In response to the shrinking demand for snail mail, Canada Post has begun to phase in an expansion of it's Community Mailboxes (CMB's) vs door-to-door delivery. The process of developing the CMB's was carefully executed with a strategy that involved lots of consumer input through focus testing at various stages in the development. Canada Post was looking for the perfect CMB to take it's customers into the 21st Century. One of the key criteria for the new CMB's was to develop an art wrap that would hopefully work as an anti-graffiti barrier. This is where the call for Gary Alphonso's illustration talents came in.
Working with the team at Ove Brand | Design, headed up by creative director Peter Baker, Gary Alphonso was given an open creative brief as they embarked on an exploration of various abstract directions. The art evolved into a beautiful ethereal design that incorporated the maple leaf (a ubiquitous Canadian symbol), floating as if being carried by a gentle wind. The process was a real contest but in the end, we are proud to report that Gary Alphonso's floating leaf design was among the most popular in focus testing.
Gary Alphonso's illustration applied as a wrap to the mailboxes.
Here are some pics of the mailboxes in communities across the country.
View Gary Alphonso's entire portfolio here!