A show about the life of an artist and not so much about the art they make, we worked backwards. From the final product, “unpainting” the artistic process which an artist lives everyday of their life. Backwards from the product, through the process, to the artists behind the canvas. Completed in conjunction with Breck Campbell.

This diagram shows the different steps needed to go on an exchange from York University, in Canada, to Weimar University, in Germany. There are four or more dimensions at play here. First of all the diagram references time through the pattern of the main colored lines. Each week is given a set of 7 boxes. Secondly, the diagram maps the actual geographic location of the different events. The third level of information is presented by the icons. Each icon refers to a different modes of transportation. The fourth level of information is the two geographical bodies; Eastern Canada and Western Europe. This emphasizes the change of continents.

This print promo material is for a film that describes life as copies of itself at different levels of complexity and scale. Working with this scaling of topics in the film, I used these topics to the scales of media the campaign would be utilizing. I matched the smallest level (DNA) with the smallest piece: the flyer. Second I put cellular automata within the poster. Third, the idea of a full human as a collective rather than individual within a massive 2 meter subway column wrap. Lastly, hive-mind: linking of all humans through collective unconscious, stretching the full length of a city bus.

The ultimate slap in the face to all writers: An infinite number of monkeys on an infinite number of typewriters, would eventually take writing lessons and become great authors. Our title sequence follows that evolution to the beat of writing a cappella. For the rest of the package we closely detailed the evolutionary process from monkey to writer. We see a transformation take place from the bumper open, through 3 transitions used in each segment, and completion of the process with some writing in the out bumper. Completed in conjunction with Breck Campbell.

There are various aspects of this map which help it function much better than previous versions. From using building codes instead of numbers, to giving a true images of the height variations on campus, this map allows both spatial and conceptual understanding. The approach to way-finding was decided upon by mapping main paths taken by pedestrians on campus. Signs were divided into two categories: prompts and nodes. A prompt simply pushes the user forward, it defines a direction with the destination being the closest node. Each node is in a central area where both map and surroundings can be seen simultaneously.

Hive, the motion short film. The images of Alan Smith, with the voice of spoken word poet Ian Kamau accompanied by the sound of DJ Food.

Working with a team of 8 designers, 2 editors, and several writers, this piece was art directed by Alan under the theme of Anatomy. The magazines cover is it’s skin, and through progressively deeper segments of departments, features, gallery, the magazine is sliced deeper and deeper, sub-dermal, skeletal muscle, bone. Classical typography mixed with dynamic conceptual layouts speak to the viewer in a direct way.

A product which provides new tools for making decisions through comparative analysis, seeking to provide an alternate model for voter participation through online networks. Voters inform party policy, and parties present platforms to potential supporters. Each of the major parties are allowed to put forward a limited number of issues. These issues then make up the core criteria of The Undecided. The parties are required to take a stance on each issue, which affords side-by-side comparison for undecided voters.

An engaging print piece must grab the viewers attention and hold it with a compelling story. The story has been separated into four distinct processes: Sensors, Cluster Hub, The Operations Center, and Applications. The first two sections profile the EIS hardware; how easy it is to install, and how it works. The third stages speaks about the software and where the information is stored. The final stage focuses on the end-user advantages of the technology.

O’s by the water is an art gallery and store which caters to two distinct audiences; local customers of the small town of Port Colborne, and the traveling art connoisseur. Peggy O’Hara shares works and stories from masters in the areas of craft, art, and design. The brochure takes these 3 areas and melds them together to create a holistic vision of creativity. One of the driving principles of this piece was to use the medium of brochures as an informational piece but let it live on as a keepsake poster. The brochure is the introduction to the various stories which travel through O’s.

GeoSpace planetarium is proposing to build the world’s most exciting planetarium facility in downtown Toronto. To help explain the idea to investors we created an 80 page document with two main divisions: Sky & Ground. The first section is full emotional visions of the possibilities of a green planetarium where the sky's the limit, and the second contains comprehensive financial projections to get this vision off the ground. We wrote the copy, illustrated the ideas, visualized the data, and helped this project move to the next level.

The Palestra is merging new with old. Broadcast coverage with web-based participation. The young and excited team came to us for help, and we jumped at the opportunity. From branding and marketing, to conceptual development and information architecture, to the development and deployment of the actual experience; The Palestra is breaking ground on every level.

A promising young startup with a mission to allow people to preserve their families life stories online came to us for some help. The challenge: what does a lifetime look like? We did research on how people tell these stories today, how they recall events, and what they like about these activites. That research drove the invention of an original user interface to do something that has never been done before on a computer: share entire lifetimes of experience.

When TV Chef Christine Cushing was referred to us with some help advertising her branded line of tomato sauces and olive oil, we had a blast. We presented 25 concepts and came up with a few winners based on budget and proper messaging. It was also a chance to work with studio-mates Reactor Art's illustrator Tomio Nitto, and longtime friend copywriter/designer extrodinare Berdene Du Toit who brought experience from the food and packaging world to the project.

Our oldest client EIS came to us with a tough challenge: show all their products, and all their corporate info, to a divided and demanding audience. We dug deep into the audience’s understanding of the technology and built a narrative that told the story of the EIS offering in the language of the customer. The result turned the industry standard of tech focused advertising upside-down: we focused on benefits and outcomes, with a quick visual for basic understanding of a complex system, and details of the products as tertiary.

Next generation web scientists with resumes including NASA, Oracle, Altavista, etc. came to us with a problem: They had collected a brilliant pile of data that wasn't being used to its full potential. We gave them 50 tangible ways to help them build the bridge they needed between publishers and advertisers, using the data they already had.

Filmmaker Jason Lapeyre came to us for a basic one sheet for his new film ‘I declare war’.

The impact in Jason’s words:
“I had 17 meetings with potential executive producers during the TIFF, and this is what I heard 17 times: ‘This one-sheet is incredible. You guys really have a handle on marketing.’“

17 out of 17 ain’t bad!!!

After we completed work on the Biblio Commons Social Discovery Engine, we helped them with their company branding and website to help them better promote their service.
The logotype was a gutsy choice from the archive of neglected experiments we showed them in addition to our 3 top contenders. With some tweaking, ended up embodying them the most, the content and the commons completely intertwined. It’s such an experience just reading it that it’s also hard to forget.
The card’s wild multi coloured bar-code matched the diversity of libraries they white-label to. Best of all is that when you scan it, it actually reads their slogan! “Building connections, around the collections.”

Viva-Dolan came to us with their portfolio dream: 3D scrolling. We offered our understanding of interaction design to came up with ways of navigating this big ol’ pile in a physical way. Flip through the whole pile quick on the left, click corners of pages you want to see, or click on a client for details and move through pieces one by one.

This website creates a community amongst patrons and members of the Contemporary Textile Co-op. Members can log in and artisans alike can keep in touch with the ongoing events, sign up for courses, and view a gallery at the studio. The design speaks to the nature of the content by drawing on elements of screen printing and fabric texture to create an environment that mimics their work and the studio setting. The printed pieces borrow this vocabulary, helping to extend the experience beyond the screen.

Canadian TV Chef Christine Cushing had a product line about to expand and in need of a rebrand. On her show, Christine gives away recipes all the time, so we decided her brand should too. The recipe is on the jar, so you can try your hand at cooking your own sauce and spending some time with the family. There’s hand-written tips about ingredients from Christine written all over the package for a personal touch. We also came up with a naming scheme that allows for brand extension, and focuses on personalities like ’Daring’ for Spicy Garlic, or ’Romantic’ for a sauce with red-wine in it. Best of all, the colours representing those personalities work together to create a shelf-blocking effect that is near impossible to miss on the shelf, resulting in sales set to triple in their first year of printing.

Late Fragment is a film that lets the audience become the director of what they are watching. The producers came to us to help to sustain their online following. We created a website that builds on the connective and immediate nature of the film. Pulling content like event information, video and images from other online networks, the Late Fragment site can sustain the intimacy of a festival QA session or get word out about an upcoming demo or party. Giving the writers/directors, producers and cast the ability to post news, events and respond to questions is a big part of sharing the realness of an emerging film experience like Late Fragment. From the conceptual framework and information architecture, to the design, development, and deployment of the actual site and posting experience, LateFragment.com gets everyone in on the interaction.

After sitting with Jenny and hearing her describe her incredible creations we decided people needed to hear her too, so we created a web experience reflecting this 1 on 1 with the designer. Each of Jenny’s products includes the things that inspired it like swatches, places, magazines, architecture, and iconic women. We pushed one other boundary, the rich interaction of flash vs. dynamic content of many simple blogging platforms. We worked hard with developer Noah Earle to come up with a flexible and completely updatable xml structure to put the client in control of the collection, inspiration, and even music choices as time goes on.

What if your nation was your values, a nation a thought? Perhaps the most interesting thing is to think of a values based economy, and pairing of beneficial trade relationships. Current beneficial trade relationships often come from natural resource surplus. What if a system could generate and identify the most powerful personal relationships. Introduce you to the nations of thought you need to be a better person, or find the group that needs your skills the most? Help you connect to those who share similar values and interests? Remind you of who you're fighting against and keep tabs on their numbers? What if your identity was based on who you knew and what they said about you? What if the money was not currency, but Commoncy that trades tasks and time? This mapping, trading, and identification system is a complete futurecast of the must fundamental infrastructures of our future.

Connecting eaters with growers. Allow people to re-connect with food systems. Seed for a platform that can grow.

Brigantine came to us needing a brochure for Tall Ship Adventures, a two-week excursion on the Great Lakes. We came up with this engaging piece that got kids and parents excited about this wonderful trip.