The Archive
Canada Modern exists to preserve, document, educate and inspire, to build a new and richer understanding of what can clearly be seen as a seminal point in Canada’s development as a nation — one of optimism, growth and modernity. At the heart of this work lies identity design, typography and graphic communication. The archive’s purpose is to build a definitive and accessible record of this significant epoch, and a valuable reference for designers, students, teachers, historians and citizens alike.
Well-known names such as Allan Fleming, Rolf Harder, Ernst Roch, Burton Kramer, Stuart Ash, Fritz Gottschalk, Georges Huel, Hans Kleefeld are often seen as the most celebrated, but there were many more who made a significant contribution, and through this project we aim to celebrate their work and credit the roles they played. Perhaps through a greater understanding of Canada’s first golden era of design we can begin the process of heralding a new one.
Contributors/Supporters
A few key people who deserve special thanks for their devoted time and support:
Stuart Ash Designer/Friend (retired)
Richard Baird Designer/Friend, Logo Archive
Mark Neil Balson Designer/Friend/Collector
Walter Bohastch Designer/Friend (retired)
Greg D’Onofrio Designer/Friend/Collector, Kind Company
Greg Durrell Designer/Friend/Filmmaker, Hulse&Durrell
Entro Communications Friends/Support
Todd Falkowsky Designer/Friend, Canadian Design Resource
Glenn Fretz Designer/Friend (semi-retired)
Anthony Hobbs Artist/Designer/Friend (retired)
Burton Kramer Artist/Designer/Friend (retired)
Whitney Lewis-Smith Artist/Photographer/Friend
Tom Lowry Designer/Friend
Josephine Minhinnett Archivist/Collaborator/Friend
Julian Montague Designer/Artist/Friend
Rod & Liz Nash Designers/Friends (retired)
David Perkins Designer/Friend, federalidentity.ca
George W. Roth Designer/Friend (retired)
Sean Wolcott Designer/Friend, Rationale
Canada Modern is a Believe in® (ad)venture.
Thank you to my family and team who help, and continue to help, make this a reality.
Patreon
Get your name here:
Canada Modern exhibited / on loan
Although we anticipate that most people will experience the Canada Modern collection primarily online, we are keen to present selected items ‘in real life’ as well. If you have a relevant talk, exhibition, feature or article, academic course / lecture, event or gallery and would like to explore opportunities with us, please get in touch info@canadamodern.org
Donations
The goodwill and generosity of those who recognise the importance of preserving this material is welcomed. If you have ANYTHING that you think may be of interest, we’re keen to hear from you. Donations may be collections or individual items and can include any form of graphic communication. More information on donations here.
Errors and omissions
Canada Modern and its contributors make every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy and validity of the information provided on its web pages, however, should any data or references be deemed incorrect or misguiding, please get in touch to bring this to our attention. Canada Modern reserve the right to change at any time without notice, information contained on this website and make no warranties or representations as to its accuracy.
Copyright
Canada Modern is published under a Creative Commons License and is intended solely for personal, educational and non-commercial purposes such as research, evaluation, teaching and analysis. It is our intention to acknowledge the original copyright holder (author / publisher / artist) where information exists. We place no claim of ownership on the intellectual property of any content displayed or shared, with the exception of works created by ourselves. If you are the legal copyright owner of any content displayed on this site, and object to its use, please contact us at your earliest convenience. Canada Modern is not liable for the use or misuse of the site’s information.
Can Mod Credits
Design + direction: Blair Thomson, Believe in®
Typography: Beausite Classic, Fatype