Long established as one of the top designers in the field of Irish dance, this dress maker recently came to us to help revitalize a brand that had been critically overtaken by some of the big names in the industry. We created a powerful new visual identity of a phoenix rising from the flames, its shape a subtle reflection of a dancer standing in the ready position. Along with an effective new website, an exciting contest, and a series of stunning advertisements Phoenix Designs immediately captured the attention of the Irish Dancing world.

Concept created in 2014 for the Handmade Harvest Craft Show, this logo was selected by a panel of judges this year from over 40,000 entries to be featured in LogoLounge Volume 10, an annual “best of the best” book of logo design. The logo features a bear clutching a harvested bundle of items in its arms that upon second glance resembles a human hand. I always loved this design although the client chose another favourite. The show has since undergone a name change, and a new identity subsequently developed, however I still think the designs I created at the time stand out as some of my best work.

This Ottawa custom log home building company needed an updated logo and website in order to compete and excel in today’s marketplace. They do this by emphasizing sustainability in a big way while building homes that are as energy efficient as possible. The logo is designed to represent both the traditional nature of the build as well as their creative and modern process. The new logo shows a seamless integration into the environment, a sense of living lightly, with a small carbon footprint. Website also designed at Sumack Loft: http://www.kealeytackaberryloghomes.com

Nebbs Transport has been providing transportation solutions to manufacturers and suppliers throughout North America for almost 30 years. In 2016 the team recognized that their existing brand was badly in need of modernizing to keep the company competitive and credible in a busy marketplace. The new logo conveys a forward-thinking and modern company featuring a stylized illustration of a map with a visual effect that recalls
 the era of the crinkled map in the glove compartment, yet also powerfully suggests the notion of distribution to different areas of the continent.

The Crown and Pumpkin Studio Tour needed a brand facelift in 2016 to simplify the design, and to blend the two elements, the crown and the pumpkin, in a more cohesive way than was the case in years past. The new visual identity is clean and uncluttered while retaining a better connection with the old graphics traditionally associated with the tour. The crown is still a crown and now appears to also be the vine on the top of the pumpkin.

4Syte Design Build specializes in sustainable residential construction with a focus on designing, building or renovating homes to be at least 50% more energy efficient than current building code, along with integrating natural building materials and ecological design. The ribbons in the new logo convey the notion of a continuum, of looking forward and building towards the future; this constancy can also signify the notion of sustainability and the natural cycle of using sustainable products.

Dandelion Foods is a full service health food store in Almonte, Ontario, with local, organic, and alternative foods for specialty diets; as well as a community resource promoting nutritional awareness and local sustainability in the region. The keywords supplied for the brand development were “relaxed, whimsical, knowledgeable, and unconventional”, with mandatory imagery of a dandelion. Please see print and web sections for further collateral.

The Merrickville Library offers a wide range of materials to their small community on the Rideau River. This design is based on the charming heritage building which houses the library, depicting its appealing steep tin roof while the charismatic angles form the shape of an open book. Library members will recognize their library building hidden in the logo. Website also designed at Sumack Loft: http://www.merrickvillelibrary.ca.

The Town of Mississippi Mills requested a logo design based on their existing identity but which would reflect Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. The client asked that there be a maple leaf reference of some kind, and that the temporary brand be fun and dynamic and promote diversity. The new logo contains the original Town logo’s M, which doubles as a bridge and waterfall, with a new containing graphic of a maple leaf that brings to mind a fireworks display, as well as suggesting diversity in its use of form and colour.

Barons Inn, a local boutique hotel, has been working on transitioning to a more upscale look and feel while remaining friendly and affordable. With an elegant, classic typeface and the edifice placed in a glowing setting sun, the new brand projects the character desired by the hotel: warm, welcoming, and trustworthy. A home away from home. Website also designed at Sumack Loft: http://www.carletonplacehotel.com.

Another local farm, Harold and Shelley wanted to communicate the idea of a hardworking family business that is honest, respectful, fun loving, innovative, passionate, community oriented, committed to the industry, advocates of agriculture, and who are educators and leaders in their field. A rich illustration was developed depicting the farm itself with its rolling fields of planted crops, and the trees planted in memoriam for their daughter. Website also designed at Sumack Loft: http://www.harshellfarm.com.

A local family farm that doubles as a bed and breakfast approached me for a logo. It was important to the owner that her livestock be featured in the brand, yet still get across the notion of a comfortable B&B. Piggies and chickens it is, then. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a client more happy with her logo!

Septic pumping and portable toilets have never looked so good! This client brought us his website for development and we managed to convince him to find a budget for an upgrade to his very dated logo. The mackerel in the name found its way into the logo by becoming part of the letters g & f in the word Kingfish and the client was delighted. Note the crown on the head as well as the scepter it holds in its hand.

Every year I choose a worthy cause to donate my graphic design services (or the worthy cause chooses me), and a couple of years ago, Jeff Mills at Mills Community Support and I began what has become a wonderful collaboration on multiple projects. It all started off with this logo for the Neighbourhood Tomato. Jeff helped out by supplying some great picture references of vintage fruit and vegetable packing crates as inspiration, and one of my favourite logo designs to date was born.

This practitioner of yoga and massage requested that the tree in her logo suggest the notion of being both upright and upside down like the Ashvattha tree in Hindu mythology. She also requested that the Indian Om symbol be hidden within the leaves of the tree. A design was developed with a hand as the trunk, with another hand dropped out in white at the top to suggest an invisible second trunk. Website also designed at Sumack Loft: http://www.massagemovementmeditation.com.

An enthusiastic entrepreneur with a small budget and a big heart needed a logo to showcase her small business of upcycling furniture and décor: Creative Works. A butterfly was selected to represent metamorphosis and developed into a design that is organic and friendly, much like her product.

EkoBuilt builds super energy efficient house plans and material kits, and specializes in building to the Passive House standard. The brand effectively conveys the sense of a natural product that is holistically sustainable, contemporary, leading edge, comfortable, and healthy. Tagline was also developed by Sumack Loft. Please see print and web sections for further collateral.

CWA Canada is the oldest and only all-media union in Canada, as well as one of the largest, representing workers in the communications industry: news services, digital media, radio, television, newspapers, etc. After helping CWA Canada update their logo to keep it fresh and relevant, we proceeded to create new social media graphics for Twitter and Facebook, and to design and produce their new website which enables staff to easily update and maintain all aspects of the site through a content management system.