As təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre progresses through construction, the City of New Westminster (BC) wanted to re-engage the community around the project.
To celebrate its new name and build excitement for the eventual opening, our communication design team created a new visual identity for the project’s construction hoardings and internal glazing, along with a website redesign and marketing collateral.
The name təməsew̓txʷ means “sea otter house” in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language—with the animal’s curious, playful nature reflected in the community’s desires for the facility.
The name was gifted to the project through a naming process involving the local community and representatives from Spirit of the Children Society, Qayqayt, q̓ʷa:̩n̓ƛən̓ (Kwantlen), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations, staff from School District #40, and the City of New Westminster.
An evolution of the project’s 2016 public engagement campaign, Your Active New West, the new identity engages the community around the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language and New Westminster’s local ecology.
Illustrations of the site’s ravine and topography lines are intertwined with collage cutouts that represent people from all walks of life, while hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ words promote future activities and create an interactive learning experience as you walk through the site.
A graded blue colour palette references both the pool and the ravine that feeds the surrounding ocean, while a playful sea otter illustration anchors the content.
To help the community understand more about the community centre and its name, new website visuals, improved navigation, and updated content promote the facility’s progress—all building anticipation for the grand opening in 2024.
To learn more, visit the dedicated təməsew̓txw website.
