ChangeMakers helps CFL launch new Indigenous brand

Few sporting traditions are as distinctly Canadian and maple-syrupy as our unique three-down, 12-man, wide-field pursuit of the Grey Cup. For more than a century, Canadian football has brought people together in its own unmistakable way. Fans from every walk of life come together to cheer, jeer — respectfully, of course — and lose themselves for a few hours in a game that is truly our own.

So, when the CFL turned to ChangeMakers and the Indigenous artists on our team to help create a new visual identity for the league, we were beyond thrilled and proud to be part of it.

As part of its commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, the CFL wanted to extend a particular welcome and thank you to Indigenous fans through a new league visual identity — one grounded in Indigenous stories, perspectives and creativity.

Enter Christian Kent, Christopher Mitchell and Brooke Jewell.

Three artists. Three different geographies. Three different Indigenous worldviews.

Christian, who has led Indigenous design at ChangeMakers for more than a decade, is from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba and brings an Anishinaabe perspective to his work. Christopher is a Mi’kmaq artist currently living in Toronto. Brooke is a Métis artist who was born and raised on Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 territories and now lives in British Columbia.

Together, they began working with the CFL’s branding and content team — a shout-out to Craig Garvie and Richard Orbrand — on something that needed to be more than simply a new look.

The project was anchored by National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, whose involvement helped ensure the work was grounded in something deeper: story, meaning and relationship.

The result is a beautiful visual identity with an equally beautiful story behind it.

And nobody can tell that story better than the artists who created it.

The CFL is, in so many ways, a uniquely Canadian game. Each week, millions of fans tune in to watch, and tens of thousands of fans fill stadiums across the country to support their teams, celebrate their communities and, occasionally, remind their rivals exactly what they think of them.

And nowhere is that passion more obvious than in Winnipeg, where the Blue Bombers boast the league’s strongest attendance and recently celebrated 16 consecutive sold-out games. So, Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Bombers, was a great place for last week’s reveal with CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston.

A huge thank you to the CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston, the CFL content and brand teams, National Chief Cindy Woodhouse-Nepinak, and especially Christian, Christopher and Brooke for bringing this work to life.

It is a privilege for ChangeMakers to have played a small part in telling this story.

And with that…

Go Blue!