News

In mid-April 2008 Karo was awarded two new projects involving rebranding, signage and wayfinding for two prominent shopping malls in Calgary and Vancouver.

Park Royal, West Vancouver

Karo will undertake the re-branding and complete Wayfinding & Signage for Park Royal Shopping Centre, one of the first shopping centres in Canada. The owners want to emphasize the centre’s premium retail offering and new master plan. The first phase will be launched as part of a new Fall campaign. Subsequent phases will feature new development from entertainment to a boutique hotel as Park Royal expands into a major regional urban centre.

Southcentre, Calgary

Over the past two years Karo participated in planning and some initial work on the site, and has now been selected for the complete wayfinding and sign program for Southcentre, a 33-year-old mall in southeast Calgary. Southcentre is in the midst of a major upgrade, including a new food court on its north side.

Southcentre is our fifth major project for Ivanhoe Cambridge, following Karo’s re-branding, wayfinding and signage work at Metropolis at Metrotown, which started in 1999.
That project continues to this day with the ongoing refinement of site wayfinding, development of a third office tower, and inclusion of a seasonal entertainment centre.
Understanding how shoppers navigate from store to store, and creating a pleasant shopping atmosphere for them is how Karo helps strengthen a mall’s brand. We know the customer experience is the brand. With that knowledge, we’re able to revitalize two landmark malls in two major Canadian cities.

“When we acquired the mall adjacent to our existing property (Metropolis at Metrotown), we knew the two had to be brought together under one powerful and cohesive brand. The new brand identity and retail wayfinding program Karo created was so well conceived that it is one of the reasons our revenues have increased significantly.”
Brian Castle, Senior Vice President, Ivanhoe Cambridge

Instead of buying your sister-in-law a new sweater or a singing fish for her next birthday, ChristmasFuture invites you to give a project in the developing world instead that will help end extreme poverty.

Alberta’s Climate Change Central has been focusing their efforts on strategies to reduce greenhouse gases since 2000 and Karo has joined in to help out in this important work. We have partnered with Climate Change Central to help raise awareness of the not-for-profit’s long list of efforts.

Lara Presber got her first hammer from her dad when she was only eight years old and her first sewing machine from her mom when she was 10.  Little wonder that Lara grew up to be an architect and fashion designer (and integral part of Calgary Karo’s Environments department).  Lara’s second collection – for Fall 2008 - has been chosen as one of the four finalists in Toronto Fashion Incubator's New Labels competition.  Lara’s story made it to the front page of the Calgary Herald Real Life section recently.  Read it here...

Newalta, Canada’s leading industrial waste management and environmental service company, wanted to change people’s perception of waste management. They wanted people to start thinking of waste as a valuable resource instead of something to discard— or to find ways to eliminate it entirely. Environmental regulations are constantly evolving, and Newalta is committed to staying on top of changes and helping their clients to do the same. They asked Karo to help them reposition their company in the market, while engineering a change in perception about waste across the industry.
Karo expressed Newalta’s new brand position in an Annual Report, which was accompanied by a redesigned website and a video offering an interactive “Newalta story.” The website and video were launched in March 2008. Newalta’s reaction? “Karo completely understands us, and as a result they made it easy for us to explain to our clients and to the general public how we’re redefining the concept of waste.”

Karo Group was awarded the Hastings Park Master Sign Plan by the City of Vancouver. We will create a comprehensive sign plan to assist visitor wayfinding over the long-term future development of Hastings Park. Our plan will balance a mix of commercial and community uses and maximize green space and fair activities.

Hastings Park, comprising 162 acres (66 hectares), is Vancouver’s second largest.  In its first half-century the park featured green space, fairgrounds, and a horse track. A restoration plan was approved in 1997, and in 2004 Vancouver City directed staff to develop the plan further, and this is where Karo comes in. Our sign plan will be address the site’s many features and intended changes, including the PNE Fairgrounds, Hastings Racecourse, PlayLand, the Pacific Coliseum, the Sanctuary and other park green space.

Karo Group–Vancouver has been awarded a major new assignment for the City of Vancouver—a citywide wayfinding and signage strategy. This will make it easier for people to navigate their way to Vancouver’s many attractions, and is even more necessary as the City prepares to welcome tens of thousands of visitors to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We at Karo Group are pleased to announce that we have been engaged by Misión La Serena and Gravity Destination Properties to create the marketing campaign for the luxury resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, called Misión La Serena.

Misión La Serena offers 75 two and three-bedroom residences on pristine beachfront within the master planned development of Puerto Los Cabos on the Baja California peninsula. It is close to a new marina, two golf courses, an international airport and the charming Spanish colonial town of San José.

Karo’s campaign will include branding, advertising, web site, presentation centres and print collateral.

Employees at western Canada’s only interdisciplinary creative agency, Karo, are donating $100,000 of their time to two not-for-profits; the Boys and Girls Club in Calgary and Vancouver’s Potluck Café Society.

 The employee led program – Karo Kaus - will use the donated time and expertise to develop design strategy and multidisciplinary creative to help the organizations better achieve their goals.

 “We know how to help our clients strengthen their brand experiences and be more competitive and we want to help these organizations do the same thing” says Leah Vanderhorst, a member of the employee committee that selected the Potluck in Vancouver.

 “We are thrilled to have Karo help us share our story and better market the Potluck Café Society” says Heather O’Hara, Executive Director of the Potluck; a self sustaining enterprise that  provides meals, employment programs and community kitchen programs in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.   Karo will help attract new clients, secure corporate partnerships and promote fundraising initiatives such as the Soup Project, which aims to sell gourmet soup to businesses and their employees to generate revenue.

 The Boys and Girls Club of Calgary provides safe, supportive places and activities for disadvantaged young people to experience life enhancing skills.  It’s opening an Arts and Recreation Centre and Karo will develop a strategy and creative which will attract donors and local artists to volunteer.  

 Cheryl Doherty, the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club says “We can’t wait to get started working with Karo.  The centre will help 6,000 young people a year; exposing them to caring adults, boundaries and expectations and constructive use of time.”   Studies show that young people who engage in the arts are less likely to drop out of school, use drugs or alcohol or get arrested. 

 Karo Kaus is led entirely by the people who work at Karo.  Each of the 75 employees was involved and committees in each Calgary and Vancouver reviewed 71 proposals before selecting the two winners of the creative services grant.

 “I couldn’t be more proud of our team for coming up with Karo Kaus” says the president of Karo, Chris Bedford.  “The not-for-profit landscape is as competitive as any private sector industry, with organizations on tight budgets vying for limited donation dollars and community volunteer capacity.  We want to help out by doing what we do best; creating meaningful brand experiences.”

 Karo believes passionately in supporting employee initiatives and activities; one of the reasons it was ranked fifth in Canadian Business magazine’s 2007 “Best Workplaces in Canada.” 

 

 

 

 

On February 13, 2008, Karo Group won an IDI GOLD Award of Excellence at the annual Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia Awards for its work on the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.

Trev Deeley Motorcycles (“TDM”) wanted to integrate its priceless collection of motorcycles into its dealership.  After consulting with the former director of Public Programs at the Royal B.C. Museum, TDM hired Karo to create an experiential visitor environment for its new, 10,000 sq.ft. Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition.

Karo’s design showcased TDM’s new identity as well as exhibit graphics, display millwork and feature areas. It allows TDM to construct themed exhibits from its extensive and expanding gallery of motorcycles and one-of-a kind objects from around the world.

Most importantly, Karo’s design allows maximum flexibility for revolving exhibitions while supporting a strong permanent brand and presence for the Exhibition venue itself. Flexibility is crucial as the collection is rotated not only annually, but also daily for different events hosted in the space for groups large and small. Karo answered the design challenge with a fun, interactive space that is easy to maintain. Compared to TDM’s former Richmond location there has been a significant increase in both interest and visitation—leading to a benefit for TDM’s sales, showroom and service areas.

“Not only has Karo’s exhibition design supported the dealership and allowed the Harley aficionado to engage with the legacy of the brand, it allows both diehard fans and newbies to be drawn into the power of the Harley-Davidson experience. It has also become a tourist destination attraction in itself with a visitor increase of 800%.” Brent Cooke, Exhibition Manger, Harley-Davidson Canada

 Karo’s design for the Deeley Motorcycle Exhibition also placed in the category of "Institutional and Educational" projects, defined as "places of assembly occupancy such as schools, universities, daycare centres, museums, theatres, public art galleries, public auditoriums, airports, places of worship, courthouses, correctional and recreational facilities." Karo’s entry was judged against several other public institutions for this award, including schools, a library and a film centre. That Karo stood out among myriad others in this category was indeed an honour.