Client: Edmonton Screen Industries Office

Lights, camera… branding.

The Project

Our client came to us because…

The Edmonton Screen Industries Office (ESIO) was established in 2017 to play the role of a catalyst, cultivator and stimulator for the screen media industries in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. It was also doing something new, aiming to serve not just the film and television industries that the Edmonton Film Commission used to support, but all of the screen industries including interactive digital media (like video games) and augmented and virtual reality companies.

They had spent much of their first three years setting up the organization’s programs, internal structure and policies, and as a result hadn’t been as engaged with or visible to their target audiences as they wanted to be. There was confusion among their target audiences about who they were, what they could offer and what their role was. They engaged Berlin to develop a brand positioning strategy and visual identity system that would help them as they ramped up communication with the content creators they serve.

Goal

Our client needed a new look and a brand positioning strategy to better represent who they are and who they serve.

Results

We built a identity system and positioning strategy that their team was excited to use, and their stakeholders were excited to engage with.

Key Insights

Because providing equal support for all branches of the screen industries is important to ESIO, all of these diverse industries needed to see themselves reflected in the organization’s branding. ESIO’s offerings also differed in some ways from the typical granting bodies many stakeholders were used to – what makes ESIO stand out is their focus on the long-term success and growth of these industries and the flexibility offered in the kind of support they provide.

We also needed to communicate the ESIO team’s genuine enthusiasm for the screen industries and the content creators within them – a system that would show that they are as bold, ambitious and passionate as their stakeholders.

Our toolkit

Brand Assessment Sessions

We facilitated sessions with the ESIO team to help them identify what drives their organization and what makes it unique. We worked with their staff to identify elements like personality, values and priorities that formed the cornerstone of the brand positioning strategy.

Stakeholder Interviews

We conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with both internal and external stakeholders to assess their perspectives on the organization and identify opportunities for ESIO. Like the brand assessment sessions, these interviews provided insights that informed our recommended brand positioning for the organization.

Brand Positioning Strategy

Following our research process, we developed a brand positioning strategy and corresponding brand guide to help ESIO put their new branding into practice. These resources were designed to rally their team around common goals and provide clarity and direction on how the organization should communicate its value to stakeholders.

Logo and Visual Identity System

In addition to the brand positioning work, we were asked to create a new logo and visual identity system that better fit the creative, forward-thinking industries ESIO works with. We answered that challenge with a logo that references the diversity of screens we now use to experience content, all put together in a 16:9 aspect ratio to echo one of the most familiar screens people interact with. We expanded that into a visual identity system that allows ESIO to use the logo as a window or frame to showcase made-in-Edmonton films, video games and TV shows.

Awards

  • 2021 ACE Awards – ACE Award, Logo/Wordmark
  • 2021 ACE Awards – Award of Distinction, Identity System

Project Credits

  • Michael Brechtel Senior Counsel
  • Jenna Hickman Account Manager
  • Elizabeth Schowalter Brand Positioning Development
  • Emily Keating Brand Positioning Development
  • David Landreth Creative Director
  • Erin Nagy Designer