Last month, TD unveiled another permanent installation at Toronto’s Union Station through an ongoing partnership with station owner Osmington Inc. that makes a recognizable part of the bank’s identity part of improving the experience of commuting and traveling.
The installation, inspired by TD’s iconic Green Chair, features the work of five Canadian furniture designers from across Canada, including one called the Onedge, designed by Toronto furniture shop Brothers Dresselers. The Onedge chairs are made of sustainable manufactured plywood and hand-finished in the west-end workshop.
Commuters and visitors can find the installation near the entrance of the UP Express. It includes seating as well as device charging stations. And adjacent to it, there’s a credit card lounge featuring an Inuit art collection.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for us to bring Canadian art into the space, aligned with the overall heritage” of the station’s west wing, says Tyrrell Schmidt, TD global brand and customer experience officer. “That’s a big part of what we did with the seating.”
She says the latest installment is part of a partnership with Union and Osmington that dates back to late 2015. That year, it became the station’s founding sponsor and exclusive financial services partner, with the goal of helping to transform the country’s busiest transportation hub into “a vibrant retail, cultural and civic destination.”
Schmidt says the latest installation aims to enhance the overall experience of commuters and visitors at Union and to drive innovation, while aligning with the overall vision for Union Station, which has been undergoing substantial renovations. “That means bringing elements of the station into the design,” she says. The handles of some pillar seating in the York Concourse, which date back to 2015, are made from old railroad ties, for example.
Schmidt adds that the bank has previously had success incorporating its iconic green chair into activations, and it continues to be positively associated with TD by around 70% of consumers, making it an important brand asset.
But just as TD modernized its brand in 2017, moving from a “Banking can be this comfortable” promise to “Ready for you,” it also streamlined the look of its chair.
Today, she says it continues to be used as a symbol that the bank is “ready for [its] customers” and to “make them feel more confident about their financial future. “That was an important signal for us as we look to evolve the brand and deliver on confidence.”