A REBRAND 2: Ocean Sales Website

Free Agency Creative is pleased to announce the recent launch of the new website for Ocean Sales Ltd. This Canadian company focuses on developing innovative, quality products that improve your life.

Aesthetically, we saw the launch of the new site as an opportunity to make a very bold statement within our rebrand campaign. The website provided a sizable canvas to continue our quest in modernizing the aesthetic of the brand through fresh colour, elegant type and open space.


The catalyst that propelled the overall strategic approach of the site was:
LIVE BETTER, WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW. Therefore the site was designed to continually deliver and facilitate new ways of improving your life through the product offering of Ocean Sales. Areas such as the LIVE BETTER section, allows visitors to continually access advice, tips and other useful articles/media.


The essence and lifestyle of the brand was further strengthened by the introduction of new photography. The main initiative of the shots were to define the different lifestyle categories within the Ocean Sales product offering. Visual unity among all products was facilitated with a few days of shooting in a studio. We'd like to thank Jonathan Cruz and his team for making the shoots so fun and enjoyable.



We'd like to thank the team at Domain 7 who produced and built a technically sound yet user-friendly website - including a client-managed E-commerce system (yikes).

View the new site

Related Post - A REBRAND: Ocean Sales Inc.

The Wiser System

During the Spring term in the Langara College CS Communication and Ideation Design Program, I had the privilege of teaching a new course called - Independent Project. A class similar to that of Emily Carr's Senior Core Studio in which students were given the opportunity to choose their own topic/problem. They were to research its respective narrative and re-invent it for the better. As always, the students rose to the challenge and produced some promising results. I wanted to take the opportunity to share a certain project produced by Eugene Huh for its relevancy in our everyday lives.

From day one, Eugene wanted to help citizens make more rational, sustainable, decisions when buying products. His project was called "The Wiser System" and his goal was to influence consumers right at their particular point-of-purchase. Inspired by the Nutritional Facts labels on food products, he created a system that highlights a product's impact in three key areas: Environment, Social Welfare (community) and Personal Health.

To help convey his concept, he created a simply charming video reel using stop-motion animation and paper cutouts. Quite the fitting execution.



He also created 2 more reels in order to contextualize the real world application of the system on an iPhone (note: they're still in early stages - but his human sound effects are great).





A special thanks goes to Selma Zafar, Lisa Hemingway, Dean Ponto and Cindy Sheldan for their expert advice and encouragement to Eugene over the course of the term.

If you'd like to learn more from Eugene, feel free to contact him at eugene_huh@yahoo.com

~tyukawa

Enjoying Coffee

As a designer and an entrepreneur, I love making things, and if there is something I love to make, it’s coffee. Making a great latté requires attention to detail in the process of selecting, grinding, brewing, steaming and pouring the final product. During the daily activities of the design studio, we believe it’s important to stay connected to other crafts. Whether it be letterpress, cooking, or making coffee, we enjoy them all. If all else fails and we cannot make our own, there are a few coffee shops we believe are doing it right. They are (in no particular order):

Caffe Artigiano

JJ Bean

Elysian Coffee

Here are a few photos from the last round of coffees made in the studio.

Don.

A beautiful building

I had the pleasure, this evening, of touring the Terminus building in Gastown. The Salient Group has done a wonderful job in collaboration with Acton Ostry Architects, Evoke International, Haebler Construction, and Inform Interiors to produce a harmonious blend of modernity and historicism in Vancouver’s Historic Gastown. Being a resident of Gastown, it’s really nice to see projects like this come to life. I only hope more developers are able to find ways to take traditional spaces and convert them into usable contemporary residents that are relevant to today. Here are a few of my pics from the tour.

A nod to local Vancouver talent - Mark James

The team at Free Agency Creative recently had the pleasure of connecting with Vancouver art director/designer Mark James. He boasts a sophisticated body of work that pivots one way or another on fashion. As you page through his printed work for local fashion brands such as Kersh, Nicole Bridger and Anna Kosturova, his forte with imagery and art direction become clear.

Above images for Kersh Spring 08 - shot by Candace Meyer

Above images for Kersh Fall 09 - shot by Candace Meyer

One can't help but appreciate his ability to find balance within each image through his strong sensitivity with colour, light and composition. He successfully unifies the models within their landscapes and surroundings - all the while championing the clothing. He's then able to weave the story of each image into a larger narrative within a particular DPS or the entire catalog.

All the technicalities aside...the work is beautiful, yet honest.

Above images for Nicole Bridger - shot by Candace Meyer

Above images for Anna Kosturova - shot by Chris Haylett

Above images for Kersh Fall 09 - shot by Candace Meyer

Click here to check out more of Mark's work.

~tyukawa

A REBRAND: Ocean Sales Inc.

Ever heard of the Bamix Mixer or the V-Slicer? Sure you have. The Bamix is enthusiastically endorsed by the famous Gordon Ramsay. Ocean Sales Inc. has been responsible for bringing recognizable household products like these to North America for over 25 years.

Our goal at FAC was to help Ocean Sales focus their messaging, leverage their strengths and modernize their aesthetic with a fresh face.

Through a family of quality products, Ocean Sales is committed to showing you how to live better - at home, in your health or at play.

Once key messaging was established, development began with the creation of a new symbol and wordmark. We wanted the elements to be brighter and more vibrant through open white space and strong colour.

The symbol (old to new): Unity, Holistic, Vibrancy, Organic

The wordmark: Human, Soft, Contemporary, Open

We are now in the process of creating essential touch points such as the standard stationery package plus a few other elements that would create greater awareness among their respective target markets.

Free Agency Creative is also excited to be teaming up with Domain 7 to design and build the new Ocean Sales website and store functionality. Not only will the site further enforce the key brand messaging, the site will continually deliver new ways to improve your life - through tips, articles and video. Stay tuned for the launch this summer.

~tyukawa

Tak helps with the RETHINK Scholarship

A sound teaching relationship with the Communication and Ideation Program at Langara College has given Tak Yukawa the privilege to be a judge for the Rethink Scholarship.

The judging panel:
- Dr Shelley Gruendler, head of CID at Langara College
- Ian Grais, founding partner and co-creative director of RETHINK
- Rob Tarry, group creative director of RETHINK
- Tak Yukawa, partner and co-creative director of Free Agency Creative

The initiative is a joint effort between Rethink and Langara College to nurture and develop promising young talent into future Art Directors and Designers. The PRIZE: an $18,000 scholarship to Langara's two-year Communication and Ideation Design Program and a 3-month internship with Rethink (wow!).

Applicants were asked to submit an 8.5 x 11 sketchbook filled with their ideas, inspiration and process.

Judging took place in the creative boardroom of Rethink with judges spending time with each book - all the while smiling and conversing about what caught their attention. In the end, a winner was chosen who best represented the ideals of the prize.

A special thank you goes to Cameron Walker (pictured in black shirt above) at Rethink for coordinating a fun afternoon.

To learn more about the scholarship details and to watch a great promo video by Rethink - visit http://rethinkscholarship.com/


~tyukawa