Canadian Music Week is a week-long event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. It combines informative conferences, award shows and a lively new music festival.

CMW wanted a new identity that would be clean and impactful across their various events. The dynamic, vibrating energy of passionate music lovers, industry professionals and creators converging in Toronto to celebrate music is expressed in the mirrored shape of the “M” and “W”.

The letters were crafted to mimic visual sound waves and created a flow that leads the eyes through the shape. The “M” was emphasized in different ways, depending on the context, to visually suggest rhythm.

Hundreds of bands perform at over 40 live music venues scattered across Downtown Toronto! The creative that was developed for the music festival arm of CMW focuses on the city, highlighting iconic concert venues like The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

The playful illustrations were developed (with a similar style of the logo), arranged like puzzle pieces to represent music lovers roaming the streets during Canadian Music Week in search of their next favourite band. Every year, the illustration and colour palette would evolve — while maintaining a consistent style to cultivate brand recognition — but would always feature Toronto.

For pieces that represented the entirety of CMW — the business side in addition to the musical events — special icons were developed and denoted by colour.