Government of the Northwest Territories
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) provides programs and services that support residents across the territory, including healthcare, education, housing, infrastructure, and community development. Serving a geographically vast and culturally diverse population, the GNWT plays a critical role in ensuring accessible, inclusive, and effective public services for all residents.
The Approach
This rebrand was driven by the need to shift how the Government of the Northwest Territories shows up to its residents. Through evaluation and internal review, it became clear that the existing identity was not effectively supporting a citizen-centered approach. The government was being represented as 13 separate departments, creating fragmentation and inconsistency across communications, rather than reinforcing the presence of one unified government.
At the same time, the Northwest Territories is home to 11 official languages, 9 of which are Indigenous. The existing visual identity lacked the flexibility required to meaningfully support this level of inclusion, limiting the ability to represent the full diversity of the territory in a clear and consistent way.
Through a strategic and system-based approach, the rebrand focused on creating a unified, flexible identity that could support a “One Government” presence while allowing for adaptability across departments, languages, and applications. The result is a modernized visual identity system that strengthens clarity, improves accessibility, and better reflects the people and cultures it serves.
My Role
I was one of two co-creators of the GNWT rebrand, contributing to the development of the visual identity system and its strategic foundation. Over the past ten years, I have continued to support the evolution and implementation of the brand across a wide range of applications and touchpoints. The work represented here reflects my direct involvement in shaping, refining, and maintaining the system to ensure consistency, accessibility, and long-term success across government communications.
LOCATION
Yellowknife, NWT
INDUSTRY
Government
DELIVERABLES
Brand strategy and research
Logo identifiers
Art direction
Brand application
Marketing and social media applications
Website art direction
RECOGNITIONS
NWT Premiers Award (2019)
The Premier's Awards recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of GNWT employees, teams and partnerships with outside organizations.
RDG In House Design Award (2019)
The RGD In-House Design Awards celebrate outstanding projects by creatives working in-house in Canada and around the world.
Silver Leaf Award (2017)
IABC Canada's annual Silver Leaf Awards are Canada's premiere professional awards program celebrating excellence in business communication
RECOGNITIONS
NWT Premiers Award (2019)
The Premier's Awards recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of GNWT employees, teams and partnerships with outside organizations.
RDG In House Design Award (2019)
The RGD In-House Design Awards celebrate outstanding projects by creatives working in-house in Canada and around the world.
Silver Leaf Award (2017)
IABC Canada's annual Silver Leaf Awards are Canada's premiere professional awards program celebrating excellence in business communication
The GNWT rebrand moved beyond a traditional logo to a flexible design system. Designed to support 11 official languages, the system allows for consistent, accessible communication across departments and platforms while maintaining a unified presence.
The implementation of the GNWT visual identity has been an ongoing, phased process, reflecting the scale and complexity of government-wide adoption. This work has included the continued update and development of key products such as licenses, certificates, capital project signage, advertising templates, and Microsoft Office templates. Each piece has been thoughtfully aligned with the design system to ensure consistency, accessibility, and usability across departments. Taking a phased approach has allowed for strategic rollout, adaptation, and long-term sustainability, ensuring the identity continues to evolve while maintaining a cohesive and unified presence across all communications.
As part of the broader implementation of the GNWT visual identity, I led the audit and redesign of the insignia system to support a more unified “One Government” presence. This work focused on standardizing uniform badges across departments, creating a cohesive and recognizable system while respecting the unique roles within each area. A key improvement included transitioning from embroidery to woven production, enhancing both quality and consistency in how the designs were reproduced. This approach was extended to vehicle decals, ensuring alignment across both uniforms and fleet applications.
Building on this foundation, I also led the modernization of the wildfire flashes, evolving existing designs to retain their meaning while bringing them into alignment with the overall identity system. Alongside this, a brass trading coin was developed as a complementary piece, reinforcing the visual language and strengthening the connection to the broader insignia family.
