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One Smokin’ Client...

markt@beaconcreative.ca (Mark Tenaglia) — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 15:40:59 GMT

It was a few years ago that a close friend of mine and I were socializing and decided to get some cigars. I recalled that when I was much younger I had come to know the name Frank Correnti Cigars .

I had visited their location when they were at 606 King street, and I never forgot my first experience seeing how cigars were made. Frank Correnti Cigars is the last hand-made cigar factory in Canada and Toronto's oldest cigar shop.

We looked them up and drove down to their current location at 206 Spadina Ave, 2nd Floor .

We walked up the stairs and were instantly enveloped by the subtle aroma of tobacco. As we walked up the stairs, we noted there were photos on the wall of many celebrities who had gone to Correnti for these famous cigars.

We were greeted by Kris Miller, the owner and operator. For the past five generations, the Miller family has been making high grade, handmade cigars. Kris is an amazing person and super knowledgable about cigars. While we were there purchasing cigars, Kris invited us to a customer VIP event that Correnti’s was hosting.

Later that month, I attended the event which was great. It was amazing to see how a group of complete strangers came together and socialized over cigars, as if everyone had known each other for years prior to the event. Kris did his famous “ The history of cigars in Toronto ” speech, which he starts off at the beginning of each event.

I fell in love with Correnti’s history, brand, and products.

Talking with Kris at that event, I offered Beacon’s services to Correnti and he accepted. We shortly afterwords looked at the strengths and weaknesses of Correnti’s brand at that time and decided to redesign their website with custom photography and developed a communication strategy. The initiative was extremely successful! Part of the strategy was to collect visitor contact information through a “sign up” form, enabling the visitors to receive special offers and news about Correnti. The undertakings by Beacon have increased Correnti’s sales. Website traffic increased upward of 600 visitors per week, 2,000+ pages viewed per week, and growing.

Frank Correnti Cigars and I are extremely happy with the outcome, success, and our working relationship.

Now to all the cigar smokers out there, if you haven’t tried a Frank Correnti Cigar yet, you must! If you don’t fancy a cigar but know someone in your life that does, introduce them to a Correnti Cigar. As I always say when I light one up, “There’s nothing like a Correnti”.

Follow Frank Correnti Cigars

There’s so much more to branding than designing a cool logo!

markt@beaconcreative.ca (Mark Tenaglia) — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 15:38:11 GMT

At Beacon Creative, we understand that successful organizations build their brand on two core principles; creating a clear minimalist, and recognizable identity, and adopting a cohesive approach to positioning their brand through all touchpoints and platforms.

Let’s take a look at one of Beacon’s clients, AgentsC Inc. AgentsC is an international, non-profit consulting firm, based in Toronto, Canada. AgentsC offers comprehensive, transformational change to clients wanting to achieve sustainable revenue growth.

We were approached by AgentsC to create their brand. We started the process by understanding our client, listening to who they are, and learning what they were looking for. There was an engaging exchange of ideas centred on AgentsC’s vision and values. This helped us conceptualize a brand that would be appealing to AgentsC’s clients. Then we created a variety of proof concepts and discussed the key facets of each one.

At the end of the process, Beacon Creative designed a logo that is bold, clean, and easy to identify. Once the new brand was established, we helped AgentsC apply it to all their platforms and touchpoints, stationary, print, and digital.

AgentsC’s branding is unique and truly stands out because of its use of bold colours, and an iconic symbol. As well as building a website that elevates AgentsC’s logo, Beacon Creative designed AgentsC’s stunning, The Duality of Giving report. AgentsC’s Founder and CEO, Mide Akerewusi describes how Beacon supported the development of this design:

“I enjoy working with Beacon because Mark Tenaglia pays close attention to design principles, which means he is always able to produce original eye-catching concepts. I also like to be hands-on. We are always sparking and testing new creative ideas throughout the design process.”

If you have an upcoming branding project or have any creative needs, contact me at
416-836-1977, markt@beaconcreative.ca to set up a complementary design consultation.

Is your creative AODA compliant?

markt@beaconcreative.ca (Mark Tenaglia) — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 16:34:07 GMT

When developing a brand, website, print or on-line documents such as PDFs for example, have you ensured the creative is AODA compliant?

Many clients and designers are unaware of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It’s not just design and layout any more. The designer must understand and take in consideration how people with disabilities interact with your content, whether it’s print, digital or even structural.

We, at Beacon, have a wealth of experience working with our clients in ensuring the creative we develop for them is compliant.

If you have any questions or would like us to work on a project with you, please don’t hesitate to contact me.