Changes to Ontario’s regulation of lotteries and gaming have introduced new competition in the marketplace. OLG needed to reposition itself from a conservative regulator to a modern entertainment destination focused on play. OLG also needed move from being a quiet endorser to grow its brand presence.

At Ove Brand Design, together with the Publicis Groupe team, I led the development of a new brand identity geared to be digital first, considering ways to bring the brand to life with motion for tv and digital media. Geometric shapes inspired by the logo’s circles and triangle burst out and playfully interact with elements in campaigns from photography to type.

A graphic wedge device was developed to hold the logo to give it more presence when used alongside product brands, allowing it tremendous flexibility to work on any background colour or texture. In addition, a whole system of angled container wedges were developed to hold and connect various product brands brought to you by OLG in a way that connects back to the logo.

Subtle changes were made to the logo itself, revising the letterforms to fit the geometry of the circles. The yellow was darkened slightly to allow better contrast. The circles were spaced out for better reproduction at small sizes.

The new brand identity system was developed to accommodate varying levels of endorsement to accommodate the requirements of various products from national brands like Lotto Max that could only include limited OLG presence, to other categories like Crosswords that allowed for a bit more presence, to OLG-led initiatives and campaigns where the full brand system can be employed.

My contributions included:

  • Lead design team to create various design directions that led to the final visual identity program
  • Accountable to ensure concepts connect to the overall strategy and vision for OLG, creating a narrative connecting concepts to the strategy
  • Present concepts to various levels within the client organization and respond to feedback
  • Direct motion designers to develop animated logo and brand element expressions
  • Review agency creative to ensure the spirit of the brand is maintained while guidelines were under development across various channels and campaigns
  • Oversee the development of brand guidelines
  • Flex the identity to meet audience-specific needs for the OLG employer brand and OLG digital expressions while maintaining the right level of consistency
  • Oversee the development of corporate templates including PowerPoint presentations, Stationery, email signatures