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Strategy, identity + voice

Brand strategy and identity.

Positioning, naming, voice and visual identity, built as one system your website, ads and films all speak from.

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  • A render of the Sipp × Calgary Flames Saddledome Edition bottle, the Sipp lockup in silver at the head of its textured black label, 1983 in gold foil, 2027 in Flames red and the Saddledome drawn below.
    Calgary Flames Saddledome Edition
  • A render of the Saddledome Edition label up close, the Sipp script and Vodka over the Flames mark, with Saddledome in gold script.
    Label The lockup in silver foil
  • Sipp's website open on a laptop, the Sipp lockup in white at the head of the page and again, large, beside the bottles and cans of the range.
    Website The lockup in white
  • A can of Sipp N'Soda Orange in warm light, the Sipp lockup in black at its top over the round Sipp N'Soda badge, a cut orange beside it.
    Sipp N'Soda Orange

Sipp Vodka

One lockup, from the Saddledome Edition to a can of Sipp N'Soda. It's stamped in silver foil on the edition's label, white on the website and black on the can.

One label, seven plates.

The Saddledome label goes through the press seven times. We write the spec for every pass, so the label that comes off the press is the one the client signed off. Each ink's value is read off the finished label.

Saddledome Edition 4 × 6 in
  1. Matte base #0E0B0CFour-colour process on matte stock. The skyline, the Saddledome, the script tone on tone, the legal line.
  2. Silver foilHot foil. The Sipp lockup and EDITION, the mark both editions share.
  3. Gold foil #C39255Hot foil. 1983, the Flames mark in outline and the Saddledome script.
  4. Red foil #CF102DHot foil. 2027 and the solid Flames mark.
  5. Ink on foilProcess ink printed over the foil, so the skyline shows through 83 and 27.
  6. Raised varnishRaised UV you can feel on the lockup, the numerals, the mark and the script.
  7. DieCut to its own contour, 4 in by 6 in, the stock round it lifted away.

One system, not four briefs.

Strategy, identity, voice and guidelines run as one process with one team, and they end as one document. Here are the four, as the chapters of the guide we wrote for Highwood.

  1. Strategy

    The cover of the Highwood brand guide, with the wordmark, An almanac of the foothills, and the paragraph that sets out the identity.
    The cover

    Positioning, audience and the story. What the brand stands for, and what it has earned the right to say.

    • Brand strategy
    • Naming
    Highwood’s almanac

  2. Identity

    The masthead chapter of the Highwood guide, One wordmark, set in the paper, with the wordmark reversed and on bone, its clear space and minimum size.
    I, the masthead

    The mark and every lockup, colour, type and photography direction. A system that reads in two seconds on a phone.

    • Logo and mark
    • Colour system
    • Typography
    • Art direction
    Centennial’s three marks

  3. Voice

    The voice chapter of the Highwood guide, Plainspoken. Patient., with its four qualities, and what it writes and what it avoids.
    IV, the voice

    The messaging, the tagline and the tone, so the homepage and the ad hook sound like one brand.

    • Voice and messaging
    What Highwood never writes

  4. Guidelines

    The last chapter of the Highwood guide, Everything’s in the folder, with the full kit to download, every mark, the stamp, the favicon and the fonts.
    V, the folder

    One living document for ads, web, print and production, with every source file, so a new vendor ships on brand the first day.

    • Brand guidelines
    The Saddledome’s print spec

Centennial 33

A crest, a wordmark, and the number.

The release identity for a 33-year Canadian whisky, eight hundred bottles numbered by hand. One crest signs the label and the box, and the guide we wrote keeps it that way.

  • The Centennial 33 bottle, its navy label with the crest at the head and Limited Release, Centennial, Blended Canadian Whisky, Aged 33 Years in gold over an engraving of the mountains.
    Label The crest at its head
  • A render of the Centennial 33 presentation box in navy, the gold crest on its clasp and Centennial 33 at its foot.
    Box The crest on the clasp
  • The marks page of the Centennial brand guide, with the wordmark reversed and on cream, the crest and the 33 in gold on navy, its clear space and its minimum size.
    Guide The crest, gold on navy
  • The Centennial wordmark in navy.

    Wordmark Names the house.

  • The Centennial crest in ochre, a maple leaf and a thistle under the wheat.

    Crest Signs the bottle, the box and the cards.

  • The 33 in ochre.

    The 33 The age, as a numeral, never as a word.

Navy, cream and one gold.

  • Centennial NavyHex #0D1629RGB 13 22 41The ground under everything. The label, the box, the site at night.
  • CreamHex #E8E6E1RGB 232 230 225The reading surface, and the cards inside the box.
  • Label OchreHex #C0A874RGB 192 168 116The one accent. The crest, the number and a rule, nothing else.
  • Deep navy #051326
  • Box navy #1F283F
  • Mid navy #3D5477
  • Amber #D38937
  • Rust #893400
  • Warm ivory #EAD9C0

The voice counts things.

  1. EB Garamond 400The age, as timeThirty-three winters.
  2. EB Garamond 400 ItalicThe process, in five wordsCopper, twice. Then forgotten.
  3. EB Garamond 600The edition, countedEight hundred bottles. Numbered by hand.
  4. IBM Plex Sans 500The labels, wide and smallAllocation, by enquiry only, autumn 2026.

Highwood Distillers

An almanac of the foothills.

A distillery at High River since 1974, given a system it can run on. The wordmark is the masthead, one serif carries the voice, and the photographs are of the real plant.

The Highwood wordmark, its H crossed by a gold sweep.

The Foothills EditionHigh River, Alberta, since 1974

  • The Highwood Distillers wordmark painted on the white brick tower of the distillery at High River, under a blue sky crossed by power lines. Photograph by Neville Palmer.
    I The wordmark on the tower
  • Volumetric flasks, one amber and one green, on a heating bench in the distillery lab. Photograph by Neville Palmer.
    II No additives, no shortcuts
  • Two charred oak barrels with rusted hoops on a pallet in the rickhouse. Photograph by Neville Palmer.
    III Time in the cask
  • The still room, steel fermenting tanks beside the copper-topped still and its pipework. Photograph by Neville Palmer.
    IV Distilled at High River

Plainspoken. Patient.

Short, declarative sentences. Time, place and process over adjectives. The almanac states a fact and lets it sit.

Time in the cask.
Cardo The whole editorial voice

Writes

  • Distilled at High River, Alberta since 1974.Place and year, stated plainly
  • Five years. Fifteen. Twenty-five.The age statements, unadorned
  • Time in the cask does the work.Process over promise

Never writes

  • Smooth, ultra-premium, award-winning.Tasting-note theatre
  • Crafted with passion for the perfect pour.Adjective soup
  • NEW · Limited drop · Don’t miss out.Urgency the almanac never uses
II, III, V, XV, XXV.
Cardo Roman numerals set the folios
Foreword, High River, established 1974.
DM Mono The printer’s marks in the margin
  1. Prairie Midnight#0C0907
  2. Ink 2#15110B
  3. Ink 3#1F1810
  4. Prairie#6A563A
  5. Copper deep#7E3F0D
  6. Copper#B1631D
  7. Gold-Leaf Foil#C89858
  8. Foil 2#E7C98A
  9. Bone 2#DDCDAF
  10. Aged Bone#EFE4CD
  11. Paper#F8F1DE

From insight to identity.

  1. Discover

    Workshops, stakeholder interviews and a category audit, so the work starts from customers, competitors and commercial goals.

  2. Position

    Positioning, audience and the story, and naming if it is on the table. The frame the rest of the work hangs off.

  3. Design

    Two to three directions, each built out enough to judge. One goes on to full construction, the mark, colour, type, photography and motion.

  4. Voice

    The tagline, the messaging, the tone and a copy library, so every channel reads like the same brand.

  5. System

    The guidelines, an asset library and a launch kit, so your team runs the brand without calling us for every decision.

8 to 12weeks for a full brand system

4 to 6weeks for a refresh, or an identity on its own

Priced for each project.

Scope follows the stage of the business, not a package tier, and every project is quoted up front, before the work starts.

FAQ

Questions we get asked.

How long does a brand project take?

A full brand system (strategy, identity, voice, and guidelines) is typically 8 to 12 weeks. A lighter refresh or identity-only project is usually 4 to 6. We'll scope it once we see what you're starting from and where it needs to get to.

Do you do strategy only, or identity only?

Yes to both. Some clients come in with positioning already nailed and just need the visual system. Others have a strong identity but the strategy isn't sharp. We work in pieces when that's the right call.

Is this for new brands or existing ones?

Both. We build brands from scratch for new companies, refresh positioning for mature ones, and systematise what growing brands already have so the work is reproducible across teams and vendors.

Do you handle naming?

Yes. Name generation, shortlisting, linguistic screening, and a first-pass trademark check. We work with IP counsel when it's time to clear and register, but the creative and screening sits with us.

What do we actually walk away with?

A brand strategy document, a logo system with full file variants, a colour and typography system, photography and motion direction, a voice and messaging framework, and a guideline document your team and outside vendors can actually run on. Plus every source file.

Can you run the brand after it launches?

Yes. Most branding clients move into a retainer with us for paid media, content, web, or production, so the people who built the brand are the same people making the ads and running the site. That's the point.

How do you scope a Calgary branding project?

Scope tracks the stage of the business, not a package tier. A small-business identity assumes positioning and voice are settled. A full brand system adds strategy, voice, and guidelines. Naming, photography, and motion extensions are scoped separately. We quote every project up front with fixed scope and fixed price. See our full Calgary branding cost breakdown or our guide to building a standout brand for the full picture.

How many logo directions do we see before picking one?

Two to three directions, each built out enough to evaluate properly, not just mood boards. We land on one and take it to full construction: primary mark, secondary lockups, and responsive versions for small spaces.

What's the difference between a logo and a full identity system?

A logo is one asset. An identity system is the mark plus the rules: colour, type, photography direction, motion principles, and a guideline document, so the brand looks the same whether it's an ad, a storefront sign, or a slide deck.

Do you only work with Calgary businesses?

We are based in Calgary and work with clients globally. The process stays the same wherever you are: discovery, positioning, design and voice, then a system your team can use.

Starting a brand, or fixing one?

Tell us where it stands. We'll say what it needs, and what it doesn't.

Start a brand project