Building Community
Platform Calgary | Brand Evolution
With the opening of the Platform Innovation Center in early 2022, Platform Calgary took on an ambitious goal to be a single point of access for anyone navigating Calgary's tech sector - a home for all innovators. Platform's traditional focus on educating and mentoring startup founders had to expand to include a much wider audience, and the organization needed to evolve its brand position.
Inspiration and inclusion
To effectively support and grow the tech sector, Platform must be perceived as a credible and valuable resource by a larger, more diverse audience. The Innovation Centre needs to attract not only startup founders but also investors, corporate leaders, job seekers, and curious Calgarians. We set out to shift the brand character away from tech clichés, industry jargon, and a rigid visual system. Our vision was to develop a more flexible, welcoming, and human-centered brand infrastructure. Positioning Platform as a hub of innovation, growth, and trusted leadership requires a brand that sparks imaginations and expresses connection, community, electricity, collaboration, and possibility.
Bitesize Creative Briefs: Core Campaign Tactics
Drone fly-through video: the Platform Innovation Centre is a striking architectural addition to Calgary's streetscape, but not many people realize that it is more than a parking lot. The goal of this video is to throw open the door and invite a wider audience to experience the Platform Innovation Centre facility. The unique and immersive perspective of the drone fly-through will generate interest and excitement for the space and encourage people to visit and explore Platform for themselves.
Video by Maverick Agency
Platform Innovation Centre Illustration:
Capture the “intention” of the Platform Innovation Centre, rather than a realistic rendering of the building architecture. The PIC is the front door to Calgary’s tech community - welcoming everyone into a collaborative and adaptable space where innovators gather to create great products, experiences, and solutions that could even change the world.
Print ad design by Jenny Conway Fisher
Platform Calgary Brand Character:
A key part of Platform's mandate is to demystify technology and tech industries and dispel the assumption that tech is an impenetrable and insular sector.
Platform's evolved brand character is generous, trustworthy, factual, accessible, thoughtful, open-minded, and supportive. Imagine an individual who can strike up a conversation with anyone, get people relaxed and talking, and make everyone they speak with feel comfortable and welcome. The tone of voice is supported by new experiential photography, an expanded colour palette and a toolkit of visual elements that the internal marketing team can use in interesting and compelling ways to design documents, presentations, digital display ads, social media graphics etc.
The evolved brand character is intended to reflect the user experience inside the Platform Innovation Centre. It will build “stickiness” and trust in the community. Platform will keep people coming back because they feel a sense of belonging and ownership of the community that Platform hosts.
Strategic Summary Pamphlet design by Evans Hunt
My Role
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Creative direction for Agency and freelance design partners, photographers and videographers
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Copywriting, editing & content development
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Graphic design for print and digital ads
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Brand and marketing campaign strategy, including content marketing, newsletter redesign, editorial schedule, SEO and search refinement, social media tactics
Platform Calgary's Brand
Evolution Team
Brand Evolution Agency: Evans Hunt
Freelance Designer: Jason Esteban
Photography: Elyse Bouvier, Pejay Owor
Videography: Maverick Agency
Platform Marketing Lead: Delia Popa
Platform Marketing Coordinator: Alaina Shirt
Platform Social Media Coordinator: James Falls
Platform Brand & Marketing Director: Jenny Conway Fisher
Website home page copywriting by Jenny Conway Fisher
