LAB2MARKET
a unified brand helping Canada’s brightest researchers turn ideas into impact.
Support for scientists looking to commercialize their research.
Lab2Market is a national research commercialization program run by Dalhousie and delivered at 13+ universities across Canada. Their mission? Help academic researchers turn brilliant ideas into businesses. Our mission? Build a brand system strong enough to unite a cross-country network—and flexible enough to thrive in the hands of busy, non-designer program teams.
THE CHALLENGE
As Lab2Market expanded across multiple universities, its brand started to splinter. Each region had its own look, language, and approach. The result? A national program with local pride but no shared identity. They needed a brand system that could flex without losing its human voice or startup energy.
THE APPROACH
We led discovery sessions with program leads, innovation offices, and researchers from across the country. Through deep listening and collaborative workshops, we uncovered what tied it all together: a shared belief in turning knowledge into action.
From there, we developed a national brand narrative centred on clarity, credibility, and connection. Every element, from messaging to design, was rigorously tested against real-world use cases to ensure it worked for non-designers, busy academics, and ambitious founders alike.
THE SOLUTION
We delivered a scalable brand system built for growth: a modular logo structure, clean colour palette, and tone that’s scholarly without sounding stiff. The new identity brought visual consistency and practical usability to a distributed national team, supported by editable templates, social kits, and a fully accessible design system.
The result? A brand that feels unified, professional, and proudly Canadian, ready to lead the next generation of research-driven entrepreneurship.
THE IMPACT
The rebrand helped Lab2Market unify its visual presence across 13+ institutions, strengthening recognition and trust among students, staff, and stakeholders. Since launch, the program has:
- Supported national expansion and brand adoption across Canada
- Helped unlock $32M in federal funding
- Contributed to more than $34.1M in follow-on investment
Today, Lab2Market’s brand embodies what it truly is: a national movement that turns research into real-world impact.
We had an outstanding experience with BOLD LIP and their exceptional work in rebranding the Lab2Market program. Their attention to detail, commitment to deadlines, and open communication throughout the project made working with them an absolute pleasure.
Natalie McMullin
