Recent Work

Holiday Gift Guide 2024
CAA Club Group

Cover of a holiday gift guide magazine featuring a snowy forest scene with bears, moose, squirrels, birds, and Christmas trees, with the title 'Holiday Gift Guide 2024' and a CAA logo.
Cover of a holiday gift guide magazine featuring a snowy forest scene with bears, moose, squirrels, birds, and Christmas trees, with the title 'Holiday Gift Guide 2024' and a CAA logo.

Business Challenge:

In 2024, the annual CAA Holiday Gift Guide took the form of a magazine insert, distributed to Members through CAA Magazine. The Creative Services team was asked to create an engaging gift guide that would feature over 100 products and promote rewards and offers, with two regional versions (Ontario and Manitoba) and a non-rewards option for each for testing.

Open magazine page showing travel-related gift cards and postcards, with wrapped gift boxes, one with a yellow ribbon and another with a red ribbon.
Open magazine page showing travel-related gift cards and postcards, with wrapped gift boxes, one with a yellow ribbon and another with a red ribbon.
A travel catalog is open showing various suitcases, travel bags, and accessories in different colors and sizes with their prices and descriptions.
A travel catalog is open showing various suitcases, travel bags, and accessories in different colors and sizes with their prices and descriptions.

Strategic Approach:

For this season, we took a storytelling approach – told through the eyes of holiday gift-giver – each spread is themed to focus on a key activity throughout the Holiday Season, including road trips, vacations, outdoor adventures and staying in.

Creative Leadership:

The vivid colours and charming winter woodland animals added magic and whimsy throughout the reading experience.

Carrying illustrated characters through the guide helped keep the tone friendly and engaging.

A strategic colour system helped the viewer understand the varied communication types throughout the guide. Cool tones for product offers, warm tones for features and rewards.

Outcome:

The campaign resonated with holiday shoppers looking for unique travel- and adventure-ready gifts, driving increased engagement and sales during a crucial shopping season.

The Holiday Gift Guide exceeded sales forecasts within weeks of publication. By transforming a traditional guide into an immersive and visually delightful experience, the CAA Holiday Gift Guide reinforced the brand’s role in making the gift-giving journey truly magical.

An open magazine displaying pages about gifting memberships, with colorful gift boxes, gift cards, scissors, and wrapping twine on a blue background.
An open magazine displaying pages about gifting memberships, with colorful gift boxes, gift cards, scissors, and wrapping twine on a blue background.
Person working on a crafting project at a blue table, wrapping a gift with decorative ribbon, scissors, and packing materials nearby, with a backdrop of white and blue panels.
Person working on a crafting project at a blue table, wrapping a gift with decorative ribbon, scissors, and packing materials nearby, with a backdrop of white and blue panels.

All photography shot practically, in-house by CAA’s Creative Services Team and freelance support

Muse award logo with the words 'GOLD WINNER' above.

Summer Adventures Card Game 2024
CAA Club Group

Stack of colorful brochures with the title 'Summer Adventures' and a geometric floral design on the cover.
Stack of colorful brochures with the title 'Summer Adventures' and a geometric floral design on the cover.

Business Challenge:

CAA’s summer campaign, Summer Adventures, aimed to expose Members to the adventurous side of membership.

Underpinned by sentiments of safety and preparedness, the campaign is designed to open Members’ eyes to what CAA has to offer beyond roadside assistance, as they make the most of those short Canadian summers.

Creative Leadership:

The Creative Services team developed a Summer Adventures Card Game, a portable travel card game, designed to help adventurous families build memories together – whether on the road, traveling abroad, staying in-town, or at home.

With four games built into the set, Members can play various games – allowing for multiple uses throughout the summer, and beyond.

Outcome:

The card game was a very popular giveaway throughout the summer. With many Members playing the games at the events and posting themselves using it on social media. This created useful UGC content that was reposted on CAA’s social channels throughout the summer.

A set of colorful adventure activity cards spread out on a light gray surface, with headings like 'Choose Your Adventure' and instructions for different fun activities.
A set of colorful adventure activity cards spread out on a light gray surface, with headings like 'Choose Your Adventure' and instructions for different fun activities.
A deck of card game cards titled "Summer Adventures" with instructions and a blue box featuring colorful geometric patterns, the CAA logo, and various travel-related icons.

Strategic Approach:

Develop an item that can be given away at CAA stores, local events and through social media promotions that will keep CAA top of mind throughout the summer.

Muse award logo with the words 'GOLD WINNER' above.

Worst Roads 2023
CAA Club Group

Person holding a smartphone displaying a Facebook page of CAA South Central Ontario, with a promotional image of a cup of coffee splashing
Person holding a smartphone displaying a Facebook page of CAA South Central Ontario, with a promotional image of a cup of coffee splashing

For 20 years, CAA’s Worst Roads Campaign has positively influenced change toward safer communities. This campaign is one of CAAs most popular and engaging advocacy initiatives, both from a media and public participation perspective.

A billboard with a message about bad roads and spills, featuring a green jalapeño pepper, a bowl of yogurt with a spoon, parsley, bananas, and a strawberry emphasizing food spills.
A billboard with a message about bad roads and spills, featuring a green jalapeño pepper, a bowl of yogurt with a spoon, parsley, bananas, and a strawberry emphasizing food spills.

The campaign explores three main road users; pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists. Capturing the anxiety-inducing impact of a bad road. The impactful and relatable scenarios put the human experience front and centre.

Billboard advertising a coffee drink, showing a splash of coffee with the text 'Bad Road Making for a Messy Commute? Note it. Vote it.' alongside the CAA logo and 'Worst Roads' label, set against a corrugated metal wall.
Billboard advertising a coffee drink, showing a splash of coffee with the text 'Bad Road Making for a Messy Commute? Note it. Vote it.' alongside the CAA logo and 'Worst Roads' label, set against a corrugated metal wall.
A poster on the floor depicting a cracked road with a pothole, marked as 'Worst Roads' with a cone on each side, in an indoor retail setting. There are red social distancing markers on the floor, luggage, and people at a counter nearby.
A poster on the floor depicting a cracked road with a pothole, marked as 'Worst Roads' with a cone on each side, in an indoor retail setting. There are red social distancing markers on the floor, luggage, and people at a counter nearby.

The campaign was featured as a case study for effective marketing by Toronto Marketing Hub, a community of marketing and Ad Professionals in Toronto.

As a part of this campaign, an in-store activation was developed. An anamorphic 3D rendering greeted customers with a realistic representation of a bad road. Customers were invited to scan a QR code to vote for their worst road.

Muse award logo with the words 'GOLD WINNER' above.

Vontas Brand Strategy & System 2021
Trapeze Group / Vontas

Business cards with Vontas logo, contact information, QR code, and website, arranged on a flat surface.
Business cards with Vontas logo, contact information, QR code, and website, arranged on a flat surface.
Vontas logo with the letter V forming a star shape in orange above the word Vontas in navy blue and light grey text explaining the symbol's significance.
Vontas logo with the letter V forming a star shape in orange above the word Vontas in navy blue and light grey text explaining the symbol's significance.
A MacBook Pro displaying a website with the title 'Grow your community of riders' and sections about attracting riders, ensuring journeys, and passenger transportation.
A MacBook Pro displaying a website with the title 'Grow your community of riders' and sections about attracting riders, ensuring journeys, and passenger transportation.

In late 2020, Trapeze Group made a decision to split their product portfolio into two businesses, creating a need for an entirely new Corporate Identity and Brand.

A style guide showing three alternative Vontas logos with different color schemes and backgrounds, including primary, inverted dark blue, and inverted dark color versions, along with color palettes and icon options.
A style guide showing three alternative Vontas logos with different color schemes and backgrounds, including primary, inverted dark blue, and inverted dark color versions, along with color palettes and icon options.

From focus groups, to brainstorm sessions with various executive teams, we developed an entirely new Corporate Identity – from a fresh new name to a complete corporate strategy, including a vision and mission statement.

Diagram showing Vontas Brand Style system with geometric shapes inspired by the Vontas name in dark blue and light blue tones, and a color palette including dark blue, orange, and teal.
Diagram showing Vontas Brand Style system with geometric shapes inspired by the Vontas name in dark blue and light blue tones, and a color palette including dark blue, orange, and teal.
A presentation slide about Vontas Brand Style, featuring examples of minimal patterning, dynamic print layouts, bold and light color use, and infinite color and pattern combinations for branding design.
A presentation slide about Vontas Brand Style, featuring examples of minimal patterning, dynamic print layouts, bold and light color use, and infinite color and pattern combinations for branding design.

From there, we went on to create the Brand Identity, including logo exploration and a complete brand identity system.

The brand launched on-time and to great success, winning numerous awards in the process.

WWWebAward trophy
Muse award logo with the words 'GOLD WINNER' above.

Transit Unplugged Re-Brand 2021
Trapeze Group

Logo for 'Transit Unplugged' featuring a microphone with a headphone wire in a stylized design, on a dark blue background.
Logo for 'Transit Unplugged' featuring a microphone with a headphone wire in a stylized design, on a dark blue background.

In 2021, the Creative & Digital team redesigned the Transit Unplugged podcast hosted by Paul Comfort of Trapeze Group.

The new brand introduced a re-imagined brand system consisting of a dedicated colour palette, visual treatment and stylized episode titles.

Promotional graphic for a podcast episode titled 'In-Depth with Paul Comfort' featuring Wayne Rogers, Chairman & CEO of Northeast Maglev, as a guest.
Promotional graphic for a podcast episode titled 'In-Depth with Paul Comfort' featuring Wayne Rogers, Chairman & CEO of Northeast Maglev, as a guest.
Graphic for a transit podcast episode titled "Mass Transit’s 40 Under 40" featuring host Paul Comfort and three individuals.
Graphic for a transit podcast episode titled "Mass Transit’s 40 Under 40" featuring host Paul Comfort and three individuals.

Using distinctive design and colour treatments, each episode category is visually distinctive allowing listeners to quickly identify their desired episode.

Laptop screen displaying a podcast episode titled 'News 3 Views with Paul Comfort,' featuring Sam Morrissey and a purple background.
Laptop screen displaying a podcast episode titled 'News 3 Views with Paul Comfort,' featuring Sam Morrissey and a purple background.
Screenshot of a tweet from Transit Unplugged promoting a podcast with Tom Wright discussing infrastructure and housing in the NY Metropolitan Area.
Screenshot of a tweet from Transit Unplugged promoting a podcast with Tom Wright discussing infrastructure and housing in the NY Metropolitan Area.

The new brand launch coincided with the launch of Transit Unplugged TV and a brand new website.