Toronto Unlimited

When I first saw the result of the Toronto Branding Project I told you all quite some time ago (the logo below is the result), I was a little taken aback. What does an abstract-looking blue swash and an awkward font tell the world about our wonderful city? And why ‘unlimited’? It all seemed a little too corporate-Canada to me.

Then I learned the story behind Toronto Unlimited. For those of you who do get the chance, try and watch the brand launch video to get a feel for where the Branding Project was trying to go with the new look. If you don’t have the three minutes to consecrate to the video, at least browse through the posters of the launch campaign to understand the story behind the conception of Toronto as the “City of Imagination.”

Indeed, Toronto is a city where even the imagination can not constrain the individual. It is a city of the people, and thrives on the changing and evolving mosaic of its population. The Toronto Story says it well: “It is metropolitan, yet it feels as intimate as a village.” Which is why I think the new look and feel for Toronto is a fair representation: it is a celebration of the ideas and feelings of the city rather than its physical iconography.

Do check out the Toronto Unlimited website: not only does it have a simple, elegant design, but it is content-driven, much like how our city itself is driven by philosophies, principles, and culture. Toronto is truly a “City of Imagination,” and though it may take a lot of that imagination to understand and interpret the new Toronto brand, it is clear that the city is indeed limitless: Toronto Unlimited.

(And though I still do think the ‘Toronto’ font is awkward, I would love to know if anyone knows where I can download it. Any ideas?)