Canadian Institute of Forestry + Greg Dubeau — Graphic Designer
Celebrating the rich history and future achievements of Canada’s forestry hub.
Services: Branding, brand strategy, illustration, and graphic design for print and screen
Product: Logo, visual identity, infographics, magazine, and national advertising campaign
Client
Canadian Institute of Canada – Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC) is a not-for-profit, member-based organization. Founded in 1908, the CIF-IFC is the oldest forest society in Canada, serving as the national voice of forest practitioners representing foresters, forest technologists and technicians, ecologists, biologists, educators, and many others with an interest in forests and forestry.
→ cif-ifc.org
Team
Natasha Machado
Jen Dickman
Mark Pearson
Kerry Spencer
Steph Robinson
Asad Choudhry
Dana Collins
Greg Dubeau
Canadian Institute of Forestry: National voice of forestry practitioners
As a nonprofit member-based organization deeply rooted in the forest sector, the Canadian Institute of Forestry – Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC →) faced the challenge of modernizing their logo and expanding their visual identity while preserving the emotional qualities associated with their longstanding heritage brand.
Building the future + celebrating the past of Canadian forestry
The Institute had outgrown its original logo, which had a complex design that limited its use, especially in certain types of media. Since CIF-IFC members are crucial stakeholders, we conducted outreach exercises to gather data to guide our design decisions. The feedback showed a strong positive attachment to the logo, so our new challenge was to update the brand while preserving its essence.
Brand assets accessible to all users
We improved the brand application process by making the design elements easier for CIF-IFC staff to handle. With a structured approach, we could use the brand more flexibly and creatively, all while maintaining a modern and professional look to convey the CIF-IFC’s mission.
A logo inclusive of all Canadian tree species
The logo concept represents an evolution of the previous mark, maintaining the combination of the tree icon and bilingual wordmark. The modernized approach introduces a new icon featuring a tree, with a deciduous species on the left and a coniferous species on the right, creating a unique mark that reflects the diversity of tree species in the Canadian forest sector.
Additionally, this icon can symbolize the organization’s promising future—serving as a microcosm of Canadian forests, where the combination of a deciduous leaf and coniferous bough represents the ever-growing and innovative nature of the Canadian forest sector.
A coordinated launch into the national forestry sector
The updated logo and visual identity were introduced through various educational outreach and advocacy programs, including a biannual membership magazine, technical infographics, the National Forest Week campaign, and social media engagement initiatives.
Conserving Canadian history through branding
The former logo held significant brand value for its members, so a heritage logo was created to honour the Institute’s proud history. The central focus of this heritage logo is the coniferous tree, which symbolizes the strong foundation laid by generations of past members. The “C” in the logo represents Canada and underscores the importance and centrality of the forest sector in the nation’s past and future.
Designer. Illustrator. Writer.
Greg Dubeau RGD is an independent graphic designer, illustrator, and writer based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His collaboration helps agencies, organizations, and entrepreneurs look and work a little bit better than they did yesterday.