Strategic Rebranding for Canada's Pacific Economic Development Agency

78%
Approval rating across federal departments
Client
PacifiCan
Industry
Government
In 2021, the Government of Canada split Western Economic Diversification Canada into twoRegional Development Agencies (RDAs), creating PacifiCan as British Columbia's dedicatedeconomic development agency. However, the original visual identity was developed by PrairiesCan's internal team and fundamentally misaligned with BC's economic landscape and actual environment. The overly saturated colours had no connection to BC's forestry, port systems, or emerging tech sectors, while complex design assets proved unusable by internal communications teams lacking Adobe training.
Understanding the challenge

Every transformation begins with a clear understanding of the current landscape. In this case, our client needed to bridge the gap between established industry practices and evolving user expectations. The challenge wasn't just about updating systems or refreshing visuals—it was about fundamentally reimagining how users interact with the brand in an increasingly digital world.

The complexity lay in balancing multiple stakeholder needs: maintaining the core strengths that built their reputation while creating space for innovation and growth. This required careful consideration of both technical capabilities and human factors, ensuring that any solution would serve not just immediate needs but create a foundation for future evolution.

Caption for the image here
Our approach

We began by immersing ourselves in the client's world, conducting extensive research to understand their market position, user needs, and technical requirements. This discovery phase revealed key opportunities for innovation that would set our solution apart. Through collaborative workshops and iterative design sessions, we developed a strategic framework that aligned business objectives with user needs.

Take, for instance, the use of soft animations. A smooth transition between screens or a gently pulsating button conveys warmth and approachability, while abrupt, jarring movements can feel cold or mechanical. These animations are more than aesthetic choices—they’re a way to humanize the interface. Subtle motion helps guide users naturally through an experience, making it easier to navigate complex tasks or processes without feeling overwhelmed.

Key elements of our solution included:

  • A comprehensive digital strategy that unified all touchpoints
  • Custom-built tools that streamlined complex processes
  • An intuitive interface that required minimal training
  • Scalable architecture to support future growth
Technical innovation

The technical implementation demanded careful consideration of both current needs and future scalability. We developed a modular system that could adapt to changing requirements while maintaining consistent performance. This approach allowed us to create a solution that was both robust and flexible, capable of evolving alongside user needs and technological capabilities.

Feedback
"Having Brett develop PacifiCan's new visual identity was a greatexperience, which produced terrific results. It's not often you find a designer who is as organized,meticulous, and professional as they are creative – but with Brett you truly do get the best of bothworlds. As you can imagine, developing content for the Government of Canada means that youhave to abide to countless policies, requirements and limitations. Brett kept our needs andguidelines in mind throughout all his designs, and he was able to navigate our requirements anddevelop not one, but two concepts for our team to pitch. His professional and empatheticapproach to receiving and addressing feedback was unparalleled, and his accommodating natureand flexibility around our schedules and project timeline was very appreciated."
Philippe Renoir
Acting Director General
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