RGD Signage and Wayfinding Webinar: How Signage and Wayfinding Communicate Brand
How Signage and Wayfinding Communicate Brand
The Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) hosted a webinar on August 9, 2023 about Signage and Wayfinding. Moderated by Angela Carter, the event was part of the RGD’s Wayfinding Webinars. Using different perspectives, John deWolf discussed how wayfinding and signage communicate brands.
Book Launch for contributing author, John deWolf
Book Launch for contributing author, John deWolf
A preface to Chapter 6—Halifax Explosion by Barbara Lounder sets the stage for contributions from Robert Bean, John deWolf, Paige Farah, Angela Henderson, Catherine Martin, and Juanita Peters. Mr. deWolf's essay examines the challenges involved in providing green space for surrounding neighbourhoods while simultaneously increasing the park's commemorative function.
Canadian Institute of Planners honours Wolfville with a national Award of Excellence
The Town of Wolfville’s national Planning Award of Excellence
The Town of Wolfville, together with Fathom Studio, FoTenn, Hatch Engineering and CBCL received the award for Planning Excellence in the category of Rural/Small Town Planning at 2020’s Canadian Institute of Planners’ Annual Awards for Planning Excellence. The jury comments, “The project, grounded in council’s aim and commitment for its residents, addressed climate change mitigation and adaptation. The project educated people on planning concepts and set a framework to support the achievement of feasible outcomes.”
AZURE’s thirteen Canadian Designers to Watch
Activating natural environments and fostering social interaction
AZURE Magazine’s editors and writers identified thirteen firms—one for each province and territory—as innovative practices shaping design in Canada. The magazine suggests “activating natural environments and fostering social interaction” is an important part of their approach to design.
A Landscapes|Paysages issue focuses on Reconciliation
Mi'Kmaw Native Friendship Centre article
The MNFC has served as a gathering place for Halifax’s urban Indigenous community for more than 45 years, providing space for social services and programs and space to celebrate Indigenous culture. The new building, proposed for the corner of Gottingen and Rainnie Drive, will provide much-needed space for additional programming and social services to Halifax’s Indigenous community. The next stage of the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre project is presently subject to funding approval. The CSLA’s Fall 2019 issue of Landscapes|Paysages focuses on Reconciliation and highlights the MNFC.
Panellist John deWolf reviews Macktez’s 2019 Summer Stipend grant
Panellist John deWolf reviews Summer Stipend competition
John deWolf participated as a panellist for this year’s Macktez 2019 Summer Stipend Competition. Macktez is a technology solutions consultancy based in New York that promotes and rewards relevant projects that seek innovation in unlikely places with a focus on global climate change.
RGD Member projects—Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre
Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre wordmark
John deWolf’s wordmark for the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre (MNFC) was featured by the RGD. The project as a whole involved architects, planners and graphic designers to help the MNFC find a prominent urban space to call their own, come up with a conceptual design for the MNFC’s new home, complete with branding.
RGD’s five-part series on Environmental Branding
A five-part series on Branded Environments
The five-part series on environmental branding series invited industry leaders to share their insights on a variety of topics including creativity, the value of effective wayfinding, strategic design thinking and the value of multi-disciplinary approaches to design solutions.
RGD features the South Shore Regional Library in Lunenburg
Lunenburg’s South Shore Regional Library renovation
In July 2018, the Lunenburg branch of the South Shore Regional Library opened in the former Lunenburg Academy, a registered National Historic Site. Sister companies Ekistics Plan + Design and Form:Media (now Fathom Studio) looked to the site’s history for our inspiration, and proposed a design that celebrates the storied past of building while making the library functional and welcoming for future generations.
Delmore ‘Buddy’ Daye Learning Institute featured in Canadian Interiors
Delmore ‘Buddy’ Daye Learning Institute in Canadian Interiors
Authored by John deWolf Canadian Interiors magazine November/December issue features the work by Form: Media and Ekistics (now Fathom Studio) for the Delmore ‘Buddy’ Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This branded environment celebrates their African Nova Scotia roots.
Atlantic Planners Institute honours Argyle & Grafton Streetscapes
API Award for Argyle & Grafton Streetscapes
The Atlantic Planners Institute (API) awarded its Annual Planning Excellence Awards at the Annual Conference in Moncton, New Brunswick in October of 2018. These awards honour the best in professional planning work undertaken by members in communities and regions across Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
Edmonton recognized for the River Crossing Heritage Interpretive Plan
Edmonton honoured for the River Crossing Heritage Interpretive Plan
The City of Edmonton together partners were honoured with an award of merit from the Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) for work on the River Crossing Heritage Interpretive Plan for the City of Edmonton. Edmonton’s City Planning Branch, together with Form:Media and Aaron Aubin Consulting Inc. created the plan through the use of research, public engagement and stories of the area to create a plan that both celebrates the rich history of the area and welcomes the future.
John deWolf speaks at the SEGD’s placemaking conference
A presentation on Cultural Heritage Landscape
Form:Media’s (now Fathom Studio) John deWolf and Christian Daniels (EGG Office) presented two perspectives on the topic of Regional and Local Wayfinding and Placemaking. Mr. Daniels spoke to commercial placemaking, and the headquarters for Facebook, while Mr. deWolf spoke to cultural heritage landscapes in Canada and the Atlantic provinces.
Two Applied Arts 2018 Community Design Awards
Two very different projects
The Applied Arts Community Design Awards recognized for two very different projects—a rebrand for a provincial regulatory body, and a unique urban memorial to a devastating explosion. The 2018 Applied Arts Community Design Awards recognize design aimed at specific urban or provincial markets, across Canada. The Community Design awards assess like-sized entrants and recognize those designers who work with smaller, local clients, a small business or projects with a shoestring budget.
Creativity Is An Interesting Word—A Truth Is Golden podcast
Creativity Is An Interesting Word
In the first episode of season 2, John deWolf, Vice President at Form:Media (now Fathom Studio) talks to Arnaud Marthouret of his youth in the Canadian Maritimes, and his early career as a graphic designer and when understood the potential for design to positively influence people’s lives. Arnaud’s podcast, Truth is Golden, is a focus on creativity. For this episode, Mr. deWolf talks about the design process and how his career bridges the gap across many design disciplines to create places that people can relate to.
SEGD’s Global Design Awards—Fort Needham Memorial Park
Fort Needham Memorial Park—Global Design Award
Each year the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) honours works in seven categories that show exceptional use of graphic design to communicate effectively, tell a story and create a strong sense of place. For the second year in a row, the EGD work for Fort Needham Memorial Park is amongst the finalists.
SEGD’s Global Design Awards—graduate thesis
Design Within Reach thesis—finalist in the student category
For the second year in a row, John’s graduate thesis Design Within Reach: Interpreting Guidelines for People with Disabilities in the Museum Environment was a finalist in the student category. He believes as an institution for public use, museums should factor all audiences of all abilities when designing a museum, creating public spaces suitable for visitation by the blind and people with low vision, the deaf and hard of hearing, and people with mobility issues. A public space that considers all users allows for a better visitor experience for all.
2018 Urban Design Awards—Fort Needham Memorial Park
Fort Needham Memorial Park—Excellence in Civic Design
After a hiatus of close to ten years, the 2018 Halifax Urban Design Awards were held on Friday, May 4, 2018, to celebrate achievements in Urban design. The Jury of Anne McIlroy (Principal at Brook McIlroy, Toronto), Maki Kawaguchi (Associate at Gehl, New York), Antonio and Gomez-Palacio (Principal at Dialog, Toronto) an Award of Excellence in Civic Design for Fort Needham Memorial Park.
Canadian Institute of Planners Award—Trillium Park
Trillium Park—Excellence in Landscape Architecture
The reenvisioned Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail transform a derelict 7.5-acre parking lot to a new public garden at Ontario Place. Upper woodlot walking trails wind through a native planted wilderness-inspired terrain and a First Nations inspired gateway leads to the recreated water’s edge.
SEGD feature—John deWolf’s sketchbook
John deWolf’s sketchbook
My sketchbook was always intended for me until now. What makes sketchbooks special isn’t what brand we use, how tidy it is, or what pen we use, rather it’s why we keep them and how we use them. The SEGD asked to share my books and for my thoughts on why I use and keep them.