Bry Spy Vol. 12
The new fashion-forward identity of the Canadian Olympic Team designed by Ben Hulse Design. Based on the geometry of the maple leaf, the concept was inspired by Canadian artwork, iconography, the tradition of quilting, and Canadian athletes’ remarkable performance and pride. Thanks Chris K for Showing me this.
VELOCITYWG #7 — “Osborne Village”
Artists, architects, tattoo parlours, jewellers, yoga studios, salons, coffee shops, chiropractors, florists, cupcakists, upbeat DJs and happy cooks — it’s difficult to try and encapsulate everything that’s great about Osborne Village in fewer than 500 words. Having been a hub of bohemian culture, eclectic boutiques, and brilliant cuisine for over fifty years, I think it’s safe to say almost everyone who’s lived in Winnipeg for any length of time has some fond memories of the neighbourhood.
VELOCITYWG #7 is “Osborne Village” by Creative Director, Karla Burr.
Osborne was named for the Irish soldier Lieutenant-Colonel William Osborne Smith, one of Manitoba’s early pioneers. A Crimean War veteran, Smith founded the Manitoba Club, and was one of the founders of the Manitoba Historical Society.
The area has evolved considerably since the suburb of Fort Rouge, population 150, was amalgamated into the City of Winnipeg in 1882. By 1910, the population had grown into the tens of thousands, and is now the city’s most densely populated area. The “Village” we know today began to take shape in the 60s, as artists, musicians, and restaurateurs began to call Osborne home.
Village landmarks like Dutch Maid Ice Cream (now Osborne Antiques Mart), Basil’s and the Fort Rouge Theatre have come and gone, but others, like the Augustine United Church and Carlos & Murphy’s, seem to treat the passage of time with casual disregard. Like so many wonderful neighbourhoods around the world, the area continues to grow and reinvent itself with the energy of its residents. New restaurants, galleries, boutiques, are always opening, with some becoming permanent fixtures of the local landscape — McNally Robinson, for example, got its start in the Village.
Karla’s comments:
Osborne Village serves up some of the best people watching this city has to offer. It’s always a varied collection of characters, just like the bright overlaying colours in this here logo. I took the opportunity to have a little fun and do something trendy with the typography, as Winnipeg trends are often set in Osborne Village. I’ve given up some of the legibility of “Osborne” but kept “Village” nice and simple, a nod to the fact that if you say “the Village” to any Winnipegger, they know what you mean.
Trying to plan a single day out in the Village is like trying to plan a single day out in New York; there’s simply too much to try and tackle. I recommend renting a little apartment on River or Stradbrook for a year or two and taking it in slowly. Get to know the churches on Nassau, try a different restaurant each week: sushi, tapas, spicy noodles, Thai, African, Australian, Unburgeran. Plan the occasional night of hard partying at the Toad, or Ozzy’s, and finish the night with a 3 a.m. pizza at Papa George’s. Shake off the hangover by getting Baked. Get some culture at the Gas Station. Hit a patio on Canada Day. Stay in with some French New Wave.
The best though, is after a day of Christmas shopping in the Village, bumping into an old friend and enjoying an impromptu coffee. See you there.
VELOCITYWG is a weekly design project: simple exercises in unfettered creativity with a common theme that’s near and dear to our hearts: celebrating the streets, suburbs, and cityscape of Manitoba’s capital.
VELOCITYWG, Rebranding One Great City, continues next week.
Comments? jay@velocitybranding.com
Weekend POP! 25/11/2011
Bry Spy Vol. 11
Mama’s Sauce is a boutique print shop striving to keep tradition alive. They work in the areas of letterpress and screen printing. Enjoy!
The Dream Factory
CHALLENGE
The Rainbow Society is a charitable institution here in Winnipeg. Founded in 1983, they were the first wish granting organization in Canada helping children with life threatening illnesses and their families. They were looking to revitalize their brand in order to increase their relevance.
SOLUTION
The new name – The Dream Factory – more clearly represents both the function and the spirit of the organization. The airship logo design was inspired by the organization’s new positioning line: “Sometimes kids deserve to get carried away.” The Dream Factory helps kids forget about their illness – even just for a moment – and encourages them to get carried away in the anticipation of having their dream come true, the experience itself, and the memories they will keep with them when they return to their routine of doctors, treatments, and hospital visits.
When we develop a brand strategy, we work to peel away all the functional benefits of a brand and discover the emotional purpose behind what they do. For The Dream Factory, that greater emotional purpose is to create a sense of joy – and we used that to help us design the brand identity, values, and messaging.
“Working through this rebranding project with Cocoon was wonderful. They really challenged us to explore our organization in depth and to look at our brand from all angles, involving all stakeholders in the process. Because of this, the end result – The Dream Factory – is something that represents us perfectly, and it wasn’t just a typical solution. When the new brand was revealed to us, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room – it connected so powerfully on an emotional level. We saw immediately how the the brand could be rolled out and what it could become.”
- Grace Thomson, executive director of The Dream Factory
Behind the Scenes of The Dream Factory Rebrand
Over the past year, Cocoon has been working with the board and key staff members at The Rainbow Society to develop a new brand – The Dream Factory – that was officially launched today.
“The process we used to guide The Rainbow Society through their rebrand is the same process we use for any company or organization,” said Kyle Romaniuk, president at Cocoon. “When we help our clients define their brand, we work to transform their function-driven business into a brand that has a real emotional connection. We build meaning beyond what they do, to help communicate why they do it. Of course, there is some level of innate emotion when you’re talking about an organization that helps kids with life threatening illnesses and their families – but there is always an emotional driver, no matter what business you are in.”
Kyle continued, “The emotional driver for The Dream Factory’s brand that motivates their behaviour as an organization is a sense of joy. That sense of joy can be created and experienced while thinking about what the dream could be, the anticipation leading up to the dream, the moments during the dream itself, and sharing the memories created by the dream for the rest of their lives. Creating a sense of joy helps get through the illness, and concentrate on the happiness childhood should bring. And it is that joy that describes what The Dream Factory is all about and why they exist – beyond the literal function of what they do. It’s that joy that people really connect with, and it motivates them to action.”
Chuck Phillips, creative director at Cocoon, added: “The Dream Factory identity is more about emotion than structure. It was a long process to refine the concept and make it work as an identity without losing the emotion and energy captured in our original sketches.”
Grace Thomson, executive director at The Dream Factory (formerly The Rainbow Society), had some valuable insights into their experience working with Cocoon. “Cocoon really challenged us to explore our organization in depth and to look at our brand from all angles, involving all stakeholders in the process. Because of this, the end result – The Dream Factory – is something that represents us perfectly, and it wasn’t just a typical solution. When the new brand was revealed to us, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room – it connected so powerfully on an emotional level. We saw immediately how the the brand could be rolled out and what it could become.”
The Rainbow Society becomes The Dream Factory
Today, The Rainbow Society became The Dream Factory, in a rebrand designed and conceived by the team here at Cocoon.
The Rainbow Society is a charitable institution here in Winnipeg. Founded in 1983, they were the first wish granting organization in Canada helping children with life threatening illnesses and their families. It’s a great cause… But it’s even closer to our hearts because of Cocoon’s very personal connection with the organization. When Kyle Romaniuk, president at Cocoon, was twelve years old, he was a dream kid himself. In the midst of his journey through cancer, The Rainbow Society sent Kyle and his family on a dream vacation – an experience that remains a highlight in Kyle’s life.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means to be able to come back to The Rainbow Society – as a healthy adult and now a father myself – and give something back to them,” Kyle said. “I couldn’t imagine a more worthy cause, and Cocoon was honoured to be able to donate our services.”
The new name – The Dream Factory – more clearly represents both the function and the spirit of the organization. The airship logo design was inspired by the organization’s new positioning line: “Sometimes kids deserve to get carried away.” The Dream Factory helps kids forget about their illness – even just for a moment – and encourages them to get carried away in the anticipation of having their dream come true, the experience itself, and the memories they will keep with them when they return to their routine of doctors, treatments, and hospital visits.
“When we develop a brand strategy, we work to peel away all the functional benefits of a brand and discover the emotional purpose behind what they do. For The Dream Factory, that greater emotional purpose is to create a sense of joy – and we used that to help us design the brand identity, values, and messaging,” said Romaniuk.
“It is only through the generous donations of businesses and individuals in Manitoba that we are able to do what we do for our dream kids,” said Grace Thomson, executive director of The Dream Factory. “This situation was unique because of Kyle’s close personal connection to the organization. He understands more than anyone what our dream children are facing as they battle life threatening illnesses – and it’s so wonderful that what goes around comes around. Kyle beat cancer and then came back to help other kids who are going through a similar childhood experience.”
VELOCITYWG #6 “The Maples”
The Manitoba Historical Society has been a great resource in finding information about many of the older neighbourhoods we’ve covered over the past few weeks. But you won’t find much about The Maples on mhs.mb.ca, unfortunately. As Google can tell you, The Maples is both a large electoral district in North Winnipeg (which includes Amber Trails, Inkster Gardens, and others), and a much smaller neighbourhood bordered by Inkster in the south, Leila in the north, Pipeline Road to the east and Mandalay Drive to the west.
VELOCITYWG #6 is “The Maples” by Senior Designer, Colette Boisvert.
I grew up in Windsor Park, and like a lot of Winnipeg neighbourhoods, the area is not home to a lot of memorable landmarks, indispensible eateries, or breathtaking natural landscapes. I think many Winnipeggers will confidently live their entire lives without having set a foot on Autumnwood Drive or Cottonwood Road.
But Windsor Park is a nice little suburban neighbourhood, with cozy little coves and corner stores. A bowling alley. A burger joint. Its fair share of bad streets, but for the most part, good people.
I’ve lived my entire life in Winnipeg, and I’ve known a lot of great people who grew up in The Maples, but I just don’t know that much about the area. I do know that it’s home to one of the largest per capita immigrant populations in Manitoba (around 35 per cent), with vibrant Filipino, Ukrainian, South Asian, and Chinese communities.
You won’t find the charm of The Maples at the local A&W, the gas station, the IGA, or any of the other interchangeable basics of North American suburban living. You’ll find the real neighbourhood is in the community centres, the churches, the temples, the little parks and the backyard barbecues.
I know from experience (my wife is Polish), most immigrant communities know how to celebrate — so your best shot at getting the feel for The Maples is making friends with a local and getting invited to a good party, where food, friends and family are always the order of the day. Failing that, buy some social tickets — with any luck, there should be one in the area this weekend. Whether it’s lumpia or perogies on the midnight buffet (or both), you’re sure to walk away a happy camper with a little more appreciation for one of Winnipeg’s lesser known, and under-appreciated communities.
VELOCITYWG is a weekly design project: simple exercises in unfettered creativity with a common theme that’s near and dear to our hearts: celebrating the streets, suburbs, and cityscape of Manitoba’s capital.
VELOCITYWG, Rebranding One Great City, continues next week.
Comments? jay@velocitybranding.com
Weekend POP! 11/18/2011
*Credits:
Andrew B: Hong Kong Garden – Siouxsie & The Banshees, Showing – Gauntlet Hair • Jadyn K: Straight Up The Dial – Hooded Fang, A New Dynasty – Onra • Anthony K: Never Leave – Zulu Winter, L.E.S – Childish Gambino • Christopher K: Notations – This Will Destroy You & Lymbyc Systym, Fallin’ – Alicia Keys • Bryan N: Sundown Syndrome – Tame Impala, Spirit Ditties of No Tone – Deerhoof • Jeremy P: Electric Feel (Justice Remix) – MGMT, Murder To Excellence – Kanye West & Jay-Z • Mark R: The Pay Back – James Brown, I.O.U. – Freeez • Christopher S: We Are So Fragile – Tubeway Army, More Than Words – Extreme
Bry Spy Vol. 10
“Linotype: The Film” is a documentary about Ottmar Mergenthaler’s amazing Linotype typecasting machine and the people who still own and love these machines today. I’ve witnessed someone typeset on a Linotype machine and it’s incredible. The complexity of the machine, the sound of the mechanics, and the smell of hot lead and grease. Even though you can call these machines obsolete, learning about the way things used to be done helps you to appreciate the tools we have at hand today.
