Over the past six years, Bay Street Bull has captured the spirit of entrepreneurship and Canadians’ shared pursuit of success as the business landscape has grown and evolved. We’ve interviewed and featured everyone from mighty business titans (ex. Shahid Khan, Sir Richard Branson) and politicians (ex. NDP federal leader, Jagmeet Singh) to pop culture icons (ex. Lady Gaga, Meghan Markle) and small business champions. Throughout those six years, we’ve gone through our own changes to more accurately represent our voice and audience. Today, Bay Street Bull is excited to debut a new look—one that draws inspiration from Toronto’s vibrant subway system and is, what we feel, a fresh, modern, and bold representation of our community-driven values.
Here, Bay Street Bull Editor-in-Chief, Lance Chung, sits down with Art Director, Theo Lamar, to talk about the new visual identity, why it was time for a change, and how it strengthens its ties to the community.
Lance Chung: This has been a long time coming. We’ve wanted to create a new look for Bay Street Bull to more accurately reflect our brand values and audience for a while now. Before we get into the details, what do you think are the components that are essential to a brand’s visual identity?
Theo Lamar: Essentially, simplicity. A good visual brand has to be clean, simple, and elegant. The consumers of a brand should be able to recognize their symbol from afar without questioning what they are seeing.
LC: When you were tasked to create our new visual identity, what was the main inspiration that you referenced to inform your work?
TL: The typography used on the old signage on Toronto’s subway system was my starting point. After that it became a natural association for a Toronto-based company to honour its city and use the symbology behind a transportation system. Bay Street Bull reflects the business community and the way it connects people, just as the subway connects a city.
LC: Our content has really evolved over the years to reflect the Canadian entrepreneurial and cultural ecosystems. How do you think our visual identity is a reflection of this evolution?
TL: The Canadian pride behind our new logo is mainly related to Toronto, the business capital of the country. It is impossible to not put business and Toronto in the same basket. The subway analogy also brings the community together as the veins that flow through the city, connecting people and places, which is an essential part of most businesses.
LC: Take us through your process. What are the critical steps you took to finish this?
TL: The new logo came from a necessity. Changing and moving forward was the tone we needed to set for the years to come. The old logo was outdated and a shadow of the past. Not a bad one, but one with a lot of lessons to take in. From that, the second thing to acknowledge was exclusivity. How do we differentiate ourselves from the rest? I built an exclusive font family just for our logo. As mentioned, it is based on the Toronto Transit System signage but with its own flavour. With a condensed bold type, we convey strength, growth, and luxury. As well, I’ve placed a focus on our key letters, BSB. They have their own uniqueness to them.
LC: Aside from the logo, what else can people expect? How are you reflecting this new direction in other ways?
TL: A brand is not just about a good looking symbol. There is a lot that goes into the process of building a successful brand. Essentially, it is about the way that your audience perceives you—what they feel when they consume or engage with your products or services. For Bay Street Bull, our mission is to engage, educate, and entertain our audience in a fun and playful way. To reflect this, we utilize bright colours and simple iconography for our “Bull.”
LC: Overall, what do you think our new visual identity says about us?
TL: A new journey! To take people to new places and connect them to others.
