Since i started dabbling a bit with using WordPress for a dynamic, content-driven site, i thought it might be interesting to see if i could make it work for more of an “archival” site such as this.

It took some tinkering, but i think i figured out a way to make it work. Below is a random selection of case studies spanning the full breadth and depth of my portfolio. This will keep the landing page dynamic and constantly changing. You can click through to read them, but you can also use the menus to the left to explore all of my posted work by business sector or by work category. This gives the audience (that would be you) the ability to navigate vertically or laterally through my work, with a random option as well.

The beauty of this format is that all of the content is here in a database, and it’s now completely separated from the look and feel of the site. When it’s time to freshen up the look, it’s a matter of just updating the templates or applying a new theme, and it’s done.

There is something nice about presenting a printed portfolio of work… seeing a career’s worth of work collected into one book is quite gratifying. But the time investment vs. the return on that investment didn’t seem to make sense any more. Yes, i’ve invested a HUGE amount of time getting this latest site redesign up and running, but it’s an investment that should pay off down the road as future updates will be almost trivially easy.

Besides, this also gives me an excuse to buy an iPad to present my portfolio.

Check back soon for more changes and updates, and feel free to drop me a line!

We developed a set of scenarios that touched on video, audio and printed media in a world with pervasive high-speed wireless networking, and where consumer media is accessed from the “cloud” rather than stored locally. (This was years before the concept of “cloud computing” would have been considered even remotely viable.)

We came up with a name, a visual identity, and mocked up several user interfaces that showed how media would follow the user and adapt itself to the context in which it was being played back or viewed… everything from desktop computers and mobile devices to home theatres and automotive systems.

The opportunity to stretch out and explore the thin edge was very exciting, and the scenarios gave the sales team something concrete which they could take out to clients and demonstrate our thinking.

Of course, as screen resolutions, graphic processing power, touch screens, alternate pointing devices and full QWERTY keyboards have become increasingly common, many of those requirements and limitations have been eased (or eliminated altogether) but new input methodologies have also meant new challenges and new UX paradigms that need to evolve to address the ever-changing state of human-computer interaction.

When RIM moved more into the consumer space with the introduction of the BlackBerry Pearl in 1995, i took interest. But it wasn’t for a couple of years that i started delving into theme design for BlackBerry handhelds for my own personal use.

My first run at it was heavily influenced by the iPhone’s user interface, but i opted to not use any Apple intellectual property, unlike other theme designers, who simply cropped icons out of Apple screen shots, and most other elements fell short of the same level of polish.

The visual language i began with glassTile prompted me to expand it out into a cleaner, original theme family that ended up with three “metal” variants as well as red and pink themes based off the same iconography. These were made commercially available and they were purchased by several thousand happy users.

The themes were all based around the same concept of having a “horizon line” splitting the screen into defined areas. There is a clean “status bar” at the top, showing signal and battery strength, carrier info and small icons for secondary functionality such as Bluetooth. The “dashboard” area above the horizon line features a prominently positioned clock in a modern, flush-left position, as well as date information and the profile icon.

These themes were, of course, based primarily on my own preferences for information hierarchy, but it felt completely natural and intuitive. The position of the horizon line was designed to allow consistency of the menu bar and dashboard on subsequent screens for phone lists and in-call displays.

Online activities are supported by offline contests and promotions to drive further traffic to the redcarpetdiary.tv site and further increase the value of Visa’s sponsorship investment.

CUMIS has operated in the insurance space for over 75 years, serving the credit union space exclusively, with a commanding market position. But decades of the status quo had left the brand somewhat directionless and unfocused.

The first goal was to revamp the logo itself. The name itself (believed to have originated as an acronym for Credit Union Members’ Insurance Society) had pronunciation issues, and the look was pure 1970s brutalist-industrial, depicted in dull mustard yellow on white.

With the new identity, we sought to bring emphasis to the “U” in order to force its pronunciation as a long vowel sound. We also wanted to bring some symbolism to the identity without actually creating a symbol. The change was to be evolutionary, so we needed to keep the mark of identity as a typographic solution only.

The solution was to treat the “U” as if it were a loop of ribbon, one side red and one side gold. These two halves were then split and allowed to “cradle” one another, in a gesture similar to hands cradling, protecting, nurturing, representing the goals of an organization offering insurance and wealth management products and services.

Printed collaterial pieces were another trouble area. When viewed together, all of their brochures and other communications pieces had absolutely no family resemblance at all. They almost looked like they came from completely separate companies.

It wasn’t hard to see that they had a serious brand image problem. This was in part due to: a) the core values that helped to define the brand becoming lost; b) product managers who viewed their departments as “sub-brands” and believing that their needs were different from everyone else’s; and c) an internal creative department lacking inspiration and having grown accustomed to product managers art-directing the creative. Working with the CUMIS Marketing & Communications team, we set out to address each of these issues in an integrated way.

As we set about creating a new visual language for the CUMIS brand, we recognized that key internal thought leaders and stakeholders needed to be brought in early in the process. By presenting and receiving approval on all creative direction from the executive level first, that “top-down” endorsement helped smooth the adoption of the refreshed brand throughout the organization, rather than having to push and fight to sell new concepts into the organization from the bottom up. Rather than creating “brand police” to monitor and control things, we wanted to create an entire organization of brand advocates who wanted to do everything possible to promote a strong and consistent brand.

We extended the “ribbon” idea from the identity into a visual motif that separated the masthead area of cover pages from the image and supporting content. These ribbons also extended to the interior of pieces. Generous use of white space also helped the elements stand on their own and not get lost in cluttered layouts.

Photography was to be used exclusively, with images portraying everyday Canadians engaged in activities together. The rationale was that insurance should allow people to go about living their lives in happiness, with the knowledge that should anything unexpected happen, the would be looked after, as would their businesses, property and loved ones. The sense of community reflected in many of the images was also intended to suggest a connection to the core values of the co-operative movement.

We often say that a brand is more than just the logo on the building. But in this case, refreshing the brand also included the logo on the building! The revitalization of the brand was extremely successful, and in 2009, The CUMIS Group was purchased by The Co-operators, who continue to operate the brand and serve the credit union sector.

The revitalization of the tourism industry in Niagara-on-the-Lake is the stuff of Canadian business legend.

But over a decade after the infusion of new investment into the region began, the pace began to falter somewhat, and new management at Vintage Inns realized that the bulk of their marketing and branding dollars were being spent promoting the town and the region, which was good for business – all business, in fact, including their competitors in the hotel and B&B space.

The new brand image for Vintage Inns – which left the identity and character of the three landmark hotels intact – brought new focus to the level of detail and individuality in the experiences people could find there. Fashion-inspired photography, experientially-driven copy and premium printing resulted in a collective warmth and sophistication that was previously lacking in their branded materials.

Targeted radio and print advertising sought to bring people in the GTA back to Niagara-on-the- Lake for unique experiences and quick escapes.

The online experience was re-vamped, giving more direct access to the reservation engine, while targeted banner advertising, e-newsletters and partnership programs helped drive new traffic to the site.

Crest Whitestrips is one of those products that does not lend itself well to sampling, because results are only seen over a longer period. Therefore, knowing someone who has tried the product and liked it can be an important factor in the trial decision.

In developing the program, we researched potential partners, and discovered an excellent fit with Curves fitness clubs. Their members were in the right demographic for the program, but more importantly, they were people who had already made a commitment toward self-improvement, and according to P&G’s research, the target consumer for the teeth-whitening category in Canada was more interested in whitening to feel good about themselves than simply a cosmetic improvement.

We created a program in partnership with Curves to turn in-club advisors into product advocates. Each club was given sample product for the advisors to use, along with posters and newsletters and a $10 off coupon for product trial. The program also included branded apparel and an advisors manual with tips on how to engage members in conversation about the Crest line of whitening products.

The program was very successful and was renewed and expanded for a second year to include a Crest-sponsored a makeover contest for the Curves member with the best story about how having a great smile made a difference in their life.

Lavalife (Canada’s top online personals site) was also brought on as a partner as it represented another opportunity to speak directly with targeted audiences who were also engaged in life-changing activities. Crest sponsored the “send a smile” functionality within Lavalife, as well as a “Smile of the Month” contest with product prizing and a grand prize of a cruise. Targeted banners within the Lavalife environment also directed users to sign up to receive a $10 off coupon.

Drawing inspiration from a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” we developed a print advertisement, email campaign, a video, a microsite and materials that could be displayed within credit union branches.

The feedback and response to the campaign were tremendous, and resulted in further brand consultation work with the CDF.

http://www.cdfcanada.coop/bethechange/

Everybody who heard and was moved by the compelling story volunteered their time to help bring this vision to fruition. I was honoured to be asked to create the visual identity for this truly inspiring project. The chosen identity was envisioned as the view from inside the guitar, looking out through the soundhole at the passing Canadian landscape, with the strings resonating into a subtle suggestion of the shape of a maple leaf.

At the Toronto launch of the guitar in 2006, i was even more humbled to learn that the logo was inlaid into the guitar itself and embroidered on the strap. In 2009, the Royal Canadian Mint also honoured the Six String Nation with a guitar pick-shaped coin featuring the rosette designed by luthier George Rizsanyi and the Six String Nation logo reproduced holographically in the middle of the coin. Also in 2009, Douglas & McIntyre published a book documenting the development of the guitar, the history behind some of the materials, some fascinating stories of the guitar’s travels, and photographs of some of the thousands of Canadians who have held, played and had their pictures taken with this cultural icon.

It was a tremendous honour to be invited to share in the creation of such an important and significant Canadian cultural artifact.