Toronto agency Zulu Alpha Kilo has created a new brand identity for the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP) that simultaneously updates the 139-year-old organization’s look while nodding to its past.
The new OCP logo retains the traditional snake and caduceus emblem, but has been updated to include a shield featuring a green and blue colour scheme, while the snake’s coils now subtly form the OCP acronym.
Zulu president and creative director Zak Mroueh described the new identity as a “visual vocabulary” that can be extended to business cards, the OCP website {http://www.ocpinfo.com/}and future ad campaigns.
“We looked at things that were very traditional and we looked at things that were super-modern, and where we ended up was a blend of the two,” Mroueh said.
The OCP has also introduced a new slogan, “Putting patients first since 1871,” that speaks both to its heritage and its mandate to ensure public safety.
Zulu has earned a reputation as a rebranding agency since its 2008 launch, having completed several rebranding assignments for clients including Bell, Workopolis and Carleton University. “All of the clients that come to us tend to be looking for some sort of rebrand, so it’s becoming what we’re known for,” said Mroueh.
“I find it more stimulating and interesting to create something from the ground up rather than continue with what’s already there,” he added, pointing to previous rebranding projects with clients including Canadian Tire and Viagra done with his former agency, Taxi. “It’s something I’m comfortable with and enjoy doing.”
The OCP appointed Zulu as its agency of record in May , following a review that included Crescent Group and Doug & Serge. The account had previously been held by Ground Zero for seven-and-a-half years.
