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Canada

1867 Yonge Street
Suite 1100
Toronto, ON
M4S 1Y5
+1 416.480.2020

United States

530 Seventh Avenue
M2 - Unit 20
New York, NY
10018
+1 212.929.6060

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Canada

1867 Yonge Street
Suite 1100
Toronto, ON
M4S 1Y5
+1 416.480.2020

United States

530 Seventh Avenue
M2 - Unit 20
New York, NY
10018
+1 212.929.6060

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

Pan Am Path

Overview

The new Pan Am Path brand brings a contemporary look to 80km of linked bike and walking paths; a legacy project of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Details

Client
City of Toronto, Pan Am/Parapan Am
Project
Pan Am Path
Size
3,228,312 sq. ft.
Scope
Graphic Design, Interpretive Signage Design
Location
Toronto, ON, CA
Year Completed
2015
Budget
$58,000

Impact

Path length
80 km
Connected City Wards
13
Artists Involved
100

1 Award Total

International Design Awards (IDA)
Honorable Mention

The
Goal

To bring the Pan Am Path to life, the City of Toronto asked R&P to develop a brand vision to represent this new 80km crosstown trail and provide a coherent and consistent visual solution within the larger context of the City’s network of trails. The vision: a trail across the city linking Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods and communities, with opportunities for sport and recreation, art and culture, enriched public spaces, and tourism and commerce. The design would raise awareness of the Path leading up to the games and leave a timeless visual application for years to come. The new brand vision would include strategies for implementation that the City could explore in both marketing and wayfinding during and after the 2015 Games.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

The
Design

R&P was inspired by the connections created by the path between people and the nature found in their community. To represent the theme of connections between the various existing trails and the diverse neighbourhoods along the path, R&P used the letter ‘P’ (for both ‘Pan Am’ and ‘Path’) in different colours repeated vertically to form a symbol that looks like a stylized tree for the visual identity for the brand. Each connection represents a different portion of the path and its community. Since the Pan Am Path was a supplement to the existing Pan Am Games event, it used a matching colour palette and typeface to link it to the parent brand.

The brand is vibrant, colourful and stands out among the myriad of city signage that is found along the path. The brand guidelines suggested iconic ways of reinforcing the logo, such as in the path’s custom bike racks. The document outlined the brand values, best practices for the use of the new Pan Am Path identity, provided complementary brand graphic motifs and patterns, and an extensive application sections for brand implementation to printed brochures, clothing, banners, floor graphics, bike racks, wall murals, web/mobile sites, and social media.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

The
Results

The Pan Am Path is a resounding success. The Path has become an important part of the city fabric and the look and feel of its signage gives a contemporary voice to the city that meshes well with the art-focused events that are regularly held along its length.

Many of the graphic motifs and application techniques described in the manual were implemented (such as the floor graphics, bike racks, and t-shirts), and the new wayfinding sign designs followed the branding specifications directly, which speaks to the success of the Brand Guidelines and the strength of the identity.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

Pan Am Path

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

Details

Client
City of Toronto, Pan Am/Parapan Am
Project
Pan Am Path
Size
3,228,312 sq. ft.
Scope
Graphic Design, Interpretive Signage Design
Location
Toronto, ON, CA
Year Completed
2015
Budget
$58,000

Overview

The new Pan Am Path brand brings a contemporary look to 80km of linked bike and walking paths; a legacy project of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.

Impact

Path length
80 km
Connected City Wards
13
Artists Involved
100

1 Awards Total

International Design Awards (IDA)
Honorable Mention
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

The
Goal

To bring the Pan Am Path to life, the City of Toronto asked R&P to develop a brand vision to represent this new 80km crosstown trail and provide a coherent and consistent visual solution within the larger context of the City’s network of trails. The vision: a trail across the city linking Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods and communities, with opportunities for sport and recreation, art and culture, enriched public spaces, and tourism and commerce. The design would raise awareness of the Path leading up to the games and leave a timeless visual application for years to come. The new brand vision would include strategies for implementation that the City could explore in both marketing and wayfinding during and after the 2015 Games.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

The
Design

R&P was inspired by the connections created by the path between people and the nature found in their community. To represent the theme of connections between the various existing trails and the diverse neighbourhoods along the path, R&P used the letter ‘P’ (for both ‘Pan Am’ and ‘Path’) in different colours repeated vertically to form a symbol that looks like a stylized tree for the visual identity for the brand. Each connection represents a different portion of the path and its community. Since the Pan Am Path was a supplement to the existing Pan Am Games event, it used a matching colour palette and typeface to link it to the parent brand.

The brand is vibrant, colourful and stands out among the myriad of city signage that is found along the path. The brand guidelines suggested iconic ways of reinforcing the logo, such as in the path’s custom bike racks. The document outlined the brand values, best practices for the use of the new Pan Am Path identity, provided complementary brand graphic motifs and patterns, and an extensive application sections for brand implementation to printed brochures, clothing, banners, floor graphics, bike racks, wall murals, web/mobile sites, and social media.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip

The
Results

The Pan Am Path is a resounding success. The Path has become an important part of the city fabric and the look and feel of its signage gives a contemporary voice to the city that meshes well with the art-focused events that are regularly held along its length.

Many of the graphic motifs and application techniques described in the manual were implemented (such as the floor graphics, bike racks, and t-shirts), and the new wayfinding sign designs followed the branding specifications directly, which speaks to the success of the Brand Guidelines and the strength of the identity.

Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Photo Courtesy of Kerun Ip
Projects Pan Am Path