"creative innovation that seem so obvious,
has hit it's mark"

With over sixteen years of experience in the creative industry Damian is one half of the dynamic team
that heads up Elevator Design Studio. He brings a vast wealth of experience in corporate branding
and design, and managed to create a professional balance through his career, studying pressing
social issues and working with many non for profit organizations.

Damian started his design career in Auckland, New Zealand as a freelancer, but after a year moved
to the United Kingdom, where he worked for a pre press company and gained valuable knowledge
of the printing industry. While in the UK he took an interest in contemporary social issues and studied
the influence of marketing and advertising on demographic attitudes towards health awareness
and public information. Predominantly exploring how the prevailing attitudes at that time affected
the accurate targeting of information surrounding HIV and AIDS. Damian holds
a BA hons in Graphic Design.

"as I help others reach their potential,
so I realize my own"

Damian then moved to Canada and started working for a design studio, creating marketing
and packaging programs. Later on he turned his attention to identity design, researching trends
in corporate branding and communication. By the end of the nineties he had headed up the creative
for a number of mid size company branding programs. Particularly in the financial, entertainment
and pharmaceutical industries, for likes of Jamieson Laboratories and Meritas Ethical Funds.

In the early 2000's he went on to create programs for larger multi nationals in the fashion
and investment industries such as Van Heusen, including corporate communication
for companies such as Calvin Klein.

"when form follows function,
creative expression is a beautiful thing"

As the internet emerged, Damian helped organizations to integrate interactive technology
into their branding strategies, working for companies such as the fashion corporation
Phillips-Van Heusen and Jones Brown Insurance. In 2007 he started working closely
with human right groups and took on projects for non-profit and public sector organizations
such as The New Women's College Hospital.

In addition to Elevator, Damian also takes time to give creative direction to a number
of consultancy firms. In 2008 Damian won a Gold Graphis Award for investor marketing
collateral for the fashion label IZOD. He has an interest in architecture, political history,
and shows an appreciation for anything which has form, function
and innovation in equal abundance.

Working with artistic and cultural institutions over the last ten years,
Eric Pellerin has met the many challenges and demands associated with the world
of communications and graphic design. During the course of his studies and subsequent
career, he acquired an intimate knowledge of promotional and advertising design,
editing print media, and illustration. As an Artistic Director for both a museum
and a design company, he applied these skills and has proven to be a motivating
team leader and efficient project manager. In addition the variety of projects Eric
has taken on has allowed him to fine-tune his techniques in research as well
as media production and communication.

A testament to the innovative nature of Eric's work, one of Eric's museum projects
for Écomusée du Fier Monde – Joseph Venne, architecte (2001) – earned the Canadian
Museums Association's Award of Outstanding Achievement in Design.  The design for
the exhibit Viau, des Biscuits – une Histoire (2006), also at the Écomusée du Fier Monde,
was nominated for the Prix Excellence from the Societé des Musées Québecois.

Since he moved from Montreal to Toronto in 2007, Eric has played key design roles
on such projects as Bridges That Unite, NHL All-Star Gala Atlanta 2008, and CivicFest
2008. Professionalism on every level, in both form and content, is a very high priority for
this designer. He is furthermore thoroughly at ease in a computerized work environment,
having acquired an extensive knowledge of digital imaging and editing software.
Eric is also fluently bilingual in English and French.

what we do

In a crowded world where audiences are constantly bombarded with visual stimuli,
people gravitate towards organizations that project a clear distinctive style, with which
they feel an emotional connection. At Elevator we use a broad range of creative tools
to establish a strong emotional connection between the audience and an organization.

We look for ways to move our clients upward by using strategic design to identify, broaden
and strengthen their niche while engaging target audiences. In short, we aim to elevate
the perception of an organization, product or event in the consciousness of its audience
creating enthusiastic brand loyalty.

Many of the creative projects we undertake are multi-diciplinary, and will vary uniquely
to suite the needs for each origination. For the ease of communication our services have
been grouped into four areas, exhibition, identity, print and interactive design.

exhibition

Capture the imagination and the impression will last a lifetime.

An exhibit creates a stimulating environment that transports the visiter to an era or arena
where they become engaged, effortlessly absorbing information on a multi sensory level.
There are many considerations that come together to make an exhibition function well.
With both temporary or traveling exhibits, communicating with the visitor, roles of the objects,
conservation considerations, visitor flow, lighting design, colour, story-lines, interactive aspects
and installation all play a vital part. At Elevator we understand that the flow and presentation
should be harmonious with the information, so whether you're a museum thats capturing
an event in history, an information centre looking to educate a community, or a company
promoting services, the participant will gain a memorable lasting impression.
The following is a break down of services we provide in this area:

identity

Organizations rise or fall on the strength of their identity and branding.

A strong brand identity reflects the quantitative and qualitative reasons as to why it resonates
with it's audience, and it embodies a trust between an organization and it's customers,
stakeholders, employees and communities. It should also be a financial asset as valuable
as any on a balance sheet. At Elevator we understand that a successful brand needs
to be relevant, representing an organizations core strengths, exhibiting consistency through
application, while remaining flexible enough to stay above the competition as times change.
The following is a break down of services we provide in this area:

print

The impression of ink on paper can often be louder than words.

Printed communication is one of the mediums in which to influence the way audiences think,
feel and act toward an organization. At Elevator we use it to tell an organization's story
and make it understandable and compelling to a specific audience. So whether it's an annual
report that builds stakeholder confidence, marketing collateral that builds brand awareness
or an invitation that causes excitement around an exhibition, our paper and ink will amplify
the message of your words. Through clear presentation, communication and innovative
concepts our printed projects get results while reinforcing the clients message.
The following is a break down of services we provide in this area:

interactive

Increasingly the virtual realm is the first and primary point of interaction
for an organization and it's audience.

Over the last decade interactive design has come to the fore front as a marketing, branding
and educational tool. At Elevator we pursue the concept that organizations now need
to have an integrated online strategy at the foundation of outreach to their target audience.
We know how to combine brand design and usability to develop dynamic interactive experiences,
who's visual design is appealing, navigation effortless, information architecture elegant
and with a technology base that is rock solid. An organizations interactive environment
must reinforce it's message at all times.
The following is a break down of services we provide in this area:

approach

Our approach at Elevator is simple in that we endeavor to do great work
that is common sense and original.

We don't use cookie-cutter formulae, conventional templates or predictable measuring gimmicks.
Just smart strategy and creative thinking, that we tailor to the individual requirements of each client.
While we may seem to offer similar services to other graphic design firms, we are not a big agency
for all the right reasons.

Your organization will never have to deal with an account exec or middle man, so there
will be no creative lost in translation. You will be dealing directly with the creative leads.
This allows us to cultivate a very close relationship with our clients, where we gain a greater
understanding of their needs and objectives. The Elevator approach to client communication
is friendly, direct, and unsweetened, to ensure projects stay objective and focused,
because our work is our reputation.

process

At Elevator we enjoy a process with relative structure, as it enables efficiency and accuracy.

Firstly we listen, and ask the right questions. Then we think critically and propose exciting objective
based solutions that distill complex ideas into a concise, clear creative direction. Throughout the
process from conception to completion we keep open dialogue about critical paths, budgets,
amendments and our client periodical approval procedures, so that flexibility and project structure
work harmoniously, ensuring efficient resource usage and accurate creative implementation.
This keeps projects within budget and on target. An example of this is - in the off chance that your
requirements change from approved creative we will always seek approval for fees arising from
additional changes. If you need round the clock, weekend or rush service, we will shuffle our
workload to accommodate you and your project in whatever way we can. Again, we will seek
approval for any rush service fees.

The Elevator process is driven by a passion for communication that is relevant, motivating, credible,
differentiating, and we execute it in a controlled manner. It sounds simple, but there are many
companies (maybe yours) that have been touched by a disappointing "design experience".
At present maybe you're not taking full advantage of creative opportunities you already have,
or maybe we ought to explore some new ones. So share with us your vision and we'll help
your organization embark on a fulfilling creative journey.
We are ready to take your organization where it needs to go.

who we are

Elevator Design Studio is a boutique graphic design firm based out of Toronto, Canada.
It is lead by Creative Directors Damian Salter and Eric Pellerin, who bring together 30 years
of experience working with corporate and cultural organizations. Being a young emerging
company with a simple structure and lean profile, Elevator is able to retain the entrepreneurial
spirit and the creative freedom necessary for producing fresh, original work, while drawing
on the complimentary experience that the primary partners give to the firm.

what we look for in a client

Being a Toronto, Canada based boutique, we are an English/French bilingual operation,
and find ourselves geographically well suited and have the expertise to work with organizations
throughout Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

We are fortunate enough to have experience working with a wide range of organizations from
a variety of industries, from fortune 500 corporations to small independent museums, and everything
in between. For us it is less about the size of the company, their industry, or medium we are working
in, and more about working with clients that like to express what is unique and powerful about their
service, organization or message. We like to illuminate the underlying value of each client, to help
them express what sets them apart through design, style and fresh ideas.

While we do pay the same attention to detail what ever the project size, at Elevator we value
lasting working relationships based on openness, creativity and accomplishment.

what we appreciate about our team

The advantage Elevator has over many design firms is that we are a multidisciplinary boutique
and yet run a very lean operation, that gives us the feasibility to tap into creative resources
as we need them. We're fortunate to work with some of the best creative and production
people around. Whether it be copy writing, programming or translation, their valued contributions
are an integral part of our creative success. From web developers to printers we have a reliable
support network and without their talents and dedication, we'd just be a bunch of people
with some really good ideas.