TURNING AN ANNIVERSARY INTO A MOVEMENT
How Community Living Toronto’s 75th year became the foundation for a lasting, award-winning brand platform.
In 2023, Community Living Toronto (CLTO) reached its 75th anniversary — a milestone moment. But the organization didn’t want a one-off celebration. They wanted to use the anniversary to spark something deeper: a reimagined brand platform that could unite their community, reflect their values, and carry them forward for years to come.
The voices of people with intellectual disabilities had too often been excluded from the branding and communications world — including their own. We knew the only way to build something authentic was to co-create it with the people CLTO supports. Belonging, representation, and community weren’t just themes. They had to be the process.
We created “75 Years of Belonging”, a brand platform grounded in inclusion, shaped by community voices, and designed for longevity. Every piece of the platform, from the visual identity to the campaign assets, was built around four core pillars: belonging, representation, awareness, and sustainability. We featured real people. We prioritized tools, not just storytelling. And we ensured the work would extend well beyond the anniversary year.
To bring the platform to life, we launched a microsite and a multi-channel awareness campaign that reached four distinct audience segments. We produced 30+ brand communication tools and templates so CLTO could integrate the message of belonging across all of their programs, events, and digital channels.
This wasn’t about abstraction — it was about visibility. Representation wasn’t symbolic. It was structural. And it showed.
“This was about an anniversary but it was also about so much more. It was about shaping the future with the people who live it every day.”
Zach Zimmel
Principles, CEO and Strategy Director
224%
increase in reach
372%
increase in content interactions
1,445%
increase in link clicks
More Than a Platform. A Community Promise.
This was a campaign but it was also an invitation. By centering people with intellectual disabilities in both process and product, we helped CLTO build a brand that doesn’t just say “you belong here,” but proves it. Every touchpoint, every asset, every story — all grounded in belonging, and all designed to last.
