Valley REN + Greg Dubeau — Graphic Designer

Positioning Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley as a powerhouse in Ag-tech development.

Services: Graphic design and illustration for print and screen

Product: Strategic report and presentation

Client

The Valley Regional Economic Network (Valley REN) propels economic development in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. As a catalyst, they strive for a sustainable, inclusive, and thriving regional economy.

valleyren.ca →

Team

Richelle Brown Redden

Wayne St-Amour

Greg Dubeau

Illustrated overhead view of Annapolis Valley farmland.

Valley REN + MIT REAP: Collaborating to drive agricultural tech growth

The Valley Regional Economic Network (Valley REN →) drives economic growth in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. One key way of doing this is by collaborating with international partners, such as the MIT REAP (→) program—a global initiative aimed at enhancing innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems and transforming economies worldwide.

Illustration of cows in a field communicating with a communications tower in the background.

Valley REN is leading the initiative for a Nova Scotia Ag-tech corridor

The Valley REN is perfectly positioned as the project managers for the MIT REAP Annapolis Valley Team, due to their unique mission and mandate. Their objective is to create an Agricultural Technology (Ag-tech) Accelerator to test, demonstrate, and promote technologies within their region. Ultimately, which could lead to the establishment of an Ag-tech Corridor along the province’s agricultural backbone.

Illustration of chickens feeding in a field. One chicken has three check marked boxes protruding from it's figure.

Pull-quote of the Valley REN's team objective.

Illustration of Nova Scotia highlighting the Annapolis Valley region.

Infographic illustrations for balancing work and family life, and lack of access to funds and capital.

Infographic illustrations for lack of skilled staff and attracting customers and developing new markets.

Infographic illustrations for other identified issues such as inefficient bureaucracy and study relating to lack of sector workers.

What is an Ag-tech Accelerator?

The Valley Ag-Tech Accelerator aims to enhance farming practices by delivering innovative solutions for local farmers. By fostering collaboration between local producers, agricultural experts, and tech entrepreneurs, the Accelerator seeks to drive the shift towards a more resilient, sustainable, diverse, and economically viable agricultural industry in Nova Scotia. The initiative is designed to attract corporations and entrepreneurs in both agriculture and technology sectors, leveraging the Valley’s high quality of life.

Two targeted agricultural technology infographic illustrations for decision support and vertical farming.

Two targeted agricultural technology infographic illustrations for sensors and tracking, and drones.

Two targeted agricultural technology infographic illustrations for energy management and manufacturing.

Transforming research into compelling illustrated data visualizations

Our challenge was to transform a formal strategic report, Looking Back, Looking Forward: MIT REAP Comprehensive Report, into a captivating narrative, with storytelling as its core communication strategy. Through illustration, we successfully turned complex information into concise and accessible data visualizations.

Exit strategy illustration of a chick with a saw and hard hat leaving its egg.

Two competitive advantages infographic illustrations for activity metrics and service matching.

Two competitive advantages infographic illustrations for indoor farming and promotion and attraction.

Two competitive advantages infographic illustrations for economic prosperity and connected province.

Desktop monitor featuring a presentation slide for the Must Win Battle Justification Strategy and an illustration of a cow.

Title page presentation slide for the Looking Back, Looking Forward MIT REAP Comprehensive Report.

Executive summary slide featuring an illustrated graph showing the relationship between local quality food demand and the number of regional farms.

Must Win Battle slide featuring three infographic illustrations for the innovation driven entrepreneurship acceleration strategy.

Ag-Tech Accelerator Characteristics and Operating Model Traits slide featuring three infographic illustrations for membership, business style and corporate versus competitive ethos.

Designing a visual identity without a brand

Considering the report had contributions from various stakeholders, it was crucial not to highlight any specific organization’s visual branding. Drawing inspiration from the friendly personality of Valley residents and the region’s natural earth tones, we crafted a unique visual identity for the report. Our goal was to deviate from the traditional feel of strategy reports, aiming to engage an audience keen on innovating Nova Scotia’s agricultural sector.