St. Vital Centre
In 1997, St. Vital Centre—a major regional shopping centre in Winnipeg—embarked on a $30M expansion, increasing its footprint by 20% and welcoming 30 new retailers, many unique to the local market. Long established as a community gathering place, the Centre leaned into that identity as its defining attribute. The expansion’s crown jewel was a new 500-seat food court, designed as a modern homage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s unbuilt Nakoma Resort (1923), complete with soaring timber beams, massive masonry fireplaces, and clerestory windows.
As an architecture enthusiast, I wanted the identity to complement the space in a meaningful way. With access to the architectural firm through the client, I was able to move beyond the standard brief and understand the project from the ground up. That connection provided the true spark. While Wright is best known for his buildings, he also designed lettering, stained glass, and decorative elements to accompany them. I wanted to carry that same spirit forward.
ClientSt. Vital Centre
Project Visual Identity Year1997
The new identity retained the recognizable “V” from the previous wordmark, now integrated into a refined enclosure inspired by Wright’s stained-glass geometries of the period. The logotype itself was custom-built from a typeface Wright used in his 1922 Eaglerock project, modified for practical use in a contemporary identity system.
The final work extended beyond the logo. At the architects’ request, I designed large, Prairie Style–inspired fabric banners—abstracted interpretations of a wheat sheaf—that became permanent fixtures in key gathering spaces. I also created a series of illustrated panels outlining the area’s farming history, which were later recognized in Applied Arts Magazine. By drawing from the architectural language of the past, the identity helped ground a major expansion in something timeless—creating a visual bridge between heritage and renewal.
