It’s not every day we get to do the brand development for a hotel that belongs to the Marriott Tribute Portfolio: a family of independent boutique hotels around the world that are characterized by striking design motifs, bold use of color, and noteworthy art installations. All are meant to give you a hotel stay worth talking about. Tribute Portfolio hotels are a magnet for the colorful and quirky, much like the travelers who choose to stay at them.

How the Project Got Started

It all started when local Canadian entrepreneur, Carlo Parentela, who runs a wedding & banquet event venue in Vaughan, called Chateau Le Jardin with the need to accommodate his guests. He wanted to create a dynamic meeting place where life is celebrated to the fullest. …

Many business owners think a logo, graphic, or word-mark is their brand. But what they don’t understand is that a brand is an intangible thing that is created in the minds of their customers.

And so, whenever we’re approached to design a logo or involved in a full branding project, we need to start with identifying who the customer of the business is.

Now why start with the customer? Because…

“the foundation of a brand is built on the trust of the customer. A customer trusts your brand when their experiences consistently meet or beat their expectations.” …