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About five years ago, a marked disconnect within Qualico Commercial’s marketing materials had become obvious, it wasn’t consistent and it lacked imagination. Despite these marketing missteps, the brand was still flourishing thanks to the exceptional quality of Qualico Commercial’s developments. With success followed national exposure, and the senior management team knew that they needed to start branding the organization accordingly. Qualico Commercial had always been respected in the industry, but a refresh of the brand, particularly the marketing material was imperative.

Sidney Waskiewich, Vice President, Leasing for Northern Alberta had been envisioning a refresh of the brand since joining the organization, "finding the right person to lead the marketing team took us years...but we were willing to wait for the right fit.”  The ideal candidate had to have marketing savvy, a strong command of graphic design, an appetite for strategy and a strong working knowledge of the brokerage community.

Enter Nandini Ramachandran, marketing wunderkind whose tenure at an international real estate brokerage and real estate development company made her an unrivaled match for the Qualico Commercial team. “As soon as I joined the team I knew my first course of action was a brand refresh; I knew where I wanted us to be and what we were capable of, but we needed expert creative guidance to get there. We didn’t have the right pieces in play and effective marketing is all about a delicate balance between uniformity and creativity.”

Nandini immediately set her sights on selecting a creative agency to spearhead the refresh, admitting, "the RFP that we released saw some incredible contenders, but Signal by TAXI was at the forefront from the get-go.”

Dave Watson, Creative Director of TAXI, suggested an activation of certain brand elements that would create a strong sense of vitality for the brand, “Qualico Commercial needed to somehow create its own niche away from the Qualico brand, known primarily for their residential developments. We wanted to create something different while still relying on core elements.” Watson further stressed that while they couldn’t change the corporate logo, they could, “extract the strengths [of Qualico Commercial’s current] corporate identity and create something new, fresh, contemporary and engaging.”

The approach, colour palette and accompanying imagery TAXI proposed embodies the passion, spirit and creativity of Qualico Commercial’s professionals. The hero image is an illustration of actual properties within the current portfolio, further underscoring Qualico Commercial’s long term commitment to developing and managing financially viable and environmentally sustainable properties.

“The hero image is like nothing else in the commercial development industry,” offers Qualico Commercial’s Graphic Designer, Vonnie Ianson. “…because that’s what makes it so special. It’s endearing and playful in addition to being self-referential in a unique way. With an approach that’s both original and sophisticated, Signal by Taxi’s design perfectly engages all the core elements of our brand.”

The brand refresh has brought currency and spirit to the Qualico Commercial brand, signifying the next chapter for the Commercial team. “This newly minted image is very much a symbol of what we want to be seen as, a developer and landlord who is flexible, understanding of our clients’ needs with a holistic and responsive approach to the way we present ourselves as a brand,” offers Mike Saunders, Vice President, Development for Northern Alberta.