What I took away from my Internship at Rock & Bloom

This summer I was welcomed by the team at Rock & Bloom as a design intern. Fresh out of school as a Graphic Communications grad, this was the most amazing experience I could have asked for.

 Since this was my first gig in the design world, I didn’t have many expectations at the start. My main hope was to learn more about my craft, but Rock & Bloom totally exceeded that. 

Always sharing, always learning

The entire crew was so open, always sharing what they know and making me feel right at home. They’re always ready to help you out with any questions you have, and they genuinely want you to grasp the reason behind the ‘why’ in terms of how we do things. They’re also really on the ball, aiming for top-notch quality in every project while staying on track.

Work-life balance for the win

Making sure I’m prioritizing a good work-life balance was new to me. I’ve never had coworkers who genuinely care more about their people than about the next job on the list. The team at Rock & Bloom always has your back and are always wanting to help you out. Their consistent support and flexibility creates such a supportive environment.

A place to be who you are

In addition to excelling in their roles, every member of the Rock & Bloom team are genuinely wonderful individuals. I found myself laughing harder at our numerous Slack channels than I ever thought possible, whether it’s the high-stress debates over where to have lunch or the impeccable GIF responses. 

The team that plays together, stays together

Another awesome aspect of Rock & Bloom is their homecoming week. Homecoming week is an entire week packed with good food, good times, and yeah, a bit of work too. Every employee (even the remote ones in Toronto and Vancouver) gather in-office to play games and bond as a team. It got pretty heated with a competitive Jeopardy game and multiple rounds of ‘Heads Up’ that somehow morphed into a full-blown sing-along. I can’t express how fun it was to work with these people.

I wouldn’t have changed anything about my time here at Rock & Bloom. I learned so much from an amazing group of people.

Inside the website transformation of a premier fund accounting firm

Aduro Advisors supports the success of the leading venture firms. Using best-in-class technology powered by the industry’s top professionals, they provide premier fund accounting services, enabling clients to perform at their best.

We’ve been lucky to work with Aduro over the course of many years. This is the second website project we’ve done with them, as they’ve grown dramatically since we first collaborated. This time they needed a new website that could reflect just how much they’ve grown and evolved.  

Challenge Accepted

For this project we needed to optimize web content and be direct about who they serve. We also needed to tell the Aduro story in a compelling way,  while reflecting the size of the company and the skills they offer. 

Through collaboration and iteration, we were able to make creative choices that truly set Aduro Advisors apart from their competition. 

Big Goals Lead to Big Gains

The project goals included:

  • Redesign and refine website to enhance growth 
  • Continue to attract top talent using the website as a landing point for potential recruits
  • Showcase new Aduro videos and client resource section
  • Build and enhance new content with the help of Rock & Bloom content strategist
  • Ensure that the site reflects the evolution and current scope of Aduro

Getting Down to Business 

Full Website Redesign

With the website redesign it was important to accomplish a few things. First, we wanted to show off the caliber of work that they do. Next, we wanted to really humanize the site – to show what it looks like to work at Aduro. We didn’t want anything to feel corporate or cold, instead we opted for design choices that would bring warmth to the site.  

The hierarchy of the website and content priority remained top of mind throughout the entire project. We needed to ensure that each page told a story, and that the story was comprehensive, yet concise. The goal was to create a seamless relationship between content and design that could empower their team to make edits as they continue to grow.

Celebrating The Wins

Like Aduro itself, our relationship with their team has grown stronger over the years. We love collaborating with this powerhouse client, building a brand that is made to last and a website that delivers a powerful impact.

In approaching our website refresh, Rock and Bloom immediately honed in on the people-first strategy that sets Aduro apart. The final product is a website that celebrates our incredible team while still highlighting the premier service and technology we’re known for. We have had a longstanding relationship with Heather, David, and the R&B team. Their expert advice has been instrumental as we have scaled our business and evolved the Aduro brand over the years

— Jess Brooking

Visit their website to see the full redesign and learn more about this innovative company.

Crafting a bold and nostalgic identity for a unique Canadian city

As one of the fastest growing cities in Saskatchewan, Weyburn is recognized as one of the more desirable places to live and work. Weyburn is a dynamic community with a long history of dedication to providing an exceptional quality of life for residents. 

Weyburn Tourism is dedicated to ensuring that residents and visitors have a positive experience. Through their website, social media channels and visitor guides, they highlight the very best of Weyburn. From cozy cafes to unique shops; historic museums to scenic nature trails – they prove that there is truly something for everyone.

Challenge Accepted

The team at Weyburn Tourism was ready to embrace a big change. Their old brand was outdated and stale, and their presence in the community was often confused with The City of Weyburn. Weyburn Tourism wanted to ensure that their presence was felt and that people understood their mission. They wanted to create a brand that would impact visitors and that the residents of Weyburn could feel proud of. 

The goals of the project included:

  • Drive residents of Saskatchewan to visit Weyburn
  • Develop personas to be used for future guidance, marketing, and direction planning
  • Create messaging to complement Weyburn Tourism, but resonate with and attract all residents of Saskatchewan
  • Update the visual identity with a modern look and feel

Getting Down to Business  

Brand Strategy

We started with a brand sprint to dive deep into the clients’ business and really understand their goals and challenges.

We really needed to understand what would drive people to Weyburn, both from a resident and non-resident perspective. We crafted a survey for both groups and distilled the results, using the insights to create three distinct personas.

Once we knew who we were speaking to we were able to craft key messaging that encapsulates the essence of Weyburn and speaks to the uniqueness of this small city with a big feel.

Slogan

Rather than change Weyburn Tourism’s name, we opted to give them a new slogan. We felt that a slogan would hold more weight and move the needle in the right direction since the brand and slogan are what really bring Tourism to life.

We wanted to differentiate ourselves from the city’s slogan and opt for something that was unique, catchy and fresh.

“What’s Up, Weyburn!” resonates with their ideal personas, especially the younger generation. Without being cliche, it very clearly ties to tourism and is perfect to build a marketing campaign around, serving as its own call-to-action.

Brand Identity

The Slogan design embraces how fun Weyburn really is. Bold and nostalgic, we opted for a retro colour palette and a retro font. It’s playful and eye-catching, without being cheesy or cliche. Most importantly, it’s uniquely Weyburn.

Logo

We created a simplified and modern logo mark that pairs nicely with the bold tagline. It’s easy to use on different backgrounds and is clean and modern, setting the team up for future growth.

Video

The final piece of the project was to come up with a video concept that would bring everything together. We wanted to poise Weyburn as a destination city, highlighting their unique amenities, while staying true to their cozy, small-town feel.

Keeping in line with the retro slogan, we leaned even further into the nostalgia aspect, opting for an old-timey voice over that takes you through a long list of things to see and do in Weyburn at record speed. It’s unique, attention-grabbing and definitely will stick with you long after it stops playing

Celebrating The Wins

The team at Weyburn Tourism were open-minded and eager during the entire rebrand process. They were ready to drive their own narrative and take control of the image that Weyburn Tourism represents.

This project was a fun and an exciting collaboration between both of our teams, and resulted in an even more fun and exciting rebrand. Check out their website and follow them on social media to see even more of this rebrand in the wild. And don’t forget to add Weyburn to your travel bucket list!