By using elements of our brand, we created a distinctive and consistent identity within our physical workspace, one that is a testament to Avison Young’s commitment to having a positive impact on people, communities, the environment and economies across the world.
With Project Unity, our office branding efforts had to be reflective of three important overarching concepts:
Our Powered by people culture
Our Canadian roots
Our global reach
Local touches humanize our space, while brand touchpoints underscore the value that we can bring to the communities that our people inhabit. Our Canadian roots are proudly on display throughout the space. In addition to our community zones named after Toronto neighbourhoods, our meeting rooms are named after Canadian landmarks, and we have carefully curated a beautiful collection of photography of local and national landmarks throughout the office.
To physically represent our global presence within the space, our hallway is adorned with a gigantic map of our global offices. Other brand elements include our purpose statement placed prominently in one of our common areas as a constant reminder of our role in the community. Our brand colours are thoughtfully woven throughout the space – including an elegant gradient of our brand colours installed between wood slats – re-enforcing our strong brand identity.
We also named spaces after two incredible legacy members of our firm, founder Ted Avison, and Toronto team member Sean Faught, Avison Young leaders who strongly represented our values of trust, transparency, and collaboration.
Engaging our people in the branding process
For Avison Young, a project like this could only successfully come to life with people at the heart of all considerations: before, during and after the delivery of our new offices.
While our global headquarters serve as a window onto our people, involving them in the process was an important part of our branding plan. Beyond keeping them informed and soliciting their feedback every step of the way, we asked for their participation in some of the space's most impactful branding initiatives, including:
- Participating in the development of custom graphics for the space, by telling us which local landmarks they feel best represent their city and would like to see included in our space.
- Brainstorming on ideation and concepts to create a nomenclature system for the conference, flex and meeting rooms in our space, one that would be representative of their hometown of Toronto.
- Telling us what our Canadian roots mean to them, and what makes working at Avison Young so special. The answers we collected were converted into a stunning gallery wall, installed in one of our hallways (The Gallery Wall Initiative).
Avison Young’s commitment to having a positive impact on people, communities, the environment and economies is a powerful message and, consequently, it is the first thing that we wanted to see mirrored in our spaces. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, so our spaces must shine a light on our employees and the impactful work they deliver and the places they create around the world, while paying tribute to our roots and our growth.
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