A logo for a Lavender farm that needed an umbrella logo to represent their brand from Eco Tourism to lavender based products in multiple markets.
The logo represents the vital relationship between bees and lavender, the European tradition of lavender production, early Ontario architecture of the farm and the lines of the hills and dales of the surrounding area.
Logo and branding for a membership based company offering discounts and benefits for artist professionals.
The stylized and sculptural lower case a represents the diverse and dynamic nature of the artist profession and the uppercase geometric capital A represents the stedfast support of the organization.
A logo created today for a cartoonist, drawing studio and future comic book publisher.
A clean and simple design needed to be developed to work across all mediums, sizes and colours including rubber stamp and hand embossing.
The pencil motif representing their studio's roof line.
A logo and branding for new artisan food product that utilizes a cashew and almond base for it's delicious gourmet line of spreads and crackers. An Indonesian folk story about a cashew tree was the inspiration for the business name and visual branding.
The logo's C T momogram was inspired by the gnarly branches of the cashew tree and speaks to the artisan quality of the product.
The mandala design was created as a support image for the primary logo, its patterned lines incorporating the seed of life, cashew fruit and almond.
Created in Photoshop and Illustrator using a Wacom tablet
A local Pharmacy required a distinctive identity, representing its traditional values and established roots in a Historic Ontario Downtown.
The the panel was inspired by traditional apothecary labels and contours of a classic show globe that was hung outside Apothecaries and Pharmacies since the time of the Romans.
Its Lettering and framing embellishments project quality and references the brand to the era of the pharmacy’s founding.
Colours are comfortable grounded and warm.
Overall, a solid, trustworthy and established image that can be seamlessly applied to multiple mediums from signage to labels.
A new Canadian documentary film producer required a grounded, fresh and distinct identity that would translate well into a short animation.
The process aligned with the concept of story unfolding, its many characters and events shaping an overall storyline. Similar to a sheet of paper folding into a multifaceted form.
"Serious Stuff for Cooks"
A high-end retail store created with discerning & devout foodies in mind.
In addition to the sign design & creation, brand name, tagline, logo and advertisements were also created for this client.
Sign: 40"w HDU, painted acrylic & white gilded brushed aluminum letters.
A cleaning company that employs cleaning products and practices that are gentle on the environment.
Therapy that includes equine activities or an equine environment to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in persons with personal, emotional and mental disorders.
The identity needed to express ease, flow and freedom while appearing grounded.
The colours represent the crown, throat and heart chakras.
My clients were frustrated with the expense of traditional web development and not content with the homogenous template format. In response, I created website packages that included the best of both worlds, resulting in custom designed (visually branded) websites at the fraction of the cost.
A Brand Without a Brand
Creemore, Ontario: an "off the beaten path", unassuming village, nestled alongside the Niagara Escarpment, just 70 miles northwest of Toronto. Its early Ontario charm and isolated nature creates an impression of its having been suspended in time, so much so that the local brewery boasts that it's a hundred years behind the times.
In its hey-day, Creemore was a bustling, self-sufficient village. It hosted a bank, merchant stores, a butcher shop, a hardware store and other small business that provided services & supplies for the local & surrounding farming community. With the advent of malls and box stores in the late 70's and early 80's, Creemore's residents began shopping in larger town centres for more selection and lower prices. As a result, the town's businesses shut down, one by one, and for the most part, its downtown core was slowly abandoned.
A few decades later, John Wiggins, a local entrepreneur, designer & branding & marketing expert had a vision for the village. Along with his business partners, he converted a former main street hardware store into a micro-brewery, and in 1987, opened Creemore Springs Brewery.
A New Vision to Bring Back the Old
The consumerist post-war period covered over or destroyed the unique character and many stories of Ontario’s towns and cities, their heritage sacrificed for the sake of practicality & function resulting in generic and pedestrian streetscapes devoid of soul, creating a disconnect between its residents and their surroundings akin to human beings living in an artificial world. As luck would have it, the dormancy, or “time-lock” that Creemore experienced during the late 70's and early 80's spared the town from the same fate, and helped preserve its architecture, rural culture and heritage.
The overall plan to restore Creemore to its original glory included replacing downtown stores with unique, quality business that were sustainable by external markets, and who were attractive to tourists and visitors alike. Everything from building colours to the style of garbage cans on the street were decided on based on their authentic representation of Creemore's heritage, each piece being charged with the telling of Creemore's story of long ago.
The planning committee was conscious of not over-packaging the town: it's unassuming charm and “off the beaten path location” was its brand. All that was needed was to facilitate its re-discovery.
The material found on this page is a brief cross section from the work I created throughout my 23 years in my Creemore Design/Craft studio. My goal was to blend each individual business into Creemore's story, rural culture and History.
A marketing company specializing in the wine and spirits industry required a rebrand and a new identity.
The challenge was to create a engaging but familiar image that reflected the genre without falling into the pitfall of cliched imagery.
Grapes seemed a natural to represent the different tiers and components of distribution and networking. The flowing lines represent an ease and connectivity forming a single unit, or strategy. The celtic flavour is nod to the founder's Scottish heritage.
These simple and classic signs compliment the architecture and heritage of this century funeral home in Collingwood, Ontaio. The lettering lends an understated elegance. The fascia sign is a variation for their Creemore, Ontario location.
Services provided: Type Design, Sign Design / Signcrafting
A series of Coffee labels created for a funky young cafe in a historic art deco building. The label's vibrant colours, lighthearted whimsical illustrations and the vintage format, seamlessly fit the cafe's story and character
A micro Brewery set in the Hills of Creemore, crafting premium beer, boasting a hundred years behind the times.
The illustration needed to reflect the authentic look and feel of the same.
Vector illustration created with Adobe Illustrato
This gallery is named after two Rivers that join west of the village. A double-sided sign, wrapped by the sculptural undulating flow of water, represents the collaborative flow of the diverse art disciplines featured in this gallery.
Sign: 70" x 40" x 24", hand crafted HDU, water-cut metal letters.
Is the Croatian word for "colour". A distinctive decor emporium in Creemore, Ontario, Moyaboya offers a multitude of classic decor featuring a funky European edge & fresh approach to interior design with an eclectic play of shapes & finishes that embrace the full spectrum of COLOUR.
Branding
A portion of the logo was developed into a pattern and used in packaging, shopping bags etc.
Sign
A double sided store front sign was designed to carry their brand to be a part of the streetscape..
A smoothie bar named after the former Creemore Power and light company.
This newly established winery wanted to impart sophistication to its brand design, born of a desire to align itself more closely with an established, traditional industry.
The insignia's clean organic form projects an established, "old-world" quality. The tree roots and sloped horizon represent the winery's "terroir", or combination of elements as in soil, rain and climate, that directly influence their wines and flavour offerings.
Label
A simple and grounded illustration depicting the panoramic view of the Vineyards against the Niagara escarpment backdrop.
A fresh look for an established old time Jazz Festival
Vector Illustration created in Adobe Illustrator
A brand identity for community development on the shores of Southern Georgian Bay. The soaring bluebird and billowing swirls capture the open natural charm and beauty of the village’s location and ease of lifestyle.
A visual brand identity for a charming retreat, surrounded by sweeping vistas. A fresh image reflecting the farm's traditional values.
Signs are such an effective medium to engage with people as they move about their lives. They ground individual brands with the community's architecture, culture and street scape. Connecting daily with thousands on a visceral level.
All signs in this gallery were hand lettered and handcrafted.
Historical sites have their own unique brand & story. A successful design has to merge seamlessly with the site's historical narrative to achieve an authentic representation thereof: the sign has to appear as if it were designed & constructed at the same time as the historical site was established. Any design created outside of this criteria would create a disconnect between the two.
Sign Body: Hand crafted HDU (High Density Urethane). Copper roof, hand carved and gilded letters, Wiarton stone base with bronze letters.
A recent upgrade: I adapted the new, third party branding to the established historical sign, paralleling the recent modern architectural additions to the existing structures.
An illustration to promote the exuberance and fun of Oktoberfest. Applied to posters, promotional material and a large backdrop at the event.
Pen and ink, coloured in photoshop.
An illustration/poster design to promote the annual event of this charming historic village nestled along the escarpment in southern Georgian Bay.
Vector illustration created in adobe Illustrator
An ad / illustration for a mass spectrometer service company. Fun and engaging advertisement contrasting an earnest and somewhat dry science service industry.
Created in Adobe Illustrator
The Capitalized T reflects the dramatic vertical nature of the home's architecture. The pin line and playful decoration compliment the static form of the capital T.
Distinctive and classic, this identity promises quality and refinement to a discerning clientele.
The logo is a natural for traditional stationery, embossing stamps, embroidery and etched glass.
The sign design harmonizes the vertical nature of the building's gothic architecture, lending a established grounded quality.
Treatment: incised lettering
Logo created for a modern gallery in Northern Ontario, showcasing up-and-coming Canadian artists. Inspired by native art forms and earth tones to balance, ground and elevate.
An Illustration commissioned by a group of Real Estate Brokers to promote the storybook, historic charm of Collingwood.
Vector image created in Adobe Illustrator
Illustrations from night running experiences. Illustrations created using a Wacom tablet.
The Story: A Cafe located in the charming, early Ontario village of Creemore: a well-established destination for day-trippers, drawn by its unassuming charm & authenticity.
The Cafe's home was historically a bank in the center of the village. The menu lists home-cooked items with a gourmet twist: simple, quality food at reasonable prices. The client wanted her Cafe to be casual and friendly; a meeting place, appealing to the discerning weekender yet approachable to locals throughout the year.
Process: The first step was to create a logo that communicated these values: an authentic and believable image projecting a timeless, established quality, as if it was woven into the historic fabric of Creemore, reflecting the surrounding countryside and its charm.
Solution: An iconic symbol typical of the time period (1860); simple and recognizable without being cliché or ordinary; charming but not “fru-fru”; a light touch without looking too feminine.
Historical research revealed that the establishment of bee colonies was one of the first priorities of area settlers, crucial for pollination & home remedies. Further research revealed that the bee was a symbol of community and well-being, namely the same philosophy the Bank Cafe embraced.
Logo: A specific honey bee design was chosen for its full and robust appearance.
Sign Design: A blend of the Bank Café's brand, architecture and building proportions. The elongated lines & broad cap were inspired by its tall ceilings and cornice. Similar motifs and designs were repeated on windows and glass dividers throughout the cafe.
The same simple & grounded narrative was carried through all promotional and advertising materials.
A toy store that desired to go to the next level and become a destination for quality toys and play expertise. Their original logo was softened, warmed and formalized including custom, hand-lettered script.
This delightful, 12' wide, fairy ambassador was mounted outside this dentist's practice on a busy four lane road in uptown Toronto. I'm happy to say, her cheery disposition doubled the practice's new patient intake within months. Supporting office stationery & secondary signs were created as well.
An upscale, modern resort in a natural setting. The Heron's quiet stature and the broad, stylized, rippling water evoke a sense of peace, calm and relaxation. The "cradling" shape of the sign relates to the curve of the nearby pond.
Sign: 80"w handcrafted HDU. Curved back and pebble textured lower panel (under Mulmur Meadow). Brushed aluminum letters.
Branding design for a traditional Farmers' Market in a small old Ontario village
A traditional department store with an eclectic array of quality merchandise.
Hand lettered logo, using sign painters quill.
