Making It Happen In Hamilton
Newly established Innovation Factory (iF) was tasked with fostering an innovation community for the Greater Hamilton Area (GHA), fueling Hamilton’s post-industrial transformation.
To help make Hamilton a credible place for innovation, iF needed to:
• Inspire and rally the GHA’s diverse innovation community
• Present itself as a worthy peer to Toronto’s MaRS Discovery District and Kitchener-Waterloo’s Communitech
In true startup spirit, iF developed a profusion of novel programs and subbrands that made it hard to get a handle on the whole – an activity that promised not to stop.
Our task was to brand the Innovation Factory and bring the brand to life. This included:
• Logo and brand style
• Positioning and slogan
• Brand architecture
• Website creation
• Branding and communications for key events
Putting the DiF in Difference
The core of the solution was to build the identity and positioning around the idea of iF, a much handier, more playful word than Innovation Factory. And a word at the heart of innovation: “if we try this…”
The brand promise, “It begins with iF” signaled iF’s central role in fostering and accelerating innovation. The identity combined the optimism and élan of the startup spirit, with the solidity of experience and institutional credibility.
iF led to DiF – as in making a Difference. We began to deploy this language in copy and in subbranding, The Big DiF became one of iF signature events. The Mark Chamberlain DiFizen Award recognized the outstanding contribution if a community member to iF.
The Team
Brand Strategy, Copy, Creative Direction: Harry Cornelius, SIderen
Web Requirements and Implmentation: Alies Maybee, Sideren
Identity and Communications Design: Dwane Brookson, Thrive Design
