Blair Francey

MA, RGD

Canadian Research Knowledge Network

Scope

/ Visual identity system and guidelines
/ Implementation planning
/ Publication design
/ Brand audit
/ Website Design

Agency
/ Trajectory Brands Inc.

Launch
/ 2019

Canadian Research Knowledge Network members represent 76 academic libraries across Canada, including world-class research institutions, innovative teaching-focused institutions, as well as two national libraries, and Canada’s largest public library system. It also operates Canadiana.ca, a free access collection of 19 million pages of digitized historical publications, including monographs, serials, and government publications plus the Canadian National Digital Heritage Index (CNDHI, affectionately referred to as “candy”), its growing index of digitized heritage collections. The new positioning and identity system created an integrated brand architecture that enables each entity to remain distinct but clearly part of the CRKN knowledge platform.

Whatever the outcome was to be, there would need to be three different logos designed that all worked on the same brand platform. Given CRKN's core business of digital information and preservation, I wanted to make sure that was recognizable in the design. As with every client, the designers at Trajectory all presented initial concepts to the client and were given clear direction as to which ones to proceed with. Of the options I presented, the one I was most interested in pursuing was selected as one of the options to move forward with. I honed the concept and colour palette and worked with our team internally to create something I was happy to share with the client again. After the second creative presentation, the client agreed to move forward with my design. There were a few more tweaks to the colour palette and refinement to the brand, but overall the client was very happy with the brand design.

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