DVBIA Newsletter/Annual Report

The DVBIA wanted us to create a design that would not draw the reader’s attention away from the content of the magazine while retaining an elegant and professional look. We wanted to bring forward a clean, modern west coast vibe to the newsletter that let the imagery shine on its own. Previous versions of their newsletter had been flooded with colour, including different coloured text within a single story, which had obscured the content and decreased readability. The new design cleared away the coloured text and used trendy typefaces to bring forward that crisp modern style. To ensure maximum information retention and accessibility, we came up with a design that would function as a receptacle for all of the content that our clients had deemed important.

Our design removed the DVBIA logo, which incorporated the Harbour Centre, and replaced it with a minimalistic and clear title. We maintained this minimalism and clarity throughout the rest of the document, using only a few hints of colour intermingled with the copy and the pictures. Having black text on the clean white backgrounds makes the content more accessible for readers. This stripped-down design also allows for the images to really stand out, especially on the cover of the Spring Edition. The cover photo is a futuristic representation of the development possibilities for Coal Harbour, and the striking blues of the sky and sea are stark and sharp against the subtle background of our design. The black and white colour scheme also made it as easy as possible to digest the financials, which are a very important section for the stakeholder businesses, included at the rear of the newsletter.

Our redesigned newsletter simplified the masthead, removing the Downtown Vancouver BIA logo which wasn’t working well as a title.