Wedge’s brand for Diana’s Seafood turns a new tide for the company

“Where most have a founding father, Diana’s has a founding mother,” Wedge’s chief design officer, Justin Lortie, says. This fact became the overarching creative concept behind the studio’s rebrand of Diana, that being: The Mother of Seafood. “That difference became our opportunity to create a brand with an insatiable energy, ferocious care, sense of nourishment, and beautiful vibrancy that only a mother can give,” Justin says. “It’s all of these things in the foundational strategy that guided the world and work you see.” 

The Canadian seafood brand is trusted across the country by Michelin star kitchens and home cooks alike, and has been for almost half a century. Turning to Wedge, the Montreal and LA based design studio envisioned and crafted an all-encompassing brand strategy that would shake any sleepy expectations of the company, usher in a new audience and a new brand experience.

This began with a refreshing, research-led reimagining of Diana’s typographic approach, with Vocal Type’s Martin as the hero typeface of choice. The condensed sans serif, which alone packs a powerful punch, was tweaked to introduce small fins to the letterforms, nodding to the fish themselves. Alongside Martin, Wedge added Alex Lescieux’s variable typeface, Milano, as the supporting font – a variable slab serif that offers a distinctive contrast in weight and width compared to Martin. Sitting alongside the blue-heavy colour palette, the nostalgic, heritage-laced forms of both typefaces forge a charming voice emblematic of Diana’s legacy without feeling at all stuffy or stuck-in-its-ways. “In design research and cultural foraging, the team came across these amazing old fisherman crates with handwritten type,” says Justin. “Milano carried this spirit with its variable nature spanning five fun widths from compressed to extended, giving us the flexibility to mix and match and create a playful system with a new energy that’s also rooted in tradition.”

Similarly, the brand’s approach to illustration strikes a satisfying balance between familiarity and modernity, courtesy of LA-based artist and illustrator Bill Rebholz, whose work tonally reflects the values behind Diana’s brand – charming, yet fresh. “Bill’s work brings a craft, bold charm, and warm quality. His work brings that feeling of stepping into an authentic fish market,” Justin says. “It’s tradition, reimagined,” he ends, “it’s perfect!”