Current

Ze art of television.

It’s a big week for PaperChef where, as part of a nationwide advertising campaign including transit and print advertising, it officially launches its first television campaign. Two 15-second spots, entirely produced and directed by Compass360, began airing on April 2 across Canada. The spots focus on the beauty and vitality of fresh ingredients, and the care required in turning cooking into an art form. Coming to your favourite channels this week.

Another spot after the jump.

Building Great Gulf.

18 months of hard work and dedication pay off in a big way, as we launch the new brand for Great Gulf, an award-winning builder and developer of condos and new homes in Toronto and across Ontario. The new Great Gulf brand is a galvanizing force with which the company will refocus its brand and its promise to be an industry leader with design-driven products, technology-inspired innovation and an experience-centric approach.

A look back at Christmas Eve in Nepal

What’s more fulfilling than being able to provide support to those in need? Seeing its effect from halfway across the world. The Nepal Orphans Home, a volunteer-driven orphanage which gives shelter and prosperity to the children who call it home, shared with us some heartwarming photos of this year’s Christmas Eve celebration - including a beautiful display of the logo we helped them craft. A couple more photos after the jump.

Empty desk seeks intermediate designer.

We’re looking to add to our team. We’d like to see individuals with a keen eye for design who can think quickly, understand strategy and incorporate it into their work. The designer should have experience in a variety of media including (some of) interactive, advertising, identity, editorial, print and packaging. Applicants should have experience in art directing illustrators and photographers. We’d also like you to bring along an added, perhaps unexpected, skill (writing, photography, fixer-of-all-things-tech etc.).

Applicants should have a minimum of 4 years experience and carry a strong conceptual portfolio which includes well-executed branding projects.

Please send samples of your work (PDFs under 5MB) to

The Real Story Behind Apple’s “Think Different” Campaign

I, like everyone else who received the Steve Jobs biography for Christmas, am a devoted Apple evangelist. Perhaps more than most, though, since reading it takes me back to the days when I dropped out of architecture to start Toronto’s first Mac-only store, Compudrive. For those of you that bleed in rainbow hues, have a read of this short article in Forbes magazine by Rob Siltanen, who was at TBWA\Chiat Day when they created the “Think Different” campaign: http://tinyurl.com/86539op -karl-

DXA Winners Exhibition.

This year the Design Exchange and RGD teamed up for the 20th annual Design Exchange Awards. This awards show is special, as it highlights Canadian Design across a wide spectrum of disciplines including architecture, interior and graphic design across all platforms: commercial, charity and personal. Compass360 is honoured to be included in their winners exhibition at the Design Exchange’s Bay Street gallery space. The PaperChef and Media City websites along with ‘A Meeting of the Minds,’ Kelly and Rob Sturino’s wedding invite, share the walls of the exhibition space with a diverse set of award winning firms from across the country.

Husson Engineering + Management

Husson Engineering approached Compass360 to help re-brand after a recent name change and management shuffle. Inspiration was taken from a bird’s-eye view of a development site. The logo visually represents the infrastructure—roads, pipelines, elevation—in a refined mark. The supporting word mark strikes balance and further pushes the logo’s depth by creating an ‘H’ from the surrounding negative space. For a more in-depth look at the Compass360 brand development for Husson, head over to their new website: husson.ca. The site elegantly presents Husson’s services and portfolio, further representing the design intricacies of engineering. Logo variations are in the gallery after the jump.

Bell System: An epic rebrand.

Over the past 25 years, we’ve helped many companies of all sizes revitalize themselves with updated brands, but there has perhaps never been as big a rebrand as there was for Bell Systems in 1969-70. Designed by (one of our many idols) Saul Bass, the entire visual system - the largest corporate design overhaul ever in the U.S. - was meticulously planned and executed through all materials from vehicles and phone booths through to uniforms and even jewellery.

It’s truly astonishing to see how much work goes into building a brand of that scale. But equally amazing is how it was initially presented. Enjoy.