A CANADIAN BRAND ON THE WORLD STAGE
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Designing a brand experience for one of aerospace's premier global events.
The Farnborough International Airshow is one of the aerospace industry's premier events, where every interaction shapes perception. For De Havilland Canada, the 2,150 sq. ft. customer chalet became more than a hospitality space—it was a fully immersive brand environment designed to showcase the company's products, capabilities and Canadian heritage while supporting meaningful conversations with customers, partners and industry leaders.
Every element, from the exterior presence and spatial planning to environmental graphics, branded experiences and live communications, worked together to tell a cohesive story across one of the world's most influential aviation events.
The Challenge
Design a premium customer environment that balanced hospitality with storytelling while showcasing the breadth of the De Havilland Canada portfolio within a limited footprint. Every touchpoint, from the exterior façade to meeting rooms, digital content and event collateral, needed to work together as one cohesive experience.
Creative Scope
The creative process began with the chalet layout, developing a floorplan that balanced hospitality, executive meeting spaces and product storytelling while creating an intuitive visitor journey. Each area was carefully planned to support meaningful conversations while contributing to a larger narrative about De Havilland Canada's history, capabilities and future.
With the experience mapped out, environmental graphics transformed the chalet into an immersive brand environment. Large-format feature walls, meeting room graphics, architectural branding and product storytelling created distinct destinations throughout the space, guiding visitors through aircraft programs, De Havilland Defence, aftermarket services and global operations without overwhelming the experience.
Every graphic was designed with purpose, not simply to decorate the space, but to support conversation. Messaging was intentionally layered, allowing visitors to engage at a glance or explore deeper as discussions evolved.
The visual system extended beyond the chalet itself through cocktail reception invitations, event signage, printed collateral and branded hospitality materials, creating a consistent experience across every customer touchpoint.
As the airshow unfolded, the brand continued to evolve through creative support for website updates, news releases, internal communications and social media assets.
Working alongside the Communications team, I helped bring key announcements to life through visual storytelling, including the return of the Sherpa to the global stage on static display. The project extended beyond digital communications to include interpretive display panels, custom cargo bins that demonstrated the aircraft's payload capability, and the development of a one-of-a-kind livery for the aircraft—The Pack Rat. Inspired by the character and personality of classic aviation nose art, the playful rat illustration gave the Sherpa a distinctive identity while paying homage to its rugged, mission-ready heritage.
Favourite Detail
One of my favourite design challenges was rethinking how De Havilland Canada's aircraft models were displayed.
Previous airshows showcased the models in a traditional glass display case—a practical solution, but one that consumed valuable floor space within an already compact chalet. Rather than adding another display, I looked for an opportunity within the architecture itself.
An unused bulkhead above the patio doors became a custom aircraft timeline, pairing suspended models with their entry-into-service dates to celebrate the evolution of the product portfolio. The installation transformed an overlooked architectural element into a feature, naturally drawing visitors through the space while preserving valuable floor area for customer meetings and hospitality.
It's a simple design decision, but one that reflects my favourite kind of problem solving: finding ways to make every element of a space work harder.
The Outcome
The completed chalet delivered a cohesive brand experience that supported customer engagement across physical and digital channels. Through thoughtful space planning, environmental storytelling and integrated communications, the temporary venue became an immersive extension of the De Havilland Canada brand—creating meaningful opportunities for connection throughout one of the aerospace industry's most influential events.
