Tech Island Identity, Website Design and Videos

Tech Island Branding

I designed the logo, branding, website, planned, coordinated, and provided art direction for the video shoot. It was an excellent project for me to lead because it encompassed a broad range of deliverables that are right up my alley. I love a project I can direct from the ground up, starting with the logo, building a brand platform, then designing a website and dropping some videos to make it stand out.

I designed the Tech Island logo to showcase the region with a fresh, modern brand that authentically spoke to the advantages of having your startup/IT company based on Vancouver Island.

For the previous six months before starting this project, I had already been well-immersed in economic development projects based in Campbell River, so I was already up-to-speed with what was happening across parts of Vancouver Island. It was amazing to learn even more about some of the incredible tech companies already succeeding on the Island, such as Cloudhead Games, a veteran VR studio based in Qualicum Beach.

Tech Island Logo Animation

The video producers created an animated version of the logo build as part of the identity’s introduction. It appears at the end of the videos you’ll see lower down on the page.

Website Design

I designed the website from the ground up, doing the UX/UI and right through to the final design. I started by creating the Information Architecture, putting together a sitemap, laying out the wireframes, and moving into the site design.

I designed the website to be a simple, uncluttered solution focusing on the Communities themselves. This first phase of the website features a breakdown of the eight communities with profiles on the community, directories of Local Tech Companies (a work in progress) and resources for Investors whether they’re looking to buy/invest in a business or if they want to buy Commercial Space or some land. I insisted that these profiles should also feature some Lifestyle information about the Communities because I know that’s one of the first things I would base my decision on, as would many others. So we built a small gallery to get a quick sense of the community vibe.

I didn’t initially plan for the video that appears in the background of the homepage. I had designed the website with an animated slideshow of still images using a Ken Burns effect, but after we started seeing cuts of the video come in and seeing all those beautiful landscape shots, I began to wonder what a video background could do for us to bring it to life. With all the budget spent on the video shoot and editing, I didn’t even want to ask the video producers to cut us a 30-second loop for the website, so I took it on myself, and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.

The clients wanted to have a tool like this for many years – something to represent themselves collectively as a great location to start or move a business to. The site launched just as COVID-19 was starting to shut things down, so this has been a great conversation starter when discussing economic development or investing in the Tech Island corridor region.

Visit the website at TechIsland.io.

Video Production

Content and Art Direction for the website videos

We produced six different video cuts; the first was an overview video, and then five interviews with key IT industry leaders on the Island. We shot more interviews while we were on the Island, and these videos will trickle out in time.

You can see five of the other cuts of the videos here:

• Campbell River Co-Working Space spotlight
• Seamor Marine spotlight
• David Baar spotlight
• Input Logic & Mind Growth Education spotlight
• Video Mounted Air Compressors (VMAC) spotlight

We knew that having great video content would be essential to successfully tell the Tech Island Corridor story. We are concentrating on showcasing the best of the Island; as a destination for other organizations looking to cut overhead and leave all the trappings of larger cities behind. Vancouver Island has all the great amenities without the Lower Mainland traffic problems, and showcasing some of the video’s lifestyle advantages was a big priority for us.

One of the key moments in the video graphically shows how easy the transportation of people and goods on and off the Island is. With a great highway, ferry system and multiple airports throughout the corridor, you’re just one extra flight away from your destination to almost anywhere in the world.

Results

We’ve had great positive feedback from the stakeholders so far. We launched the website just as COVID-19 started shutting programs down, and stakeholders had to move on to more pressing issues. The website is a resource that the Economic Development offices have wanted for years and now have an additional tool to showcase the region. We’ve continued to add to the community’s profile pages as new opportunities and companies come forward.

All work copyright Tech Island, VICEDA and their respective owners.