Canfor has updated its visual and brand identity as its repositions itself around innovation, sustainability and forest-product leadership.

Developed by Full Punch, the lumber company has implemented its new brand identity, across an array of platforms, from its annual report and quarterly magazine to office spaces and lumber wraps. It also has a redesigned website, which brings its new brand stance and story to life through design, visuals and messaging that highlight the new brand image.

Rob McCloskey, manager of marketing and brand at Canfor, says refreshing a brand with nearly a century of history is a significant undertaking, especially amid industry headwinds.

“Our collaboration with Full Punch allowed us to articulate our core values, uniting our diverse teams across continents and positioning forestry as a dynamic and forward-thinking industry, resulting in a reinvigorated brand identity positioned to drive us forward,” he said.

Like many in the forestry sector, Canfor, a staple of the industry since the 1930s, has been navigating a period of significant challenge and change. Shifting market dynamics and geopolitical headwinds have underscored the need for forest products companies to adapt, so the lumber company engaged Full Punch in a brand audit.

Canfor’s new “Better By Nature” positioning aims to reflect the company’s fundamental principles, such as commitment to responsible forest management, a drive for innovation, the delivery of superior products and the cultivation of strong, long-term partnerships.

Sustainability is a key component of Canfor’s CSR, a core value of who they are and how they operate, according to Full Punch and the brand.

As part of its goal to become net-zero by 2050, Canfor is using renewable diesel instead of fossil fuels for its forklifts and trucks, engaging in a tree-planting initiative that put 62 million seedlings in ground last year and redirecting more than 12,000 tonnes of wood ash for agricultural purposes.

To develop the “Better By Nature” brand stance, the company performed cross-disciplinary employee interviews spanning operations in Western Canada, where Canfor operates eight sawmills and two pulp mills, facilities in the Southern U.S. and Sweden, as well as a market research review of industry perceptions.

“While many aspects could change, we knew the strongest elements of the brand should endure,” says Chris Zawada, partner and chief creative officer at Full Punch.

With this in mind, Full Punch approached Canfor’s rebrand as more of an evolution than a wholesale change.

“The most significant part of Canfor’s brand equity lies in its logo, which has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 90 years,” Zawada explains. “So we retained the basic structure of the previous logo and updated the shape, typography and colour.”

The logo’s tree icon was removed to improve readability and emphasize Canfor’s transition from a forestry company to a forest-products company. Furthermore, a modern sans-serif typeface, carefully considered colour palette, contemporary photographic style and a cohesive tone of voice were developed in an attempt to further modernize Canfor.