Top Drawer Creative Inc. Rebrands Canada's Most Iconic Environmental Non-profit

The David Suzuki Foundation is a leading Canadian voice on the protection of the natural environment, working towards a sustainable Canada with influence and recognition around the globe.

This spring, the foundation will roll out a rebrand two years in the making across the web and on signage, social media, stationery—and bar bathrooms—across Canada.

In 2016, as the foundation approached the milestone of its 25th anniversary, the Suzuki family and the foundation board conducted an extensive advertising agency review to rebrand the foundation's image to be more inclusive and appeal more widely to its varied audiences.

"One of the challenges we face at the David Suzuki Foundation is that our message can be complicated because we are dealing with a complex body of work and diverse stakeholder groups," said Deputy CEO David Suzuki Foundation Georgette Parsons." The organization sought out an agency that would appreciate these challenges and work with us to frame the narrative in a clear and compelling manner."

After demonstrating subject matter expertise in sustainability and a willingness to do extensive research and insight gathering, Toronto-based advertising and branding agency Top Drawer Creative Inc. was selected to rebrand the foundation.

Top Drawer Creative Inc. operates with the credo that business should be a force for social and environmental good, and has a client base of high profile companies and organizations with sustainability at the fore.

"As longtime fans of David Suzuki and supporters of the foundation, we did not take this project on lightly," said Top Drawer Creative CEO Howard Chang. "The stakes for getting this right were high to bring the foundation's legacy forward to connect and build momentum with a new generation of supporters."

The rebrand began by surveying thousands of supporters and interviewing dozens of stakeholders. Multiple brand and storytelling workshops took place in both Quebec and English Canada to ensure a national voice for the new brand. A key insight from the research echoed David Suzuki's longtime assertion that "humans are animals"—not separate or exempt from nature, but inextricably part of the ecosystem.

The notion of "oneness" led to the tagline One Nature in English and Une Monde. Une Nature in French. The Suzuki family and the foundation board immediately embraced the new tagline for its simplicity and fit. The complementary logo sprung from this concept, combining land, air and water, along with a representation of a human face in profile.

"Including people in the logo was essential to stay true to the new position One Nature," Rachael Muir, Creative Director, Top Drawer Creative Inc. "If you look closely, there is also a very subtle lower case DSF in the logo as a nod to the foundation acronym."

The new David Suzuki Foundation logo can be downloaded here.