West Coast Creative Society
www.westcoastcreativesociety.com
August 2024—Present
West Coast Creative Society is a Vancouver-based non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, connecting, and celebrating the local creative community in a sustainable way. Their flagship initiative, The Coasties (formerly the West Coast Creative Awards), is an annual event designed to recognize outstanding creative work across disciplines and bring the industry together in a meaningful and well-deserved celebration.
Services:
Brand Strategy, Creative Direction, Communication Strategy, Visual Identity, Social Media, Email Marketing, Event Branding, Environmental Design, Merch Design, Production Support
Bringing people together, without the awkward small talk.
As part of the West Coast Creative Society ourselves we jumped on board to help shape how the awards showed up in the world, from early creative direction through to launch and execution. The focus was on building a brand system that could hold a wide range of creative work without competing with it, giving submissions space to stand out while still feeling part of a larger, cohesive moment.
We led creative briefing, communication strategy, rollout planning, and creative direction across every touchpoint, spanning social media, email, and the physical awards experience itself. This included creative team leadership and design and production for signage, tickets, staff livery, AV assets, and on-site moments, as well as ongoing support for the Society’s monthly Thirsty Thursdays meet-up. The result was a connected, high-energy experience that felt welcoming, collaborative, and distinctly Vancouver, giving both the work and the people behind it room to shine.
Branding
We didn’t want this to feel like your average celebration of the “West Coast” (read: waves, wood, and bears.) It needed to feel elevated and premium—as awards denote excellence—yet still feel cheeky and fun, so we struck a balance with a grotesque sans serif as the grounding system, with pops of vibrant colours for energy. The logomark needed to feel approachable and not elitist, so we approached the mark with rounded corners and bold letterforms to command attention with references to Bauhaus / Modernist era principles of functional and aesthetic simplicity. The rounded edges of the letters suggests that this event is meant to be celebratory and inclusive, not intimidating. The playful internal cut-outs make the logomark feel more creative and less formal, matching the spirit of a fun and inspiring awards ceremony. Use of the grid, white space, coherent type system helps to provide that sense of a foundation to support the work.
Instead of waves, we went with ripples. Creating a celebration and place for people to gather will have profound impact on future generations of creatives and marketers, and will help put Vancouver on the map. The aim is to have a lasting impact and a positive ripple effect in our industry.
Socials
Website
Credits and Thank Yous
It takes a village to pull off something like this, and we are grateful for all the volunteers who came together to make this a reality!
The West Coast Creative Society Founders: Heleena Webber, Erin Pongracz, Eric Seymour
Design Support: Taylor Crain
Motion: Jesse Shaw
Website: Steve Miller
Social Media Management: Hannah Russell
Judges and Categories: Kate Roland
Sponsor + Volunteer Coordination: Sara Caissie
Event Coordinator: Sarah Denham
Event Production: Wildfire Events
Entries Coordination: Charlie Tay
Assistant: Renato Barraco
Event Photography: Lindsay Elliott
Merch: Pressing Matters
Check out the website at https://www.westcoastcreativesociety.com/