Unifying Canada’s Event Powerhouse with a Bold New Identity
Scope
Brand Strategy
Naming Development
Visual Identity
Website
Brand Video
Branded Merchandise
Corporate & Marketing Collateral
Branded Environment
Brand Guidelines
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Chair-Man Mills Corp. (CMMC), Canada’s leader in event rentals for over 112 years, faced a significant challenge. Despite being a national provider with 9 distinct brands, customers primarily engaged with these brands individually.
As a result, many were unaware of CMMC’s full scope of capabilities, limiting the company’s potential to communicate its leadership as a cohesive event solutions provider.
The need for a unified identity became critical as the company expanded through acquisitions. CMMC’s fragmented brand architecture was holding it back from demonstrating the full range of its expertise. CMMC needed a bold transformation to unite all 9 brands under a single, compelling identity to continue growing and solidifying its leading national position.
CMMC turned to Jacknife to reimagine its brand and create a unified master brand that would reflect the company’s national reach and expertise. We began by developing a comprehensive brand strategy that included restructuring CMMC’s brand architecture. The goal was to integrate CMMC’s 9 brands under a single master brand and position the company as Canada’s premier event solutions partner.
This new strategy led to the creation of Element, a master brand that symbolizes the essential building blocks of any event. The name reflects the essential components that define Element—People (customers and employees), Places (events and venues), and Things (rental furniture, glassware, décor, and more).
We then created a visual identity system representing this new, cohesive brand. The new logo was designed with elegance and functionality in mind, featuring subtle curves and contrasts to reflect the elevated experiences Element creates. The visual system was built around three primary shapes—circle, square, and triangle—symbolizing the 3 essential elements (People, Places, and Things) of the memorable events Element creates. These shapes were dynamically arranged to represent Element’s energy and coordination in every project.
We developed comprehensive brand guidelines to ensure consistency across all communications, laying the foundation for a cohesive brand experience. Key pages of Element’s website were designed to establish a strong digital presence, clearly communicating the brand’s full capabilities. In addition, we produced a compelling brand narrative video to introduce Element’s transformation, positioning the company as a premier event solutions partner.
The rebrand extended into the physical world with eye-catching vehicle fleet branding, uniforms, and corporate and marketing collateral, ensuring a unified and professional look across all touchpoints. To build excitement, Jacknife created launch communications for employees and customers and press ads, effectively unveiling Element’s new identity to internal teams and the broader market.
The launch of Element marked the unification of 9 prominent event rental companies under one powerful national brand platform. The new brand allowed Element to showcase its full range of services and positioned the company as more than just a supplier, but a trusted partner in delivering flawless, memorable events. It brought clarity and alignment, strengthening both internal operations and external awareness. With a bold new identity, Element is now poised for future growth as Canada’s premier event solutions partner.
