TORONTO—Ove Design and Communication was given the mandate to redesign the Air Miles brand following increasing pressure from stakeholders who said it was beginning to look dated.

The rebranding initiative revealed there was considerable equity in the existing brand, says Michael Viau, president and CEO of Ove. “Our guidelines were to expand, refine and evolve the value of the mark,” he says. “We started researching the brand’s value across Canada and asking how much appetite there was to evolve the logo.”

What it found, says Viau, was that the airplane in the logo resonated more with customers than it had expected, relating the airplane not just to travel but to luxury in general. This was beneficial since only a small percentage of points redeemed go towards air travel. “People relate the plane to not only travel but lifestyle as well because of the vintage look of the plane,” he says. “They liken it to the ‘art of travel.’”

Though it kept the plane, Viau says, it removed the clouds to give the logo a more modern feel. A set of guidelines was also developed with the redesign, which was not in place with the original logo, which describes how to use colour to build brand equity. “We looked at how to leverage the blue, explore the palette in a more strategic way,” he says. “There is now modulation in the colour, an added dimension to it which is good to have online as well.” Contact: Airmiles.ca, Ovedesign.com