Case study
Generations Effect
Brand Identity Development
This social enterprise provides consulting services to advance the ecological, social and economic well-being of Ontario’s eastern Georgian Bay region. Generations Effect is situated within Anishinaabek territory, allowing their team to work closely with First Nations communities and Indigenous peoples to care for the air, land and water.
The Social Enterprise
Sometimes all you need is a small business to make a huge impact.
The Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere (GBB), a not-for-profit organization that supports biodiversity through conservation, education, culture, and sustainable development programs, had noticed a growing need for their sustainable development and ecological consultation services in municipalities, not-for-profit organizations, and for profit businesses.
GBB decided to embark on this amazing opportunity, creating a social enterprise that would ultimately:
The Challenge
The new social enterprise needed a name, logo, tagline and brand – something that would make it stand out, while also conveying its connection to the GBB.
“If the Georgian Bay Biosphere is T-shirts and Birkenstocks, the social enterprise is jeans and a blazer.”
Erika Kramer, Director, Social Enterprise, Generations Effect
The Solution
From the get-go, both teams agreed that everyone has an obligation to leave the world a better place, and the organic collaboration born from this belief made all the difference.
The Anishinaabek knowledge keepers at GBB and on the social enterprise advisory committee offered invaluable guidance by counselling the team on the significance of cultural protocols for partnerships, traditional names and language, and the concepts of reciprocity for giving back to the community.
GBB wanted to ensure that the social enterprise’s name not only reflected the way they approach their work, but that it authentically represented the Indigenous teachings they practice, such as the seventh-generation principle where every decision should result in sustainable relationships for seven generations.
After multiple creative sessions, Phil landed on Generations Effect. The name is forward-thinking—it highlights the fact that decisions made today have a future impact—and encompasses collaboration, reciprocity, and community. And, the final tagline, “Sustainable solutions. Practical results.”, imparts their sensible approach to development.
The same depth of strategy also went into every brand colour and design element. The rich, vibrant blues, greens and reds and the style of the overall design were inspired by Indigenous artists like Leah Dorion and Jim Oskineegish. The colours were chosen because they signify nature, energy, action, strength and trust, and are directly linked to each service offering. The logo’s icon also represents a wing, as a nod to the Thunderbird, an ancient spiritual being of power and strength.
“Developing a brand identity is incredibly hard. Phil’s collaborative approach and range of creative ideas made it an engaging and priceless experience. Phil guided, prodded, and inspired us to go with a brand that embodies the vision behind our consulting services and focuses on all the things we accomplish. We’re just thrilled with the look and feel of Generations Effect and can’t thank Phil enough for partnering with us on this extraordinary journey.”
Erika Kramer, Director, Social Enterprise, Generations Effect
The Results
Since working with Phil, the team at Generations Effect has:
Logo & Variations
Icons
Brand Basics
Font
Poppins
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! @ # $ % ? &*() – +
Primary
colours
Secondary
colours
Styling, Applications
and Social Media
Generic
Team quotes
Services
