Creating opportunities for communities to flourish.

Calgary Housing

Brand Purpose, Brand Strategy, Verbal Identity, Visual Identity, Brand Guidelines, Marketing Materials

Calgary Housing (CH) began its bold evolution from the City of Calgary’s social housing provider to an independent social enterprise, requiring a new brand identity to reflect their future vision.

Challenge

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Calgary Housing (CH) transitioned from the City of Calgary’s social housing provider to an independent social enterprise, focusing on building mixed-rent communities that self-fund below-market rent. This bold shift required a new brand identity to overcome stigma and reflect their transformative role.

 

Through interviews with residents, partners, and a competitive review, we identified communication gaps and refined their brand strategy. Grounded in our Wellbeing Framework™, we crafted a new purpose: ‘Creating opportunities for communities to flourish,’ tied to Transformative Wellbeing, emphasizing CH’s potential to uplift both individuals and entire communities.

Strategy

Building on insights from the brand audit and strategy, we designed a brand identity for Calgary Housing that reflected Transformative Wellbeing and resonated with Calgary. Our competitive review revealed a ‘sea of sameness’ in the housing sector, leading us to the concept of ‘nesting’ with the Black-capped Chickadee, a native and ownable symbol for Calgary. This bird, framed within a house outline, created a universal and approachable logo.

 

A warm color palette of caramel, lilac, and cream set the brand apart. Hand-drawn illustrations introduced diversity, while a new verbal identity toolkit provided aspirational and informative messaging. All elements are detailed in comprehensive brand guidelines to ensure consistent use.

Creative

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