Brookfield is one of the world’s largest real estate development and management firms with both commercial and residential assets. As they advanced plans for an important 16-acre mixed-use development in a suburb of Toronto, they retained Bruce Mau Design to help articulate their vision for the site and establish a compelling brand positioning and identity. BMD was also charged with identifying programming opportunities that would activate the site during the multi-year phasing of the project.
Beginning with research that uncovered the history, social and cultural context for the project, and the underlying objectives of the client, the community and the city, BMD was able to paint a clear picture of what the development could and should be. This picture (the vision), aligns the brand, the programming, the built environment, and the experience around a shared signal. Dockside is the compelling space where two distinct experiences – the urban and the natural getaway – can intersect.
The idea of a casual, inspired, lively and effortless place that has the amenities and sophistication of urban living combined with the easy and shared immersion in nature are what shape the branding for this place.
A stylized expression of the sun rising and setting over the dock, the exaggerated ‘O’ forms the foundation of the Dockside identity, and gives the brand a modern take that’s all its own. Used as a device in headline copy, it makes the communications clearly distinctive, as does the engaging messaging approach developed by BMD. The simple black and white palette complimented by fresh, contemporary photography give this waterfront community a truly urban feel.