Redefining Design

Thirty years ago, Shane Durnford graduated from George Brown College’s (Toronto) sign-painting and design program (see ST, April 1981, page 28) and began freelancing for signshops throughout southern Ontario. In 1987, he moved to Creemore, a small town northwest of Toronto, and set up Shane Durnford, Signcrafter. When signage fabricated with plotter-cut vinyl began replacing handpainted signs, he adapted his craft to premium, carved signage.

Around this time, he met the owner of Creemore Springs Brewery, who was also a designer and skilled marketer. Durnford said, “He took me under this wing and mentored me for the next five years. He helped me expand my knowledge of design, color, and marketing and branding theory.”

Durnford persevered in his business until late 2009, when he shuttered it: “I burned out pretty hard. All the years of all work and no play finally got to me. I used the time to regenerate and research the best way to redirect my business.”

After a year on sabbatical, Durnford reopened Shane Durnford Design with a broadened focus on logo and website design, in addition to signage. He noted, “The concepts are one and the same. No matter the medium, the content needs to instantly communicate a multi-layered message via a distilled image. Diversity is good; it will keep my work fresh and increase the odds for new opportunities.”

He seeks a cross-section of small businesses, large corporations and government institutions. Through Facebook and Twitter, the company is heavily investing in online networking. Durnford commented, “These online communities allow direct access to distant markets and networking opportunities with complementary disciplines from around the world.”

Durnford’s past experience and new capabilities recently dovetailed into a new venture when owners of the Bank Café, an upscale Creemore eatery that ordered a new sign a few years ago (see ST, November 2008, page 66), contacted him to become the restaurant’s complete “brand manager.” This included website and logo design, advertising collateral and “every aspect of a visitor’s experience, from the weight of a door handle to the sound the coffee cup makes when it touches the table.”

Advertisement

Through various marketing contacts, he’s begun offering website designs “at a fraction of the price of traditional web designs. Clients add their own content, which provides the savings. The heightened level of branding provides the value.”

He continued, “This service fills a need in these changing times through an easy access point for small- and medium-sized businesses to start a rebranding strategy. For me, it provides low-hanging fruit that enables a quick turnaround time and a future point of entry with a satisfied client.”