Learn about Kelowna’s Updated Brand Strategy & Visual Direction

The team from Partners & Hawes (Taya, Catherine & Gisele) joined me at our Annual General Meeting workshops in May 2025 to answer questions from local tourism businesses to better understand the brand development process, meaning behind the brand, and ways to help bring this destination brand to life.

This first article is based on that Q&A session, and focuses on the first phase of the brand renewal process during the research and strategy development stage.

Q: (Chris) When we issued the request for proposals looking for a new design and creative agency, we left it quite wide open for how to approach the project and opportunity. How did you approach the project from the get-go?

A: (Taya) When we first reviewed the invitation, we saw that Tourism Kelowna was clear about the business objectives in terms of regional and seasonal dispersion, responsible travel, and building a revered local brand. We got the sense you knew where you needed to go, but were open on how to get there. We approached the project with a similar level of openness. 

Even though some of us live and work in Kelowna and know it well, we never wanted to assume we had the answers. Sometimes, it takes seeing a destination from the outside - or through completely fresh eyes - to truly see its potential. Our brand process does that. It involves deep research and immersion at the start. We look for themes about a place that come up again and again - golden threads you might call them - and those form the basis of our thinking. We learned so much on our immersion trip. We saw that there was real potential to elevate Kelowna - and the entire region - as a jewel in the province. Through immersion, the path to get there started to reveal itself.

From there, we layered in the technical knowledge we have on how to make brands stand out. We saw an opportunity for better regional and partner cohesion, creating a strong identity system with Kelowna as the anchor, but thinking and building regionally for everything. 

We also wanted to elevate the brand from a singular focus on attributes to being more about attitude. When people travel, they’re chasing a feeling, so we put emotion and local character at the centre of the brand. 

The final thing that we kept front of mind was Reconciliation: ensuring that no matter what, this was a brand that would make space for local Indigenous perspectives at its core. 

Q: (Chris) What were some of the key insights you discovered from the research you were given before you started, and the research you did while getting started?

A: (Catherine) Some of the insights we identified early on were factual: relating to the business needs, opportunities, and challenges the brand needed to address. Beyond that, there were many insights that were inspirational in helping us shape the story of this brand. The experience of Kelowna is so different to the rest of the province: the light, the climate, the character, the culture – it’s all so unique. We knew we needed to create a brand that was sensory and visceral: reflecting the life, energy, and possibility you witness everywhere in Kelowna. It originates in the land, the lake, the sun, but it's reflected in all facets of the region: from the growers and producers to wellness, sports and outdoor activities, to places of learning, to entrepreneurship and innovation. There’s a real sense of optimism, a bright outlook that seems to come directly from the bright, blue skies.

After our immersion trip, we reflected on the themes that kept coming up, and we realized they were rooted in one key insight: that Kelowna’s relationship to the land is different to other cities in BC. For cities like Whistler, Vancouver, and Victoria, their relationship with the land tends to be limited to adventure or leisure. The land is a beautiful backdrop you escape to. Of course, Kelowna has adventure and leisure, also, but its relationship to the land runs deeper than that. It’s a daily working relationship: one of co-creation between a young city and an ancient land. It’s a relationship that's been there for generations, long before the settlers came, and it’s reflected in the story of The Four Food Chiefs. That was an important discovery, and the foundation for us to build this brand. 

(Taya) That was a key moment, and for me it was like falling back in love with the place that I live.

Q: (Chris) One of you lives here. Some of the team have vacationed here. Others on the team were just getting introduced to the area. What were some of the stories or learnings that resonated with you the most, and how did you weave that into the brand strategy?

A: (Catherine) Again, it was that working relationship with the land. For us, it didn’t matter if we lived here, had been here several times, or were here for the first or second time; we all saw that. But besides that, we had two standout moments that really helped influence the brand direction and shape the brand story.

The first was at the Sncewips Heritage Museum. We had the privilege of listening to and learning from the team there, who shared with us the stories of their people and the story of the Four Food Chiefs. This resonated so strongly and connected directly to many of the stories of life and generosity we had heard. That origin story tied together so many themes that kept coming up for us.

Another was meeting with the team at a local winery. I was amazed at hearing the winemaker talk in such detail about all of the work that goes into making the wine. There are so many factors at play, and no matter how skilled or knowledgeable they are at their work, it was ultimately the land that was in charge of the process. Again, this reinforced our learning that Kelowna has a very distinct working relationship with the land. In this situation, it was the hot summers, the cool winters, the breeze that comes off the lake that demonstrates Mother Nature is at the reins.

(Taya) For me, I had a moment of impact at sənsisyustən House of Learning at the Westbank First Nation. There, we learned about the importance of community, and how everything works in a cycle, a system, and is interconnected. I noted and felt the importance of reciprocity, circularity, and the circle that is life. This was a foundational element and learning we applied to both the brand strategy and the visual design system. 

Watch for more, including how the team went about developing the visual identity system, and ways that your business can use the updated destination brand.

If you have questions about Tourism Kelowna’s updated brand direction or our marketing and communication strategy, please contact me at chris.shauf@tourismkelowna.com.

You can also watch this recording of a presentation done in March 2025, when we introduced the refreshed brand.