Canada Energy Regulator Brand

THE CHALLENGE

Implementing Bill C-69 meant changes to the National Energy Board (NEB) operation and governance structure. Along with these changes, the NEB would become the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). With 60 years of regulating the energy sector, a name change and the desired shift in public perception sparked a new brand. Beyond developing and altering old assets, the new brand had to be disseminated among the organization’s 500+ staff.

Originally I was brought on as the lead designer on the project. However, my role quickly expanded to include project management, art direction, and training.

ROLES

Brand advisor
Art director
Lead designer
Project manager

CLIENT

Canada Energy Regulator

CATEGORY

Brand Design
Project Management
Art Direction

“Jasmine major kudos for all your help today with coordinating the photoshoot with our new GIC appointees and additional engagement shots. You really made a huge difference in making it all happen and look seamless. ”

– Marc Drolet, Project Manager, Canada Energy Regulator

APPROACH

I began the project by evaluating the CER’s new brand standards and compiling a list of documents to redesign. At that time, the CER was at the tail end of brand/visual identity consultation with an external agency. Already familiar with Canada’s Federal Identity Program (FIP) and developing new brands, I provided feedback on best practices to improve the standards.

From there I worked with the Director of Communications on setting up introductory sessions for the brand. These sessions highlighted template updates and how to implement the brand across different communication products. I also volunteered to host training sessions with super users and helped guide them on transforming their documents from the old templates to the new templates.

For the templates, I worked with IT in ensuring that all Microsoft products drew from the same font family and color palette.

Operating for 60 years the CER had compiled a large collection of photos, icons, and infographics. Working with both the graphics team and communications team, I identified outdated assets and helped create a filing system for new assets.

CONCLUSION

On August 28, 2019, Bill C-69 had come into force. By that point, I had hosted three sneak-a-peek sessions, which had garnered interest in the new brand. By the time I completed my contract, I had hosted seven training sessions with several departments. Reception to both the sneak-a-peek sessions and the training sessions were positive. Any additional feedback from participants was implemented on CED branded products, helping create better ownership of the brand among staff.

One of the new assets was custom photography. For the client, stock photography didn’t accurately depict the CER’s services, which includes working with indigenous groups and field inspections. As the art director, I worked with subject matter experts and a photographer to ensure that the photos taken were akin to real-life scenarios and to ensure a range of quality photos that could be used across multiple mediums.

The overall result was a seamless transition from the National Energy Board to the Canada Energy Regulator with a brand that helped build public confidence.