Someone walking past posters about an artist in residence–Alma Louise Visscher.

Tilt brand identity

Location

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Tilt is the fuel to hcma’s creative fire. It’s where we embrace the friction that sparks new ideas.

In 2022, hcma relaunched Tilt, its in-house curiosity lab as a renewed commitment to curiosity applied—the spirit that permeates each and every area of our practice. The refreshed identity aims to reflect the ever-changing connections between people, places, ideas, and nature, inviting staff, together with local artists, researchers, and thinkers, to explore with intent.

Made up of infinite T’s, I’s, and L’s, it emulates the ephemeral nature of continuous discovery as an atmospheric brand that gently complements the warm and vibrant hcma identity.

Disciplines

Brand + digital

Parameters that flow

After eight years as a venue of curiosity and exploration for hcma-ers, the former Tilt brand was monolithic and stoic in its approach, and ready to transform into something new.

Now relieved of this inertia, the result is an eloquent brand that signals Tilt is a distinct entity, yet still an integral part of hcma. As a sub-brand, Tilt is quietly all-encompassing: a sea of curiosity that is an extension of the hcma identity, rather than a departure. Its visual concept embraces the idea of continually seeking, whether that’s seeking for clarity, creativity, or diversity of thought. The free-floating wordmark conveys discovery and exploration as a dynamic, continuous flow. Within this process, redirection is a courageous act, a messy stage for ideas.

The Tilt wordmark is an embrace of this messiness.

Articulating the ethereal

Yet, what may appear nebulous at first, is supported by a baseline grid that brings sophistication and intent to the diffused type. A deliberate push and pull, the layout offers both structure and opportunities for play through infinite variations of the constellation, but always with an accent that feels distinctly Tilt.

A selection of colours from the hcma brand solidifies Tilt as an entity born from hcma, with the addition of one new accent: a neon capstone, reminiscent of sticky notes and highlighters.

The Tilt brand wraps around all associated communications and marketing, internal and external. In its relationship with hcma’s Artist in Residence program it becomes quieter and more complementary to the work of the artists, keeping the works themselves in full focus. In other contexts, the brand comes more to the fore as, for example, in a recent retrospective that celebrates the past eight years of Tilt.

Constellations of care

The brand’s launch event occurred simultaneously across all three offices in spring 2023. Branded invitations and pencils, placed at all three workspaces, invited staff to gather for a “Toast to Tilt” and to activate the new identity by arranging magnetic T’s, I’s, and L’s across the offices’ steel walls. Dubbed Constellations of Care, the launch was a curated moment intended to place Tilt back in the hands of hcma-ers, encouraging them to continue shaping the Tilt identity as a living essence.