The Nia Centre rebrand shows the world Where Art Makes Culture by defining Canada’s first multidisciplinary Black arts facility.

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Nia Centre is the Canada's first multidisciplinary Black arts facility. This landmark achievement, located in the heart of the historic community of Toronto’s Little Jamaica, has been 15 years in the making. Little Jamaica is home to a community that often sees the arts as a luxury, and not as a viable and profitable profession. But the reality is that there was a massive opportunity in the Toronto Black art scene for all artists.

It was important to showcase the rich tapestry of Canada’s African diaspora in a dedicated space where stories are told, art is created, and community is brought together.

Nia Centre is in the heart of Toronto's Little Jamaica, home to a community that often sees the arts as a luxury, and not as a viable and profitable profession. But the reality is that there was a massive opportunity in the Toronto Black art scene for all artists.

Our identity positioned Nia Centre as an elite art institution, elevating Black art and artists, while also being reflective of the community. We developed a hero distinctive graphic element – a frame celebrating the art and talent as having a place to finally call home, positioning Nia as the epicenter of culture in Toronto.

The audience was multivaried, yet connected. First, artists and art enthusiasts who we needed to visit Nia Centre. Equally important was the community of Little Jamaica, with Nia Centre being an inclusive and welcoming part of the neighborhood.

To promote the center’s opening, we developed a total rebrand and identity establishing Nia Centre as a top-tier art institution through the platform “Where Art Makes Culture.”

The brand identity is built around a hero distinctive graphic element – a frame celebrating the art and talent as having a place to finally call home.

This identity was then brought to life through a redesign of key brand visuals such as the logo, static and motion graphics, typography, color palette, interior wayfinding, exterior facade, exhibition design and merchandise.

It was launched with the opening of the new Nia Centre, celebrated with TIFF as a co-branded exhibition, “Here to Stay.” The celebration was an experiential exploration of the Black spaces, past, present and future, that have shaped Toronto culture.

The identity lives on across the blueprint of Nia Centre, including signage, digital presence, and marketing communications, providing ongoing proof of Nia Centre’s newly renovated arts facility as a reference point for Black space ― exploring what was, what is, and what will be.

The new Nia Centre identity and brand platform was so well received by the government of Canada they sent Executive Director, Alica Hall, to represent Canada at the UN in Geneva.