The One of a Kind Show (OOAK) wants people to know its vendors are craftier than AI and is using graphic thumbprints to emphasize what it means to be uniquely human.
With messaging like “certified human made” and “no AI was used in the creation of these vases,” the annual Toronto artisanal craft show is looking for a way to stand out in a world in which AI talk dominates the public discourse.
“I think we’re always trying to join the zeitgeist or, at least, the conversations people are having,” says Omar Morson, ECD of design at The Local Collective, which won the account in June. “AI is obviously on everyone’s mind but, in those conversations, there seems to be the growing thought of independence from AI. No one likes to feel like they’re too predictable, or that their behaviour is prescribed. That’s what led to this approach.”
Morson says the offerings at the OOAK show are all unique – whether it’s the materials used, the product designs or the combination thereof – creating, as the name of the show suggests, one-of-a-kind pieces that don’t seem to fit the “mold” and seem to “break” traditional algorithms.
The Local Collective says that this year, it wanted a bold creative and visual approach that was “highly visible to all corners of the GTA.”
“The uniqueness of the crafts at One of a Kind are as unique as the thumbprints of the hands that make them, and the people that come to the show to appreciate them,” Morson says. He tells strategy there was an opportunity to bring that out in bold variations of its icon “in a palette that stands out just like they do.”
Informa Group, the OOAK show owner, handled media. Informa produces and manages over 45 seminars, conferences, trade and consumer shows every year, including Fan Expo Canada, the country’s largest pop culture gathering.
The event, which has been running since 1975, is being held from Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 at Toronto’s Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place.
