Reflecting on accessible communications and design in 2025

Summary

In 2025, we worked alongside both long-standing and new clients who trust iilo as a strategic partner, not just a service provider. From branding and conference identities to reports, training decks, educational materials, and websites, our work helped clients communicate clearly, inclusively, and with confidence.

Client highlights

This year’s work spanned many unique challenges, but shared a common thread: values-led organizations doing meaningful work. Here are some of our favourite highlights:

Branding and websites

• We partnered with Accessible Employers to articulate an authentic brand story and design a modern visual identity. The new brand brings greater clarity and confidence to how Accessible Employers communicates its leadership in the inclusive employment space. It was especially meaningful to apply accessibility-informed thinking throughout the process, aligning the visuals with the values at the heart of the work. We were also honoured to be nominated for an award in the small business category for the second year in a row at the 12th annual Untapped Workplace Inclusion Awards event, hosted by Open Door Group and Accessible Employers.
• We loved collaborating with BC Policy Solutions this past year, a BC-based charitable think tank, to create a brand grounded in equity, boldness, and innovation. The new identity helps strengthen the organization’s presence and supports its goal of sharing thoughtful, research-driven policy ideas with broader audiences. This project was a great example of how strategy and design can work together to support complex work.
• We continued enhancing our website work with the North Shore Primary Care Network, providing refinements to design and build a custom online health tool. The updates focused on usability and accessibility, helping ensure the tool remains supportive and easy to navigate for both patients and care providers.
• Our collaboration with Untapped Accessibility continued to deepen in 2025. We worked closely with their disability-informed team across several projects, including designing accessible training and presentation decks that put plain language and inclusive communication into practice. We also updated Untapped’s website, helping better reflect the social enterprise’s expertise and leadership in accessibility. Finally, we wrapped up the year by writing an in-depth marketing strategy for Untapped, laying the foundation for their team to work at the highest levels of accessibility consulting across Canada.
• Through our long-standing collaboration with Boldt Communications, we were pleased to create detailed and practical brand standards for Community Land Trust, building on their current branding. This work included creating a more accessible colour palette, co-op sub-branding, business cards, banners, letterhead, presentations, social media and document templates to support consistent communications. The project was designed in tandem with broader strategic communication plans led by Boldt.
• We began a brand refresh with Trailmark, supporting early-stage work on its website, app, and overall digital presence. While this work is still in progress, the foundation being set now will help support a more cohesive and accessible experience moving forward. We’re excited to see it all come together in 2026!

Reports and documents

• Designing the Food Banks BC Hunger Report 2025 for the second time was a big responsibility and a privilege. This important annual report sheds light on food insecurity across the province, and we were proud to support Food Banks BC with accessible layouts that help data-heavy content feel approachable. Returning to this work let us build on what worked well last year while continuing to refine the experience for readers.
• We partnered with the Career Education Society of BC (CES) to research, write, and design a family of career education materials in partnership with the Province. This document series required careful attention to users’ needs and was built with accessibility at the forefront, to ensure the materials could support different audiences with different learning contexts.
• We updated the layout and design of a well-loved but outdated Mentor-Apprentice Program handbook for the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. Our role focused on refreshing the look and feel, as well as improving readability, while maintaining respect for the original content and the care already embedded in the resource.

Events and Communications

• We were grateful to continue our long-standing relationship with LOCO BC, supporting its annual BC Buy Local Week through campaign design and sponsorship. This campaign celebrates local businesses and the interconnected communities that support them, and it’s always energizing to contribute to work rooted in local impact we can see and feel.
• Working once again with our long-time client, Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR BC & Yukon) on the CHPR Conference and Expo 2025 is always a highlight of our ongoing creative partnership. We designed the conference brand and collaborated with illustrator Anasabina Dys to create an identity that felt welcoming, contemporary, and people-centred. The result enabled Western Canada’s largest HR event to maintain a sense of warmth and connection. We’re also working on the upcoming 2026 Conference.
• It was a pleasure to support the City of Victoria with design for a variety of promotional materials throughout the year, extending the capacity of their in-house team. These projects focused on bringing clarity and consistency to public-facing communications, with accessibility-informed design supporting a wide range of audiences. Working with municipal teams continues to remind us of how thoughtful design can improve everyday interactions.
• We provided strategic brand consulting for Open Door Group, helping clarify the almost 50-year-old organization’s approach to its brand ecosystem. This work supported alignment across their many programs and subbrands, creating a strong, steady base for future growth.

Company milestones

Alongside client work, 2025 was a meaningful year of reflection for the iilo team.

• We hosted our first in-person iilo summit in Parksville, BC! With a focus on dreaming big and collectively envisioning what iilo can be, our gathering created room for shared direction and meaningful conversations. As a fully virtual team, it was also the first time many of our collaborators met in person!
• We continued participating in The Forum Mentor Program and are deeply grateful to our mentor, Chin Hing Chang, for his generosity, wisdom, and steady guidance.
• We also worked with business coach Audrey Kwan, whose profound understanding of our needs as a creative studio helped us navigate a year of growth with intention and clarity.

Looking ahead

As we look forward, we’re holding both excitement and responsibility.

• In 2026, we’ll complete our next B Corp assessment, using the updated assessment system as an opportunity to reflect on where iilo shines and where we can continue to improve. This process helps keep us accountable as we grow.
• We’ll also reach our fiscal year five milestone in Spring 2026—a moment to pause, reflect, and outline iilo’s next chapter.

Are you resonating with the work we supported in 2025 and inspired by where we’re headed next? Reach out to start a conversation about how iilo can support your communication design needs—strategically, accessibly, and with impact.