ID Integrated Marketing, along with long time client and partner the Rose Corporation, wins the prestigious “Best Logo for Low-Rise” marketing category at the 38th annual BILD Awards for King George School Lofts and Town Homes.
“From the beginning this project was a labour of love for us” says Dan Berholz, President of Rose Corporation. “We worked tirelessly to ensure the School restoration and new build would be something Rose, homeowners and the Town of Newmarket would be proud to call their own. To be nominated for BILD’s Peoples Choice Award and to be recognized for our marketing efforts winning BILD’s ‘Best Logo for Low-Rise’ Award was a tremendous bonus.”
“The inspiration for the King George brand was taken from the very foundations of the historic building and its significant role in the Town of Newmarket, beginning with the iconic tagline ‘Old School meets New School,’” says Ryan Gale, President and CEO of ID Integrated Marketing. “Sometimes a project comes along in which all the essential intangibles come together organically to create something that is not just special, but spectacular.”
ID Integrated Marketing team members posing with the Rose Corporation on the red carpet
For starters, King George School was until recently counted among Canada’s oldest running public schools and deemed a heritage building in Historic Downtown Newmarket. It was to undergo a stunning restoration by the Rose Corporation, transforming the old school into modern lofts with luxury town homes surrounding the school. In addition to the school itself, Historic Downtown Newmarket was already undergoing a transformative revitalization with an exciting mix of old and new that many described as “Newmarket’s Renaissance”. Finally, extensive research conducted by iD during the pre-launch stage established a strategy for King George focused on the target demographics of empty nesters, affluent downsizers as well as young local professionals. The perfect mix of these key ingredients produced the concept and core marketing message “Old School meets New School,” which was foundation of the creative brief and inspiration behind the logo design.
The eclectic blend of intangible elements behind the “Old School meets New School” theme, the logo study and design can be seen quite clearly in the finished logo. The two fonts (one a classic Times-like Serif and the other a more modern Sans-Serif font) compliment each other and speak to both demographics without overpowering one or the other. Likewise, two strong but balanced colours were chosen. The first, a rich burgundy, not only speaks to the older demographic but reinforces the regal and luxurious underpinnings of the product. The second, a deep blue, adds a more contemporary look and feel to the logo.
Rose Corporation President, Dan Berholz followed by Development Analyst, David Bannerman
The most striking and memorable aspect of the logo is the crossed pencils icon which was inspired in part by a few renowned hipster symbols (themselves a throwback to classic coats of arms, with iconic crossed swords as a saltire seen in heraldry, representing “ready for action”).
“The concept was reinforced with the help of our research into the Newmarket Historical Society Archives,” Says Attila Lendvai, Senior Content Creator with ID Integrated. Digging through the archives ID Integrated’s Research Team found old sketches and illustrations of pencils shown in a very classic way from the school’s founding era. “We knew right then and there we had uncovered a hidden treasure which simply had to be restored to prominence,” Lendvai adds. At the top of the crossed pencils is the year the school was originally built, and below, the date it will receive the restoration it long deserves. Combining, these dates pay homage to the original historic plaque engraved within the limestone foundation in 1912, as well as the new plaque which will adorn the school’s entrance in 2018 upon project completion.
Like the School itself, the King George School Lofts & Town Homes logo and brand have become a recognized symbol of the Historic Downtown and a respected icon among the community of Newmarket and York Region.
“It was an honor and a privilege to work with the Rose Corporation and the historians of Newmarket to bring this modern-day expression of an iconic building to life,” Gale says. “It’s precisely the kind of archeological branding exercise ID Integrated Marketing excels at: bridging gaps and expanding market potential by digging deeper, looking harder, finding hidden gems others may have overlooked, and breathing new life into them with a polished contemporary design etched with profundity and purpose.”
It’s not surprising ID Integrated Marketing’s award-winning logo for the King George Lofts and Town Homes embodies all that makes the King George School restoration special; truly spectacular.
