Mimi Szeto

Branding and Redesign

The Ontario Film Commission didn’t have a website that reflected Ontario’s thriving film and television industry, let alone a way to post photos and videos outside the film location database. With the vision of creating a more modern and user-friendly platform, I helped lead the first major redesign of the website, from initial concept to launch. The revamp included:

• improving the navigation menu and creating new pages for each section
• replacing an image of Niagara Falls (for real) with a feature video that livened up the homepage
• adding video trailers of buzzworthy projects shot in Ontario
• moving the “In Production” list (productions currently being filmed) to the landing page
• renaming tools and features based on user feedback

Results & impact

The redesign was a way for the film office to rebrand itself, showcasing the array of resources and infrastructure that makes Ontario a desirable place to shoot any film of TV project. (We often double as an American city as well as those heartwarming Hallmark holiday movies.) Ontario Creates, the government agency the film office is part of, redesigned their website afterwards, drawing inspiration from the look and feel of the film commission website. Because the Ontario Film Commission represents regions within the province, the site also serves as a marketing tool for cities like Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, and Ottawa to attract filming, create jobs, promote tourism, and strengthen their local economy.