Corporate Identity

PetroCanada – CareMakers Foundation

https://www.sld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/HEADER-1.mp4 Communicating Kindness The power of stories builds awareness for the Petro-Canada CareMaker’s Foundation. CLIENT PetroCanada CareMakersFoundation PROJECT CareMakers Website RELATED SERVICE Visual Identity DesignCorporate CommunicationsWeb Design, Content StrategyContent Production THINK As a relatively new organization, the PetroCanada CareMakers Foundation wanted to build awareness of their purpose: supporting Canadian family caregivers. The cause is one […]

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How Dentists Are Leading The Way in Healthcare Clinic Design

Brand Strategy, Packaging Design / Annika Carroll

Dentistry is one of the most aesthetic of the medical professions, so it’s no surprise they lead the way when it comes to clinic design. Modern dental practices have moved away from the sterile, often tired-looking office spaces towards bolder and brighter settings that merge function, hospitality, and style. Ultimately, dentists have proven that interior

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5 Great Examples of Private Label Design in Grocery Retail

Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy, Corporate Identity, Packaging Design / Matthew Wilson

In a world where inflation and the rising cost of living have become increasingly apparent, private labels are emerging as go-to brands for affordability and quality. These private labels, not limited to grocery chains but also found in discount retailers and cosmetics brands, offer a compelling alternative to national brands. What makes these private labels

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Indie Brand Launch Kit: How to Set Your Brand Up for Success

Brand Strategy / Matthew Wilson

Starting a business is like building a house – there are some fundamentals you must get right to ensure it stays standing and provides a foundation for the future. From building a business case to naming and branding, this toolkit will help entrepreneurs and indie brands build a solid foundation. This easy-to-follow worksheet will help

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How to Hire More Retail Workers with a Powerful Employee Value Proposition

Brand Strategy, Corporate Identity, Retail / Matthew Wilson

In the midst of a global labor shortage, retail brands are dealing with chronic understaffing in their stores. Frontline employees are the face of retail brands; they provide service, advice and guidance, and assistance with complex transactions. A positive experience with an engaged employee can have a significant impact on the customer experience. However, with

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Best Brand Stories of 2021

Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy, COVID / Sebastian Maynard

At the end of the year, we like to regroup and look back at the big brand stories that caught our attention throughout the year. And this year was a particularly strange one. The pandemic experience has become regionalized and our appetite for doom scrolling has kind of disappeared. Political intrigues have been flying under

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Five Trends Influencing Retail’s Labour Shortage

Brand Strategy, convid retail, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Since the pandemic began, retail has been in a state of near-constant crisis and change. For those who have made it this far in solid shape, a new challenge is arising that poses a longer-term threat: staffing. As headlines across the continent state loud and clear, there is a shortage of workers especially in frontline

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Social Justice and Brand Building

Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy, Corporate Identity / David Magnus

Over the past few years, brands have more often ventured into the realm of social justice and politics, whether it’s Starbucks giving their entire retail network a day off to learn about racial equity, Dick’s Sporting Goods taking automatic guns and ammunition off their shelves, or beauty brands making a pledge to stop Photoshopping models,

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Why Authenticity and Inclusivity Must Go Hand-in-Hand

Uncategorized / David Magnus

In North America, demographic changes are creating a more diverse customer base. This means brand strategy and marketing needs to become more inclusive quickly. But some marketers are nervous about making mistakes trying to speak to audiences with different experiences. Today our guest is Puja Prakash, a graduate student at OCAD, completing her Master’s in

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Inclusive Brand Marketing 101

Brand Strategy / David Magnus

Inclusive brand marketing has become a hot topic, and for good reason. By 2036, the number of Canadians who are foreign-born will about 1 in 3, with around 35 percent belonging to one or more visible minority groups. Today, nearly 4 in 10 Americans identify their race or ethnicity as something other than white, with

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DeepReal: Strategies for CPG Brands in the Age of Misinformation

Brand Strategy, Corporate Identity / David Magnus

Many of the attitudes and behaviours that have driven decision making for retail brands have been called into question by the pandemic, but there are other forces disrupting the consumer-brand relationship. At SLD, one that we think is critical is the rise of fake news and misinformation, especially on social platforms. We wanted to determine

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Lessons in How to Modernize Your Legacy Brand

Brand Strategy, Customer Experience, Design Innovation, Digital Experiences, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

Here is a little trivia for you: what is the oldest and longest-surviving company in North America? Think the fur trade, striped, colourful blankets, and a coat of arms that features one fox, two elk and four beavers. Give up? It’s Hudson’s Bay, of course! Founded in 1670 with their first department store opening in

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DeepReal Part 2: The Blurring Line Between Fact and Fiction

Brand Strategy, Customer Experience, Digital Experiences / Sebastian Maynard

The inability to tell fact from fiction is being driven by a number of factors and is challenging the way that consumers perceive and engage with brands. To help gain a better understanding of how consumers discern information and make their purchase decisions, SLD conducted a study among 2000 respondents in January, 2021. As part

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Philanthropic Marketing and How to Stay Authentic

Brand Engagement, Brand Strategy, Corporate Identity, Retail / Sebastian Maynard

It is no secret that COVID-19 has led to the reallocation of resources into pandemic-related operations/causes, with corporate giants like PepsiCo, Facebook and many others putting millions into their COVID-19 response. In the latest news, Budweiser announced that for the first time in 37 years, it will not be running an in-game Super Bowl ad.

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SLD Leads Rebrand & Web Design for Not-For-Profit, Achēv

David Magnus

Formerly known as the Centre for Education & Training (TCET), Canadian not-for-profit Achēv has unveiled their full rebrand, which was spearheaded by SLD and includes a new name, logo, positioning and website. With a focus on delivering employment, youth, newcomer and language services, the rebrand has allowed Achēv to create a cohesive brand architecture that better communicates their purpose and

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Six Things That Will Define 2021

Brand Strategy / Sebastian Maynard

It has been a long time since we have experienced such a disruptive year. Many of us are wondering if 2021 will bring with it the same level of uncertainty or if the dust will settle, and what a new normal will look like. To that point, at the end of each year, we provide

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bbtease

David Magnus

THE ART OF TEA bbtease believes in using only the best quality ingredients and crafting tea beverages with care and artistry – their new visual identity and space reflects this passion. CLIENT Bubbletease PROJECT bbtease New Brand & Store Design RELATED SERVICE Retail Design Innovation Brand Strategy Digital Experiences Digital Signage Service Design THINK The

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The Shifting Values of Beauty and How Brands Can Adapt

Brand Strategy, Digital Experiences, Health and Pharmaceutical / Sebastian Maynard

The financial and social uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, systemic racial injustice, and widespread unemployment has meant that consumers are now reconsidering their priorities. As a result, any discretionary spending has been reprioritized and shifted elsewhere. A Mckinsey study from June 2020 found that consumers are pulling back spending in categories such as apparel and

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JNF Unveils New SLD Designed Visual Identity

Sebastian Maynard

Jewish National Fund (JNF) Canada, a not-for profit organization that fundraises for causes in Israel, has unveiled an updated brand position and visual identity that will help place the organization at the forefront of the Canadian Jewish fundraising space. Designed in collaboration with SLD and the JNF design team, the brand positioning and visual identity

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What Type of Rebrand is Right for Your Brand?