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Playwrights Canada Press

By bgfrancey | Published: March 14, 2011
Playwrights Canada Press book covers Over the past two years, I've been contracted by Playwrights Canada Press to design three book covers for some of their plays. The three pictured above are by some of the most prolific writers and performers Canada has to offer; Sky Gilbert, Maja Ardal and Anusree Roy. After reading the scripts for each play(s) and consulting with Playwrights Canada Press, a few sample covers were designed and passed on to the artists. I think the resulting designs are striking and communicate visually the content of the plays quite well. I've quite enjoyed designing book covers. The cover for You Fancy Yourself by Maja Ardal is actually from a poster I designed for the show a few years ago. The show has toured extensively across the country and internationally as well.
I am always delighted with the work BFdesign does on our book covers. We are given several options to choose from, all of which are superb, and the final product goes a long way in creating the right image for our books. I strongly recommend BFdesign, for both the design expertise that is brought to the work and the high level of professionalism. - Annie Gibson, Publisher
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Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto

By bgfrancey | Published: March 15, 2011
RGP Annual Reports The Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto is located in Sunnybrook Hospital. The RGP is part of a province-wide network providing services to those in need of geriatric programs and services working in collaboration with primary care physicians and community health professionals. The RGP of Toronto contacted me in 2007 to work on a redesign of their Annual Report which they felt needed an update. The resulting report gave a fresh new look to their reports and since then I have been working with them every year to produce the report along with an accompanying PowerPoint template.
BFdesign's aesthetic talent results in a professional and creative product which caters to its clients' needs. Marlene Award, Director, Administration & Information Management, RGP Toronto
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Off Bathurst Theatre District

By bgfrancey | Published: March 10, 2011
Photo of the Off Bathurst Theatre District bannersFront view of the banners This past November, on a sunny Saturday, was the unveiling of the Off Bathurst Theatre District in Toronto, a project of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). The project includes the installation of banners all the way up Bathurst Street from King Street West to St. Clair Avenue West. BFdesign was contracted to design the banners to help promote the three theatres involved in the project, the Factory Theatre, Tarragon Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille. The banners alternate as they progress up the street with every other banner reversing to the back so as you progress up Bathurst, you see both the front and the back. Pictured above is the Executive Director of TAPA, Jacoba Knaapen along with myself at the unveiling of the banners infront of the Tarragon Theatre.
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The Chang School, Ryerson University

By bgfrancey | Published: February 6, 2011
Prime Time Learning coverDigital Media postcardConnects Conference postcard The Chang School is the continuing education department of Ryerson University. I've been working with them since 2008 on a variety of projects such as the Silver Screen Arts Festival, their Leaders in Learning award ceremony, as well as various marketing pieces for newspapers and internally. I was able to work with the team a the Chang School in creating the 2010/2011 course book. The layout of the 464 page book was one of the biggest undertakings in layout design that I've ever worked on, but the outcome was incredibly positive for all parties involved.
Since 2008, The Chang School's Marketing and Communications unit has had the pleasure of working with BFdesign on a variety of projects - from small ads and postcards to large-scale publications. Blair has consistently provided creative, professional solutions that align with our brand and meet our design needs. We are also very happy with the high level of service BFdesign provides - no job is too big or too small, and we can always expect a friendly and efficient response. Marketing and Communications Team, The Chang School, Ryerson University
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Bombay Black

By bgfrancey | Published: February 6, 2011
Bombay Black poster This is one of my favourite pieces I’ve created. Cahoots Theatre Projects was presenting a piece called Bombay Black and approached BFdesign to create the marketing material for the show. Thanks to the brilliant photography of Paula Wilson, I was able to art direct a striking poster evoking the sensual, evocative, and mysterious feel that the play created.According to the company, people were lining up to see the show based purely on the marketing material they had seen around town! It was very exciting to hear about that. It also made me start thinking about how theatre companies in Toronto market themselves. There is a tendency to be very artsy in their delivery of marketing material – which is great, but I feel getting more and more difficult to compete with all the advertising a person sees while walking, driving, riding through the city. The approach taken with this poster was more Hollywood in style with one large striking image. What are your thoughts on how the theatre community markets itself? Do you like the artsy look and feel or do you think the more Hollywood-style feel is more appropriate these days?
Cahoots has always found Blair to be quick, responsive and easy to work with. Plus, he creates gorgeous designs! Kendra Fry, Former General Manager
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