals is a very viable option.

In this case, we established that the name would remain as is. Following this, our first task was to help GEC find a way to deliver their message clearly, concisely and compellingly. We did this with words, not design, finding the stories within their verbal and written expressions of the company. From this, we had the basis for an internal-facing way to communicate their uniqueness and brand attributes, and a solid platform for the visual design.

WORK

The new GEC logo is based on what we call, The GEC Way: context, leadership and innovation. Together these guiding principles of the practice give them a unique perspective and drive them to advance (the firm, their people, the work and architecture as a whole). This is symbolized using overlapping letterforms in the wordmark. The rounded shapes are meant to lend a familiar and approachable quality alongside the playfulness of the colours. Offsetting the colour is the word “architecture” in grey, a more traditional colour that conjures solidity and professionalism.

Online, this playfulness and the overlapping colour elements come together with large, full-screen images of the firm’s work. In the footer, the blue, orange and green elements serve as content areas for expressing the GEC Way on the homepage, and particularly in the Porfolio section where they are used to discretely showcase project descriptions, lists and gallery pagination. Thus, the rationale for the logo and the intersecting components have been given a dynamic treatment as part of the user interface.

Built on a Drupal platform, the site now gives the firm complete control of their own content for the first time, empowering them to keep things fresh. A blog will also help with internal culture and communications about what’s going on in the studio, and give potential and current clients and employees a deep look into the firm.

We’ve said it before, we love working with architects. Turns out, the reason we do is the same reason so many others do not: they speak our language, they have opinions and often solid rationale to back them up. This project was no different, and it’s supremely satisfying to navigate a group of architect partners through a process such as this to a place where not only are they all extremely happy with the result, but also have successfully launched the new brand into their culture, with full staff buy-in. And, if the staff embrace the work, it’s a very good sign that clients and prospects will too. In fact, they have.

Launch website: gecarchitecture.com

WHERE

Start over. That’s the mantra of this fitness and nutrition company, and what we did for KINETIX Living (click here to view old website). Starting with their ubiquitous old brand based on “living”, something long ago usurped by the likes of Martha Stewart, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and others, we needed to create considerable distance from them.

The new brand needed to bury the old, soft, lighthearted and inauthentic and rise up with a bold, gritty and genuine voice that implies sports and athletics, and better represent the idea that this is a credible program for people who are serious about making real physical and life changes.

Speaking of people making real physical changes, for those of you who know us, you also know we are really into our food (foodists.ca). Over the years, our bodies haven’t exactly been exempt from the effects of our epicurean passions, so we found ourselves smack in the middle of the target audience and prime candidates for a complete immersion into the brand. Fortuitous really, since immersion into the brand is a key part of our process.

With a complete revamp of the business model coming in a short six months, the brand was just the beginning. We were also needed to translate the company’s new vision to an enterprise class web application and iPhone app.

IDEAS

Our goals were lofty, but not unobtainable:

1. Position KINETIX as the most cutting edge / current health & fitness company out there
2. Tighten the brand and related elements and create a great platform
3. Develop and convey our story in an emotionally connecting way, driving love and inspiration of the brand
4. Connect with our current and future community
5. Be ahead of the ‘wellness’ industry to enable us to grow into THE health & fitness brand

How’d we do it? Well, we started with research, then more research. In fact, the entire studio enrolled in the KINETIX program to get first hand insights into the company and the program. We literally lived, ate and breathed KINETIX. The other key was assembling a team for the software and mobile application development with Thirdi Software and Atimi Software. A finely developed process and tools for source control, issue tracking software, and project management were critical.

A new brand essence emerged from our Discovery process: Rebel. Ignite. Commit. The idea behind this was simply that this company was going to rise up from their status quo, burn down any paradigms in their way, and commit to a new way of doing things—this is exactly what they wanted of their clients. This gave way to the development of the new logo and brand filter, through which we would weigh all new work to ensure it was on brand. Additionally the Kx icon served as the inspiration for a new system of symbols used throughout the KINETIX program.

In tandem with the brand development, work was well underway on content and information strategy for the website and iPhone app. Working with this was no ordinary website either: Once a user was signed in, data was seamlessly synced to their iPhone or other device (and back), allowing them to track their fitness and nutrition, communicate with a coach and reference handy meal and restaurant information. The iPhone app is essentially a ‘coach in your pocket’, taking you through each day’s exercise routine step-by-step.

WORK

When the client applauded after we revealed the brand work, we knew we were on the right path. If success of the project was measured by Starbucks and YUM! Brands joining the program rollout, or when the iPhone app was approved and posted to Apple’s App Store in days instead of the weeks that is the norm, then we achieved our goals. However, nothing is quite as salient as when we hear things like:

“Industrial Brand and their partners are a tsunami of talent, passion and creativity. Beauty is skin deep however and IB goes beyond just the look of a brand to unearth the core values and key strategic positioning that will help a company differentiate itself in a crowded marketplace. IB is flexible and creative in their problem solving and didn’t flinch at helping us launch a new brand, new website and new digital app in a crushingly brief time line. Speaking from both the strategic goals and visual brand consistency that we required, IB delivered on all fronts.”—Lou Maxon, VP Brand Experience and Design, KINETIX

Launch website: kxme.com

WHERE

With a coveted location atop Burnaby Mountain in the heart of UniverCity, a progressive community modelled on sustainability, Porte Development had a unique story to tell prospective buyers.

IDEAS

We were part of an integrated team comprised of the developer, the architects, interior designers and the sales/marketing team. Following envisioning sessions and a research and discovery phase to compile information and insights about Burnaby Mountain and the project, our first task was naming. “Origin” speaks to the natural setting as much as it does the genesis of new approach to living that is embedded in the planning of this sustainable community.

Original photography was given a collage-like effect to evoke the idea of unique and varied perspectives. This was brought to life using the tagline “View Different”, as much about taking a second and third look at where you want to live as to how. The spectacular view from atop the mountain, fresh air, forested trails and proximity to town are just a few of the reasons to believe!

The new identity was applied to the interior and exterior of the sales presentation centre, signage, website, brochures, advertising and other collateral to create a consistent and seamless brand experience.

WORK

With a look that retains eye-catching prominence, yet respects the natural setting, by all accounts feedback has been extremely positive. Considering the project has sold 40 percent of available units within three weeks of the sales centre opening, it’s evident of a successful marketing launch.

Launch website: liveorigin.com

WHERE

When Amacon, a prominent Canadian real estate developer, wanted to really differentiate their latest condo project at East 7th and Main Street in Vancouver they also wanted to stray away from the same-same, me too approach that this city has been overrun with. They asked Industrial Brand to help them break free and capture the essence of the neighbourhood.

IDEAS

Before we started with the naming portion of the project we established that to stand out we needed to link to the history of the site and culture of the area, a Collective created by the souls and actions of its residents: shops, food, art, architecture, and events made by the aggregate of their ideas and values. And most importantly, we had to be genuine. This meant tossing out overused words, phrases and adjectives such as urban, spacious, luxury, incredible, spectacular and legendary!

We created the name District for the project to bring to mind the name of a favourite bar, restaurant or shop as much as to define the area within the neighbourhood. In fact, even elements for the logo were found on the street, including on tree grates.

WORK

Since we work and live in the area already, we geared up with our cameras and set out to capture the people, places and things that make Main Street, well, Main Street. We did this several times throughout the project and many of these images have been used throughout the materials.

Speaking of which, these included: stationery, teaser and launch websites, email template, twitter site branding, promotional brochure and advertising. In addition, we developed all the site singage including giant 40’ x 2-’ billboards, the presentation centre exterior signage and interior branding and messaging.

In a market still recovering from the recent economic downturn, the project was 94% sold on the opening day. The balance sold within a week, leading the way for the developer to expand the project to the planned second building much earlier than expected. A success by all measures, and sure to be a great place to live shortly.

Launch website: southmaindistrict.com

“We at Amacon have had the pleasure of working with Ben, Mark and the IB team since the spring of 2009. We began our relationship with IB on a project called District in South Main. This was a different project than most as it was in a somewhat undeveloped neighborhood and we knew we needed to go “outside of the box” to appeal to our target market. IB provided creative and insightful ideas and presentation thus leading to great success. We since continued our relationship on completely different projects but without disappointment IB has continued to deliver. They pride themselves on creativity and hard work which has paved they way for their great success!” – Nic Jensen, Sales and Marketing Manager.

“The Science of Lamination” used to convey the purpose and benefits of lamination from a fun, rewarding , science-oriented persective. This piece not only educates, but showcases the types of lamination available. The piece increased exposure to the company and contributed to an 11 percent growth in sales from the previous year.

Some other elements based on the concept included invitations for an open house featuring booze, machinery and Vegas showgirls and a shiny foil holiday card featuring the actual result from a fruitcake we had lab tested.

“The Christmas card that you designed for our company has been the hit of the year. Everyone wants to know who designed it and how it was produced. Like all projects you’ve done for us in the past four years, there was no doubt that it was bound to succeed.” - Rob Varnel, Owner R&M Trade Laminating

WHERE

Restaurant websites are either really good or really bad. Most rely on a representation of the menu and some photos to capture the essence of the dining experience. The bad ones usually also have some kind of thumping soundtrack better suited to a dance club than somewhere trying to promote good food.

Hapa Izakaya’s existing website was somewhere in between, and in the face in increasing izakaya style dining in Vancouver, not to mention competition for diners in general, needed to do something. In fact, the site belied how unique and incredible the entire experience of dining there is, starting from the unadorned black entrance door.

IDEAS

Hapa Izakaya is a traditional izakaya, a sort of action-packed Japanese bistro/pub serving fancy martinis along with warm home style Japanese food – not the standard sushi fare.

Hapa Izakaya, literally meaning “leaf bistro” is the kind of place that you only know about if you’ve been fortunate enough to have been told by someone “in the know.” Guests there enjoy sharing the hot tapas-style dishes, cool salads and ice cold sake served in bamboo cups.

We quickly dismissed the traditional wood block, Japanese, hand-made paper style aesthetic, plus we knew from our own experiences at both locations that we had to capture the fusion of izakaya with the urban contemporary environment of Hapa. We also had to create a site that would be easy for the client to keep up to date and would rank well with search engines so no run of the mill Flash site for this restaurant!

WORK

The result is a site that remains current and accurately mirrors the experience of walking into Hapa Izakaya, from the dark background (remember that black front door) to the greeting by the chefs and delicious treats that await inside We highly recommend the negitoro, mackeral, ebi mayo, garlic squid and tofu-cheese. Yum. Oh, and when you’re there, buy the kitchen a beer—it’s fun to watch.

Launch website: www.hapaizakaya.com

I totally dig this movie Poster. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story of a man who is born as a 70 year old, and grows younger through his life; essentially aging in reverse. The movie posters are, for the most part, generic and average, but this one stands out as the text in the foreground has been reversed mirroring the plot of the movie.