The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) was Canada’s national professional body for graphic and communication designers, founded in 1956 as the Society of Typographic Designers of Canada and renamed in 1968 to reflect a broader focus on visual communication. In 2022 the organization rebranded as the Design Professionals of Canada, or DesCan. Its visual identity went through three documented marks over that period, each tied to a specific era of the organization.
Design and History
The organization’s first identity belonged to its predecessor, the Society of Typographic Designers of Canada (TDC), which used a logo by Jack Birdsall in 1956 and a revised version in 1959. When the TDC renamed itself the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada in 1968, it adopted a new mark designed by Jacques E. Charette. That identity was reproduced in the catalogue for the Society’s first biennial exhibition under the new name, printed in overlapping red and black thin rules to reflect the bilingual (English and French) focus of the Society and the publication. Charette’s logo remained in use for nearly 50 years. In 2006, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp marking the Society’s 50th anniversary, and the art director for the stamp noted that the GDC logo had been designed by Jacques Émile Charette in 1967. The organization’s own history page dates the mark to 1967 as well. [1] [2] [3]
In October 2012, GDC began a process to replace the Charette mark, which had served as a symbol for Canada’s professional creative community for nearly 50 years. The organization issued a nationwide request for proposals, and the Vancouver-based design team of Dennis Boyle and John Ngan was selected. The new identity was unveiled in April 2014. [4] [1]
In 2022, the organization changed its name to the Design Professionals of Canada, with the shorthand DesCan derived from its two most relevant words, Design and Canada. The visual identity was evolved in step with the name change, credited to John Ngan and Dennis Boyle. [5] [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2014 GDC mark was built on three guiding principles. To represent community and engagement, a repeating set of semi-circles was incorporated to suggest the many diverse faces of the national community, with each rounded shape forming a portion of a letter in the logomark. For leadership and innovation, implied geometric shapes in negative space suggested forward motion, while triangles forming a “C” shape doubled as a stamp-mark for certification; the “C” also appears in the acronym GDC and in the CGD certification mark. For the Canadian element, the designers interpreted the proportions and geometry of the national flag, noting that the flag’s bold, geometric rectangles are naturally typographic. [4]
The 2022 DesCan mark retained the “C” as its central signal, now symbolizing Community, Certification, and Canada. The organization described the mark as a canvas and container for ideas and exploration. [5]
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