Western Grains Research Foundation

Updated branding to align with renewed strategic direction

Situation:
2021 marked the 40th anniversary of the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF). This milestone was a catalyst to reflect on the impact that the organization has had on the industry and celebrate the contributions of the many farmers who have served as board members. WGRF has undergone significant changes in strategic direction in recent years. That change combined with the anniversary created an appropriate time to publicly communicate those changes in a refreshed look for the organization, which was last updated in 2007.

Action:
We reviewed WGRF’s updated vision and mission along with the renewed strategic direction to help establish the new brand’s look and feel. We explored many options but decided to shorten the organization’s name while still maintaining the strong brand recognition associated with the acronym WGRF. We added a tagline – Advancing Agriculture through Research – that spoke to the shift in WGRF’s strategy, mission and vision.

The new icon and colour palette are based on WGRF’s move to multi-crop research, a departure from the previous single-crop research focus. The sunrise icon and palette are reminiscent of a Canadian prairie dawn and signify the diversity and bright future of western agriculture. This modern esthetic communicates the organization’s growth and role in the future of ag research.

Results:
The new WGRF branding was applied to numerous materials, including; letterhead, business cards, email signatures, annual report, website, Twitter masthead, presentation template, field signs, video and corporate ad. These materials provided WGRF with a seamless launch of the new brand to coincide with 40th anniversary celebrations.

“I have worked with Synthesis for more than 10 years on a number of communications projects and I have always been satisfied with the results. Synthesis has a dedicated team of professionals who understand the ag sector and deliver excellent communications.”
~Mike Espeseth, Communications Manager, Western Grains Research Foundation