Working on this book with Adrian and his daughter Val was one of the most heart-felt projects I’ve had the pleasure to design, and it was also the most serendipitous contracts I’ve ever gotten. Out of the blue I get an email via my website from Val Guillemin. Her dad was looking at publishing options […]

Steve Barban created Gentry Capital in 2004, the same year IIROC allowed firms to work independently. Gentry Capital flourished and in 2016 Steve knew it was time to update his brand to reflect the success of his company. David Berman was one of his long-time clients and it made perfect sense to work with David’s […]

With eight issues of this passion publication now under our belts, it was interesting to reflect on how Distilled began and what makes it successful. A wife and husband team – Johanna Ngoh and Charles Anderson (SingleMinded) – have hosted Toronto’s premiere whisky tasting event Spirit of Toronto since 2004. In 2016 they made a […]

David Berman Communications was hired by the Jewish Federation of Ottawa to help them create a strategy to increase the number of readers of Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. The community newspaper had several updates to its look over its 76 year history and Berman recommended it was time for one more. Along with a new look […]

David Berman introduced me to Inter Pares on a hot summer day in 2001. I will always remember that meeting. David and I met with Sheila Whyte in their then upper floor offices (with no air conditioning) to discuss redesigning their bulletin. Since then, the Bulletin’s look & feel has evolved over the years, but […]

As Les wrote in the preface, “this is a story book.” It’s a story about houses on prairie farms and the role that catalogues and mail order played in getting those houses built during the turn of the century. Although Les’s career was in academia, this book was written as if you were having a […]

David Berman was asked to write this book in 2009 by PeachPit Press on design and social responsibility. It’s a call to action. It alerts designers to the role design plays on a global level and offers them a sustainable approach to both the practice and the consumption of design. Its small format (5.25 x […]

This project was a team effort consisting of 15 individuals and groups. David Berman and I worked directly with the project manager, Erica Phillips-Posner, the illustrator, Nicholas Jackson, the author, Sara Loewenthal, and Devora Caytak, a co-director of the Jewish Youth Library. Without Devora, this project would never have happened. She applied and received major funding […]

David required business cards in several languages because he shares his knowledge and experience through keynote speeches and courses around the world. A percentage of his cards are brailled and the challenge was to come up with a solid layout where the braille would not interfere with the small text or the logo when it […]

David Berman Communication’s longtime client, OSCIA, developed a highly successful program in 1993 called the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program. An EFP is an assessment voluntarily prepared by a farm family to increase their environmental awareness in up to 23 different areas on their farm. A few years ago, it was decided to give the program […]

The Forum of Federations is the leading network and most valued resource in the practical application of federalism worldwide and has partnerships with the majority of federal countries and organizations active in strengthening federal governance. To contribute to the fulfillment of one of its strategic objectives – to increase global awareness and knowledge of federalism […]

I had the good fortune to work with Leslie Bell (marketing and communications) from when I began my design firm in 1990 until her retirement in 2011. So I was very pleased when she asked me to submit a proposal to work with her again on a book celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Riverside […]

Globally, Inter Pares works with organizations engaged in building a more equitable world. As a contract designer with David Berman Communications, I have been part of the Inter Pares’ communication team for over 12 years. My first project with them was their Annual Report (English and French). The report has maintained the same format ever […]

This was the second book we designed for Les Henry. His first self-published book about Catalogue Houses on the prairies was so successful he decided to publish again. This handbook is about soil and water as seen and experienced by Les in his 40 years of “pounding highways and byways throughout the prairie provinces, particularly […]

When these pieces were printed years ago, there were a high number of infant deaths in aboriginal communities in northern Saskatchewan attributed to the use of unsafe cribs. Posters were hung in key locations to promote the awareness of crib safety and direct parents to the brochure. The goal of the brochure was to use very […]

Unchain Your Spirit was a start-up, highend touring company whose clients would cycle around their exotic destinations. The format was the same as a fold-out map and the graphics were rich and textural. With only two inks and no photos to work with, layering images with text made what could have been a boring brochure […]

We are particularly proud of the NorSask Forest Products 1995 Annual Report. That year forest fires ran rampant in northern Saskatchewan. But NorSask found a way to salvage the burnt logs – a positive twist to a bad news story. Christian Jensen was the lead designer on the piece. He actually made large wooden letter […]

In 1999, Adele and Patty asked Dani (my former business partner) and I to help them create an identity for AgriBiz – a service based business that provides management, marketing, and communications to the agriculture sector in Saskatchewan. Their unique name is a combination of a short form for agriculture (agri) with the slang word […]

NorSask Forest Products Owned by the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, this sawmill produces high-quality spruce, pine, and fir stud lumber. Through its forest management arm, Mistik Management Ltd (committed to stewardship of the environment) it sustainably manages 1.8 million hectares of boreal forest in northern Saskatchewan. Phenix and Associates President Connie Phenix, is a successful leadership pioneer, facilitator, change […]

Custom wedding invitations are fun to design but they are intense so I only do them for close friends and family. The top left invitation was for my sister’s wedding. It was an intimate and elegant affair held at a Victorian hotel. Her dress was made with beautiful delicate lace and I wanted to incorporate […]

The Sustainable Forest Management Network completed its 14-year research program in 2009 – this was its final annual report. The challenge for all the SFMN annual reports was creating an engaging publication with matter-of-fact copy and limited images often taken by a non-professional. A bold approach was required. The cover was stark and simple, in […]

Designing the Sustainable Forest Management Network’s annual reports was our privilege for fourteen years.

Way back in 2000, the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan hosted a conference for livestock producers, processors, and marketers and asked us to design their promotional materials. My quirky illustrations of the farm animals on the cover of the conference brochure and letterhead still make me smile.