Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts








For years, I've been shouting (I believe that's the polite word) into the wind that we need to create a movement of transit supporters. It's only when riders who care passionately are recognized, thanked and recruited that true conversion really happens. Well here's a start from Montreal (Thank you for showing us the way). This beautiful little papermation video for Montreal's public transit system, the Société de Transport de Montréal is 1 part cheerleading, 1 part exhortation, 1 part acknowledgement, and all parts the joy of the journey. The video is supported by a series of graphic poster-style ads that make it an elegant, fun campaign. Well done Montréal!

Video made by Karim Zariffa, assisted by Pascal Brousseau for Sid Lee agency.
Photography by Simon Duhamel.

Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2010.
Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.



This is a good example of bad advertising that I recently stumbled on. (Tripped over?) What was OC Transpo thinking? A bad visual pun, a poorly executed ad. Tacky. Whoops - did I just say exactly what I felt? My wife would be so proud of me.


All works shown on this blog are the copyright of their respective copyright owners.
Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2009



We've been very busy of late, redesigning brands or creating new branding for transit services. The process is usually elaborate and painstaking, and in order to do it right, I've had to traverse the universe of transit and transportation brands several times.
I must report that I've been horrified by the poor strategic and creative quality of most transit branding.

On occasion however, I've been thrilled by truly intelligent and iconic work.

I thought that I'd share both kinds from time to time. I'm kicking it off with a "poster" image of the logos of most of the major transit service brands in Canada. If you'd like a larger version, simply write to me and request a copy.


Article, poster and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2009
All logos and trademarks shown are the property of their owners.

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About the ideawallah

Gavin Barrett is Owner/Founding Partner + Chief Creative Officer, of award-winning Toronto agency Barrett and Welsh. In pursuit of big ideas he has: nibbled on pigs' ears (not on a live pig at the time); gone elephant-back in the Thai jungle (no elephants were hurt); gambled in a Macau casino (was utterly destroyed). His ads: have run in 35 countries, helped elect prime ministers, attracted the ire of the lawyers for Dolly the clone sheep, drawn an angry crowd in Lagos, have been studied in business texts in Canada and India and received derisive mention in a John Irving novel. His poems: can be found in Penguin’s anthology of 14 contemporary Indian poets, Reasons for Belonging. He cannot: sing.

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