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During the latter-1970s, nestled at 148 Bank Street, Ottawa, KMA Records and designer Neville Smith shared more than just an address, they shared a design sensibility. Operating under his design studio Someone Group, Smith was responsible for the branding and printed collateral of KMA Records, harnessing a striking palette of vivid yellow and bold blue. The stationery, consisting of letterhead, business cards, and envelope, spoke simply yet vibrantly. It is in this clarity, and this unabashed expression of colour, that one finds an echo of the modernist impulses forming across Canada during that era.

Neville Smith’s work for KMA Records was firmly rooted in Ottawa’s growing creative and entrepreneurial scene, reflecting a time when identity design, even for smaller commercial enterprises, was approached with care, clarity, and personality. The vivid yellow and blue stationery stands out with its bold contrasts and geometric precision, carrying the influence of international modernism while capturing the optimism and confidence of a distinctly Canadian design moment.

Little is known today about KMA Records itself, though evidence suggests a connection with RCA in Canada, hinting at ambitions that reached beyond Ottawa. One name appearing on the business cards, Jimmie Knox, offers an intriguing thread: not only was he involved in the management of the company (possibly as owner), he also fronted the band Jimmy Knox and Thee Group, making him both performer and representative of the label. This dual role deepens the mystery of KMA Records, whose story survives only in fragments of design artifacts and scattered archival traces. A final piece of detective work reveals another name on the cards, Kathy Touhey, credited with Promotions. In an unexpected turn, she was the sister of Mary Smith (née Touhey), Neville Smith’s first wife, making Jimmie and Kathy not only clients but also Neville’s former brother- and sister-in-law.

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