Going Against the Grain

by Emma Tarswell

Toronto design studio The Office of Gilbert Li provides unique print solutions for major clients, such as the Royal Ontario Museum and the Toronto International Film Festival

From the outset, The Office of Gilbert Li never had to market to clients. Since opening in 2004, the design studio, named for founder Gilbert Li, has had clients approach them with work. Clients are “generally self selecting,” says Li. “People generally come to us because they want to work with us and have a very specific kind of project that we have experience with.”

After dropping out from York University's fine arts programme and then George Brown College's design school, Li started working in 1995 and never looked back. His first few jobs were as an in-house designer for communication departments in large companies, and later as an assistant designer for C Magazine. Li also worked with Gottschalk + Ash and Hahn Smith Design, two Toronto-based design studios.

idea&s, a University of Toronto publication and his first client, had a unique problem. As the magazine for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the publication had to be the unified voice for a faculty made up of a wide range of departments. Li helped guide them to create a more ambitious publication than was originally planned. The first issue came out in the fall of 2004 and was published twice a year until 2008. Thanks to his efforts to design a magazine that intelligently showcased the work of alumni and the faculty's research, Li says the publication “was much heralded by the client as a much-needed advancement tool that more effectively engaged a wide audience both inside and outside of the university.”

After getting this first client, it was tough to find others, but as Li explains, “I gave myself a three-year window to give it a shot on my own.” The perseverance paid off: he’s been fortunate to see a steady increase in clients, many of whom have stayed as long-term clients.

The Office of Gilbert Li works primarily with print, since it’s the area that most interests Li. It specializes in print communications, promotional materials and visual identity development for cultural institutions and non-profits, as well as designing books and editorial content for publishers. Beyond designing and typesetting, the studio (which includes Li, Marcelo Hong and Emily Tu) sources images and printer services for clients and will also provide copy if requested. 

Li and his staff have worked with a variety of large clients, including the Ontario Arts Council and the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Office also works with smaller clients, such as non-profit, cultural organizations. These include Diaspora Dialogues, developing programs that mentor emerging writers and ensure a diversity of voices are heard, and The Magenta Foundation, promoting Canadian artists through exhibitions, juried competitions and book projects.

Looking over past projects, Li cites three as particularly meaningful for him. The first was idea&s, his first client, and one that is indicative of the type of work that the studio would eventually be known for. The second was for the Royal Ontario Museum's launch of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition. Li recalls that the design brief was essentially “blow our socks off,” and the budget allowed The Office to work with a paper folding expert and a high-end specialty print finisher to help them realize this one-of-a-kind promotion.The final, and most recent, project was for the Toronto International Film Festival. Li and his studio were asked to design 180°, a programming guide and magazine for the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The high-profile job was nirvana for the studio, because the “whole of the office is made up of film geeks.”

The Office is continually evolving in how they stay connected to the design community. Social media, including Facebook and a blog will include original work and research to show another side of the studio. However, unlike other studios, The Office isn’t going online simply to attract clients or for marketing purposes. Li says that their social media efforts are a way to further interact with other designers and stay abreast of community developments.

The path of development that The Office has taken — and indeed, the path that Li has, as well — shows the evolution of a design studio from its humble beginnings, to an endeavour that works with some of Toronto’s most prominent projects. As a studio that works almost exclusively with print in an increasingly digital world, The Office is leaving its imprint on the Canadian design industry.