Turning the table on Shaikh Ziyad

Multiple award-winning creative Shaikh Ziyad, Art Director at Arrivals+Departures and juror for the 2025 Applied Arts Student Awards, created the logo for the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which was launched in 2023. Shaikh shares some insight on the brand redesign.

Shining a Light on the Everyday: The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Campaign

In 2023, Arrivals + Departures partnered with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) to launch a bold, emotionally-driven brand campaign aimed at building local awareness and driving visitation. What made this campaign shine wasn’t just what the agency created, but how they made people feel.

What were some unique features of the campaign?

One of the most unique elements of the campaign was the emotional lens we applied. Instead of simply promoting the gallery or exhibitions, we focused on the emotional impact of art – how it can ground you, uplift you, surprise you, or make you feel more connected. Our messaging positioned the gallery as a space where art intersects with everyday life. The concept allowed the A+D team room to be both creative and human in our execution.

Visually, the campaign paired vibrant, emotive imagery with poetic, feeling-led copy, making it feel fresh and accessible. It wasn’t about “understanding” art—it was about experiencing it.

What were the success stats or indicators?

The campaign ran across broadcast, digital, out-of-home, and social from June through October 2023. During that time, AGNS saw a notable increase in both gallery visitation and traffic to AGNS.ca. The creative was well received by the public and continues to be used across the Gallery’s owned channels—another strong indicator that the messaging resonated and had staying power.

Can you give us some “peeks” behind-the-scenes?

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was the collaboration with the AGNS team. We spent time aligning on not just what to say, but how to say it in a way that felt true to both the Gallery and the audiences they wanted to reach. The budget was modest, so we had to be smart, choosing placements and creative formats that would deliver the biggest impact for the spend. That challenge pushed us to be nimble and intentional, and the result was a campaign that punched above its weight.

Why is this particular project a fave?

This project is a favourite because it brought strategy and creativity together in such a meaningful way. It wasn’t just about selling tickets or getting clicks—it was about reintroducing the gallery to its community, reframing it as a place of emotional connection and personal relevance. That kind of purpose-driven storytelling is the kind of work we love to do.

What do you think made this project a success?

The success of this campaign came down to two key factors: clarity of message and emotional authenticity. We weren’t trying to be everything to everyone—we focused on one powerful insight: art enhances the everyday. That singular idea drove everything, and we executed it in a way that felt warm, human, and inviting. That’s what made it stick.

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is the largest art museum in Atlantic Canada. Since 1908, the Gallery has been a gateway for the visual arts in Atlantic Canada by engaging people with art. It is committed to this mission as an agency of the Province of Nova Scotia and one of the premier arts institutions in Canada. The Gallery is also responsible for acquiring, preserving and exhibiting works of art, and for providing education in the visual arts. The Gallery’s Permanent Collection currently holds over 19,000 works.

W. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia | IG. @artgalleryns | FB. @ArtGalleryNS

Arrivals+Departures (A+D)
Arrivals+Departures is one of the leading advertising agencies with offices in both Toronto and Halifax. A+D offers comprehensive advertising and marketing services designed to break from the recognizable, opting for curiosity over consistency.

W. Arrivals+Departures | IG. @Arrivals+Departures | IN. @arrivals-departures | FB. @arrivalsdeparturesadvertising

Proof that great collaboration between agencies and their clients results in resounding work. Congratulations Arrivals+Departures on this successful brand campaign!