/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Culture

These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones

By Steve Kupferman
Copy link
(Image: Megan Hunt, Aster Design )
(Image: Megan Hunt, Aster Design)

About two weeks ago, five proposed logos for Canada’s 2017 sesquicentennial (that is, the 150th anniversary of confederation) began circulating online. Although the designs were just preliminary sketches that Canadian Heritage was using in focus-group sessions, they caused a lot of alarm in the media, because, well, they were all pretty terrible—especially in comparison to the iconic 1967 centennial logo, designed by Stuart Ash. Now the internet has interceded, in the best possible way.

Ibraheem Youssef, a Canadian graphic designer currently based in Boston, set up a website, where he’s showcasing sesquicentennial logo designs done pro bono by professional designers. The results, while not sanctioned by the feds, are so much better than those official preliminary designs that there’s practically no comparison. If the sesquicentennial’s organizers won’t hire one of these artists to create the logo, we hope they’ll at least crib some ideas.

Here, six of the best of the indie logos. The rest—many of which are also very good—are here.

See all 6 logos »

These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
(Image: Megan Hunt, Aster Design )
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones
These independently designed Canadian sesquicentennial logos are way better than the real ones

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for This City, our free newsletter about everything that matters right now in Toronto politics, sports, business, culture, society and more.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Latest

$1.7 million for an A-frame with a chicken coop in pastoral Pickering
Real Estate News

$1.7 million for an A-frame with a chicken coop in pastoral Pickering

Inside the Latest Issue

The May issue of Toronto Life features the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries moving north to avoid the carnage of Trump. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.