The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is the voice of social workers in Ontario, with more than 3,400 members and 15 branches across the province. OASW needed us to create a unique identity for its upcoming conference in 2008, to be held in Toronto.

Challenge: We were asked to create a concept that would be unique to the 2008 conference, the theme of which is “Human Rights in a Diverse Community.” The design needed to retain a local flavour, yet speak to a wide national audience of potential participants and conference speakers. We needed to find the right look and feel to achieve this balance and create a concept that would work for both print and Web media.

Consultation: Working closely with OASW, we came up with a list of keywords to give us a springboard for ideas. Our talented designers got out their sketchbooks and created a beautiful custom logo in harmonious warm and cool colours, achieving a feel of perfect balance.

Implementation: We took our lead from our logo design to carry the brand through our subsequent work for OASW. We created a Web site that advertised the conference to both attendees and speakers, providing an easy way to collect data for calls for abstracts and registration. We also designed an e-blast communication, which provides up-to-the-minute information and distributes event posters which can be easily printed and posted by recipients to help get the message out.

Result: Our custom illustrations create a striking blend of text and image, forming a consistent brand that really sets this conference apart as a go-to event.