Share Knowledge · Inspire Generations

Library and Archives Canada Foundation

Context

EN / FR · Bilingual

Sector

Non-Profit / Heritage

Scope

Brand & Web

Year

2025

URL

lacfoundation.ca

The Library and Archives Canada Foundation is an independent, registered charity whose mission is to enhance the visibility of Library and Archives Canada, one of the world's most significant repositories of national memory, and to position it as a creative force in Canada's cultural ecosystem.

Through fundraising, scholarship awards, and innovative partnerships, the Foundation makes Canada's past more accessible and helps inspire the innovation and creation of tomorrow. In 2025, the Foundation launched its most ambitious campaign to date: $10 million to support a future-facing national library and archives that will serve Canadians for generations.

The brief called for a bilingual digital platform (English and French, mirrored at fondationbac.ca) that could carry both the gravitas of a national institution and the warmth of a public-facing charity. Every design decision had to honour the weight of what LAC holds (millions of documents, photographs, maps, and recordings that constitute Canada's collective memory) while remaining approachable and inspiring to donors, researchers, and the general public alike.

Deep Teal

#1D414A

Lime

#D5DB66

Slate Teal

#55838C

Warm Grey

#605E62

Parchment

#F5F0E8

In Image

LAC Foundation website, Scholar Awards and About sections

LAC Foundation mobile site on a phone in a gallery

LAC Foundation award recipients on a tablet

LAC Foundation website News and Media page

Deliverables

Brand

Identity System

Visual identity, colour palette, and typography standards befitting a national cultural institution: authoritative, accessible, and distinctly Canadian

Web

Bilingual Build

Full English and French website (lacfoundation.ca + fondationbac.ca) with scholarship archive, donation flows, campaign pages, and news publishing

Heritage Experience

User experience designed to move Canadians from curiosity to connection, informing donors, engaging researchers, and honouring the national memory the Foundation protects

Typography

Canela

Display & Editorial

A contemporary editorial serif that bridges classical scholarship with modern cultural publishing. Used by leading arts and media institutions worldwide, Canela's confident yet refined letterforms give the Foundation's headlines the weight of a national institution without sacrificing warmth or accessibility.

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PP Mori

Body & Interface

A geometric sans-serif with clean, neutral forms that ensure legibility across both official languages. PP Mori's even weight and open letterforms make French and English body copy equally readable, essential for a national institution whose commitment to bilingualism is constitutional as much as it is cultural.

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Client Testimonial

"Octarine understood that this site had to carry the full weight of what the LAC Foundation represents. The result is a platform worthy of Canada's national memory."

Jacques J.M. Shore

Founding Chair, Library and Archives Canada Foundation

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