We worked on a wide variety of projects in 2023. Here are a few of our favourites!
A couple of our long-time clients came back for a gentle evolution of their branding.
As your company matures, expands, or shifts focus, it can be a great idea to review your branding every few years to make sure it’s in line with where your business is at.
Black Bear Healing Home
Black Bear Healing Home came to us many years ago with a very specific request for their logo design. Owner Lisa Garrett wanted black bear imagery incorporating Queen Anne’s Lace flowers. Earlier this year we simplified and clarified the identity. Use the slider to see the old logo on the left, and the new one on the right (this works in your browser, otherwise both logos appear below!). This new version of the logo won a coveted LogoLounge Award in 2023.
You can learn more about Lisa’s work here.
Angela’s Cookie Jar
Angela’s Cookie Jar has been a client for many years. She approached us a few months ago asking for a logo update to soften her colour palette and make the brand feel a little more modern. Use the slider to see the old logo on the top, and the new one on the bottom (again, this works in your browser, otherwise both logos appear below!).
If you’d like to order some simply sublime cookies for an event (or maybe just for you!), you can do so here.
We had a few intriguing illustration projects come our way in 2023. Here are a couple of favourites.
Greenbank Hunt Club Centre
Our shopping centre client needed an illustration for their marketing materials which communicated the family-oriented nature of the shopping mall. We developed a design depicting a happy family of five, loaded down with bags and balloons (because why not?), looking around excitedly as if marvelling at all the centre has to offer.
The wrong kind of spy
We were asked to illustrate the cover art for the latest spy thriller from Rhiannon Beaubien. The story takes place in Berlin so the design shows the main character against the backdrop of the Victory Column in Tiergarten. In order to ensure that readers are able to come up with their own inner vision of “Jill”, care was taken to not show too many details of her face. The style of the piece also aligns nicely with the first book in the series, “Alone Among Spies”.
You can learn more about Rhiannon and her writing here.
Creating web designs for our clients and making sure sites do everything they need to do is a huge part of our work. Here are just a couple of the many sites we designed and engineered in 2023.
Howard, Kelford, & Dubois llp
This successful law firm, with three locations in the Ottawa Valley, has been a client for many years. In 2023 they decided they wanted to change the look and feel of their site to be more welcoming — less of the gravitas and more of the friendly! We happily obliged with an intriguing new colour palette and new photography that speaks to their rural/small town whereabouts.
Flynn Log Homes
For over two decades Flynn Log Homes has been the leading log cabin builder in Quebec. Located not far from Ottawa, this busy company produces stunning custom homes that can absolutely take your breath away. We pulled out all the stops on this project; a full branding suite, photography at three different locations, writing and editing, and a ton of interesting details for the site. This logo also won a prestigious LogoLounge Award in 2023.
From newspaper advertising, to brochures and postcards, all the way to information-heavy reports, we love designing for print. Here just two of many projects we completed in the last 12 months.
Handfashioned Fine Craft
Just going into her second year of business, Kim at Handfashioned Fine Craft has been a client of ours from when she first approached us for a visual identity (she said that our logo designs “made her heart go pitter patter”. Best feedback ever, right?). While we didn’t do her website (this entrepreneur is very hands-on), we have done loads of print design for her. This was a postcard mailer that went out to homes and businesses in a large radius around the new shop when it opened.
Local Immigration Partnership Report
The Local Immigration Partnership is a wonderful resource in the Ottawa Valley, with a mission to strengthen the role of local communities across Lanark and Renfrew Counties in integrating and serving our newcomer population. In 2023 we were hired to design and produce their new strategy plan spearheaded by local partners to attract and retain newcomers. You can see the full report here.
Thank you for joining us!
Each of these pieces carries a piece of our dedication, passion, and commitment to exceptional design. We look forward to a new year of creativity and partnership with our clients — both current and new!
Cheers to design excellence and the year ahead! 🎨 ✨
We are now booking new work for 2024.
Branding. Elevated.
Sumack Loft 