Shikatani Lacroix

Before: The Miss Vickie’s package required an update that strengthened its position as a premium product while preserving its brand equity. To be a category leader, the packaging needed to be sophisticated to stand out from the competition by highlighting its real food, high quality ingredients.

After: SL made several subtle yet striking enhancements to the potato chip packages, while still maintaining the heritage feel of the Miss Vickie’s brand. Natural themes were integrated into the packaging, with a focus on flavour. Miss Vickie’s farm has relocated to the top of the bag and its original location has been replaced by mouth-watering food photography, creating strong appetite appeal. Other enhancements include Miss Vickie’s traditional white apron, which remains with a few minor alterations. The lettering has a new folksy feel with the addition of a woodcut-like type treatment. And the bag has been given the textured appearance of a potato sack. SL also designed a “Handcrafted with Care” logo seal for the back panel, further communicating Miss Vickie’s promise of quality. The new imagery enhances the package’s appearance, elevates the brand on store shelves, and entices the consumer to purchase.

Miss Vickie's before (left) and after the redesign

A lineup of new Miss Vickie's packaging

There is less than two weeks left to register for Shikatani Lacroix’s upcoming webinar, Packaging in an Online World, to be held on Thursday, February 9th, 2012, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm EST.

Join SLD president Jean-Pierre Lacroix as he discusses the results of a recent U.S. study by Shikatani Lacroix that delves into online shopping behaviour trends and uncovers consumer insights on the role of packaging prior, during, and after online purchases. Learn key insights on the influence of online shopping on the retail and packaging industries, and discover the role packaging plays as part of the online selection process. To register for this webinar, click here.

Rogers Raising the Grade Technology Centre opened at the Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Club on Spruce Street last Thursday. The centre, designed by Shikatani Lacroix, is a staffed computer lab that provides access to the latest computer and tablet technology, free internet and instruction on how to use this technology to succeed. The project is supported by Rogers Youth Fund, a Rogers Communications’ initiative.

Rogers Youth Fund works with charitable partners across the country to fund programs that provide educational support to youth ages 12 to 19, especially at-risk students. These programs help them overcome education challenges and excel in the classroom.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix is part of a delegation of Registered Graphic Designers speaking at the Canadian Society of Association Executives‘ 2nd annual Winter Summit, held today in Guelph.

The session, Design at Work – Association Style, was successfully submitted by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, and consists of case study presentations by professional designers who work with non-profits. Of the more than 50 submissions that the RGD received for its proposal, six R.G.D.s were selected.

Jean-Pierre will be presenting Shikatani Lacroix’s creation of the new identity for Canadian Blood Services’ stem cell and marrow program, OneMatch. He will be discussing how graphic design contributed to the success of the project and how CSAE members can learn from this client/designer collaboration.

Small business marketing blog Flowtown has created this nifty social media cheat sheet. This handy primer highlights the most popular social media tools on the internet. Take a quick study of this chart to learn the nuances of each network and become well-versed in the lingo.

Flowtown – Social Media Marketing Application

It’s not everyday that you get to return to your alma mater. Shikatani Lacroix’s environmental design manager Beverley Wells and designer Linh Nguyen were invited to participate in the Ryerson School of Interior Design‘s 2012 Career Night. The annual event is an opportunity for interior design students to network with professionals in the industry. Beverley and Linh were on hand to answer any questions and give advice to students who were curious about working in retail design.

Perhaps we’ve been inspired by the Ford brothers’ attempt to shed a few pounds, or maybe we’re just trying to ward off the winter blues, but many SLDers have been putting their new year’s resolutions to work sweating their stuff. SLDers have been caught hitting the slopes, pumping some noon-hour iron, and taking a brisk lunchtime jog. Who knows what we’ll get up to once some snow hits the ground. We’ll keep you posted on our progress!

Shikatani Lacroix’s redesign of SunOpta‘s corporate identity is featured in the latest issue of Design Edge Canada. It was one of eight logos chosen from 50 entries to be published in its ReLogo section of the magazine.

The logo was redesigned to help SunOpta achieve its vision to be recognized as a global leader in natural, organic and special foods. Shikatani Lacroix’s first initiative was to define the brand essence and position for the organization and how each business unit would fit within an overall brand architecture.

“Old logos have some brand recognition value that shouldn’t simply be tossed aside,” reads the article in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Design Edge. “SunOpta’s new logo is a good example of how to hold on to elements of the old logo and translate them as parts of a much stronger, more effective logo… The new logotype is the key element in communicating the stature of this company.”

Shikatani Lacroix was in attendance at last week’s Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario event. Held at Prefix Gallery in downtown Toronto, the night celebrated RGD’s sponsors and the launch of its annual Logo Agenda. Two corporate identities designed by Shikatani Lacroix, OneMatch and SunOpta, were selected for this year’s agenda. With over 450 entries, the selection committee had difficulty narrowing it down to 100. This has resulted in a very high calibre of chosen logos, and our winning selections are no exception. The agenda will be distributed to small and medium-sized businesses and marketing executives across Canada.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of Shikatani Lacroix, speaks with Philip Unger at RGD Ontario's Logo Agenda launch party event

SLD Director of Communications, Ann Meredith Brown (second from left), chats with Karl Thomson, Bernard Hellen and Janice Carter (l-r) at RGD Ontario's Logo Agenda launch event.

2012 RGD Ontario Logo Agenda

SunOpta corporate logo designed by Shikatani Lacroix

OneMatch corporate identity designed by Shikatani Lacroix

As the charitable arm of the Toronto Blue Jays, Jays Care Foundation has been empowering children and youth in need since 1992, inspiring them to make positive choices and helping them realize their dreams by providing access to programs that support physical activity, education, and life-skill development.

Jays Care Foundation’s Field of Dreams program provides funding for the development of safe youth spaces where kids can play, learn and grow. There are currently 18 Jays Care Field of Dreams projects underway in Ontario and across Canada. Shikatani Lacroix has been actively involved in four of those projects, designing the Jays Care Community Clubhouses for Rogers Centre, Downtown Camp Oochigeas, East Scarborough Boys & Girls Club, and, most recently, Ronald McDonald House Toronto.

Shikatani Lacroix designed the 2,017-square-foot Ronald McDonald House space that includes a gymnasium, lounge and 66-foot-long inspirational wall graphic. SL identified an unused section of 268-square-foot space as an ideal lounge area for parents to sit and watch their children play. The Clubhouse opened its doors last month.