Great brands stand as potent personalities. People grasp their characteristics as they would an appealing person – someone unique is someone you’d like to know.
Never static, The Ian Martin Group (IMG) has steadily evolved over the last 54 years. In one way, our progress through history can be documented by changes to our corporate brand marks. It is fun to look back today at the various banners under which we have worked so hard, dating all the way back to 1957.
1957 – 1982
From the outset in 1957, the founders, Ian Martin P.Eng. and Mary Masson, laid the groundwork for the company’s growth. From the 1950’s to the 1980’s the Ian Martin Associates Limited (IMA) logo was our banner. IMA gained market share by meeting the staffing needs of the Canadian power generation, automotive and electronic industries during these decades of rapid growth. While serving the industrial sector in Canada, we also made inroads in the public sector and found our way to the United States. Starting out in Erie, PA, we provided technical people to the locomotive industry and developed a US branch network from there.
1982 – 1994
A quarter-century of continuous exposure rendered the original IMA logo recognizable, but tired. So began brand mark revitalization, with refreshed logos appearing at intervals over the years, as the need arose.
In the early 1980’s an appealing new logo design was adopted, featuring three white letters on a rectangular black background. During the 1980’s, Bill Masson drove extensive expansion under the new logo in the United States, taking our presence there from coast to coast. In both Canada and the US, we responded to huge demands from the mass transit industry for design support and we did warranty retrofit work on transit bus and transit railcar projects across the continent.
1994 – 1996
The set of “reflection” logos, as they came to be known, were designed in 1994 and remained active for several years in the mid-1990’s. The concept was evocative of reflections in a stream, a nod to our stunning new corporate headquarters – The Granary. “The Old Granary” was an historic, stone warehouse, rich in character perched on the river bank in Oakville, Ontario. The Old Granary became a talent magnet, fuelling new business growth.
During this stretch of time, as always, the company paid close attention to existing customers and focused on attaining new ones. Ian Martin acquired The 500 Staffing Selection Services Inc. (The 500) and launched Ian Martin Information Technology Inc. (IMIT). Due to the early 90’s recession, we branched out into unique areas – operating a network of weather stations across the Canadian north and maintaining military bases, industrial plants and police headquarters under janitorial contracts with various levels of government.
Oakville Beaver – Aug 5, 1994
1996 – 2001
The “lightning strike” family of logos represented our company brands from 1996 through 2001. It suggested both dynamism and speed, as we joined the online revolution by rolling out a website, advertising job information online and receiving resumes digitally from candidates.
Both IMIT and IML did their share of year 2000 problem-solving work, providing Y2K services to upgrade computer systems, as clients prepared for the dreaded date 01 01 2000.
2001 – 2011
The new IM dot did not take long to earn the nickname of “M&M”, due to its resemblance to the famous confectionery. It saw steady action during the decade of the 2000’s, as we increased our activity in nuclear power generation, IT and Telecom.
It was morphed and adopted for use by IMIT and The 500. For a time it carried the inscrutable “finders / keepers” tagline. The “M&M” logo was also altered for the 50th corporate anniversary, using the “Since 1957” tagline during our 2007 celebrations.
Make no mistake, each of these brand marks identified us very well in its time, averaging about a decade each. However, time marches on and IMG continues to innovate.
Following a thoughtful process, and coached by one of Canada’s brand experts, IMG now proudly unveils a distinctive new family of corporate brands. Each sibling brand proudly dons its distinct mark to express specific expertise under the IMG parent umbrella. This generation of marks aims to merge our heritage of authentic relationships with the optimism of growth in people’s careers and a sense of stewardship for our communities.
