Archive for the 'Print' Category

Deep-Six: ABL Imaging Poster

Published on October 4, 2011 in ABL Imaging, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.


In early 2007, a local digital imaging company, ABL Imaging, moved into a new location below ground and asked me to help them develop some creative to liven the entrance up. I figured since this was their forte, we should could big … real big. Over 20′ tall.

The concept was simple — big, vibrant and flashy. The underlying concept, which was applied to the postcard I created below, was to bring the fact they are now “underground” to the forefront by integrating roots and other organic elements.

Last I checked, the space was still empty (but that was a while ago). I’m not even sure if they ended up putting anything in the space.

They must be a lot like me … always at the bottom of their own priority list.

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Deep-Six: City of Calgary 2008 Annual Report

Published on October 4, 2011 in Clients, Design, Print and The City of Calgary by Ian Regier.

Well, in 2008, the times were a’changing … but maybe not the best time to get too conspicuous about it.

Although The City of Calgary held strong through the troubled economic times, this concept for the 2008 Annual Report was slowly dissolved as it made it’s way up the ladder. Being this bold was a little too risky, even with the down to earth, grassroots presentation.

I was still quite pleased with the final layout, but I sure would have liked to have turned some heads with this one.
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Deep-Six: City of Calgary UEP EDD 2012

Published on October 4, 2011 in Clients, Design, Identity, Print, The City of Calgary and Typography by Ian Regier.

When approached with the task of developing the creative for the The City of Calgary Utilities ＆ Environmental Protection Employee Development Day 2012, the Creative Services team and I were requested to integrate the theme “Live, Work, Play, Learn” … and not all that much more. We had free range to come up with something fresh and unique to promote the event.

Considering the name of the event itself was a bit of a mouthful, I decided to develop a simple typographic execution that would bring the theme to the forefront without adding any other layers … let the words not only speak the message, but also be the visual carrier for the creative and literally show a connection between the themes.

The design was well received, but the event itself was cancelled shortly after the pitch, so as they say, that was that.


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Is your Game Face ready yet?

Published on May 14, 2011 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

With less than a month until the 2011 CFL Training Camp kicks off, the Calgary Stampeders 2011 advertising campaign is well underway.

This years campaign is pretty ambitious, but the message is simple: Stamps games are fun for everyone! The theme, entitled Get your Game Face on, features an ongoing series of portraits of players, fans, long-time season ticket holders, alumni and local celebrities. We’ve got quite the array of talent lined up — from Mayor Nenshi to Bret “Hitman” Hart!

If you’re around town, chances are you’ve seen a billboard, a flyer or one of the 100+ ads featured in the Calgary Herald.

Stay tuned. Their are a lot more to come … a few more surprises too.

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It’s not where you’re going, it’s how you got there.

Published on April 21, 2011 in Calgary Transit, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.


Individually, the Calgary Transit 2011 Monthly Passes look pretty slick. The simple, typographic design utilizes vibrant colours and clear information to become a true specimen of “form meets function.”  The street map in the background adds a little depth and complexity for some extra oomph, but all in all, they aren’t too conceptual … until you piece together the entire 12 month set. Then things really come to life.

To depict one of Canada’s largest transit systems (with 4,500+ route kilometres), I used only one graphic element — the 2010-11 System Map. This map was split into 12 segments with each section overlapping a portion of the next, highlighting the routes with the highest ridership density.

Every inch of the transit system was used, ensuring that every rider would eventually get to see their route at some point in the year.

Perhaps a little abstract, but still, this my ode to Massimo Vignelli’s iconic New York City Subway Diagrams.

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You have to feel it to believe it

Published on March 11, 2011 in Clients, Design, Mawer Investment Management and Print by Ian Regier.

It’s becoming all too common to get items printed for as cheap as possible … or not at all. One feature after another seems to get cut out until a high end piece becomes an instant throw-away. This trend is a bit disappointing, but when an opportunity to do something on the contrary arises, it feels great … and in this case literally.

The Mawer Investment Management Corporate Brochure certainly breaks this trend; it’s a high end piece that you don’t want to put down, let alone throw away. It utilizes a double hit of Soft Touch™ aqueous coating, which imparts a velvet-like, “creamy” feel and adds a rich matte appearance. It feels like a million bucks (which is good considering Mawer manages over $7 billion worth of assets).

It’s a conversation piece of value; which is a conversation Mawer manages quite well.

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2010: The Ongoing Legacy

Published on November 22, 2010 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

Calgary Stampeders 2010 Creative

The 2010 season was a year of big milestones for the Stampeders — they celebrated both their 65th anniversary and 50 years of football in their home, McMahon Stadium. The timeline/ribbon flowed throughout the material, representing the continuing tradition of the Stampeders Ongoing Legacy honouring the players of the past and the legends of the future.

2010 Advertising Samples:

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2009: Our Champions Return

Published on November 22, 2010 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

Calgary Stampeders 2009 Creative
With the club’s 6th Grey Cup Championship still fresh in the minds of Calgarians, it made all too much sense to have the returning players, Our Champions, do the communicating. Individual players were featured and inspirational quotes (even autographs) were used to help personalize the men behind the helmets. Vibrant colours and high contrasts used throughout the creative helped carry that celebratory feeling throughout the season. (On a side note, the Stampeders 2009 Season Ticket Holder base turned out to be the highest in CFL history with nearly 30,000 Season Tickets sold. I’d like to think it was all due to the creative, but I’m sure the 2008 Championship win and the 2009 Grey Cup seating rights had a bit to do with it.)

2009 Advertising Samples:

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2008: Calculating Horsepower

Published on November 22, 2010 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

Calgary Stampeders 2008 Creative

Long before the big win in November, it was clear that 2008 was going to be a big year. John Hufnagel, the new Head Coach and GM was instated in the off-season, the roster was refreshed and reenergized and there was even a shuffle in the administration. So, to portray this systematic revival, the creative was focused on quantifiable ways of calculating Calgary’s Horsepower; what the Stampeders mean to the fans — the tradition of the club, the energy of the stadium, the intensity of the defence, the excitement of the action … and the results of the games.

2008 Advertising Samples:

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2007: One City. One Team. One Goal.

Published on November 22, 2010 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

Calgary Stampeders 2007 Creative

Unity was essential to the success of the Stampeders 2007 campaign, so the theme was established to help inspire the team on the field and the fans in the stands. Somewhat ominous creative was developed to help generate intrigue and arouse interest for the season ahead … but we also had a little fun with the theme too. Unfortunately, in the end, it was the lack of unity that was the demise of the team during the playoffs for the second year in a row.

2007 Advertising Samples:

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2006: Live the Action

Published on November 22, 2010 in Calgary Stampeders, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.

Calgary Stampeders 2006 Creative

After years of disappointment on and off the field, things finally started to turn around for the organization throughout the 2005 season — it was a true breakout year for the team. The Live the Action/Live Action play on words, coupled with the bursting imagery was developed to illustrate the excitement of the live experience and highlight those breakout players who would lead the charge.

2006 Advertising Samples:

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Calgary: ‘Cloudy’ with chance of clearing

Published on July 14, 2010 in Clients, Design, Print and The City of Calgary by Ian Regier.

With the height of the great recession behind us, The City of Calgary was ‘Moving Forward’ in 2009 and I was assigned with the task of developing creative to represent this theme … and to accentuate the online presence of their 2009 Corporate Annual Report. The solution was to develop a bold, optimistic composition reminiscent of a digital tag cloud.
The document is literally stacked with keywords, images and graphics from the year’s big projects, events and achievements. The major accomplishments are unveiled using expanding four-page spreads — a tangible pop-up window. Full details that are only hinted to in the printed version are available in the interactive website.

The creative for the 2008 Corporate Annual Report was much more subdued to suit the times. Calgary was somewhat sheltered from the economic turmoil in 2008, but The City needed to ensure they portrayed prudent fiscal management at all levels.
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125 years: 12.5 months in the making

Published on July 7, 2010 in Calgary Fire Department, Clients, Design and Print by Ian Regier.
Over a year of solid work on a single project may see like a lot in my line of work … but pales in comparison to the dedication of the men and women in uniform.
Yours For Life: 125 Years of Courage, Compassion and Service from the Calgary Fire Department, a joint labour researched and written by Judy Monchuk and designed by yours truly, was released this summer to help celebrate the Calgary Fire Department’s (CFD) 125th Anniversary. The 112 pages of stories, photographs, personal accounts and a handful of other articles and ephemera not only chronicle the major events in the CFD history, but also tell the story of the growth of the city of Calgary and the world events that impacted it’s citizens.

Historical integrity was essential to the success of the design — the book needed to look as authentic as the stories themselves. Hundreds of hours were required to get everything in place, but also to ensure the colours, textures, photographs and subtle elements were perfected for reproduction.

The initial challenge was to establish a structure, format and style that would ensure the proper flow and progression, but would also allow for opportunities to break the mould. The book spans six generations of fashions, fads and trends, so a stagnant presentation would not give the depth such a rich history deserves. A constant search was required to find authentic textures and design elements so each story, time and place was given it’s own personality.
The book can be purchased from the Firefighters Museum of Calgary for $35 with all proceeds going directly to the Firefighters Museum.
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