Interdisciplinary design firm HCMA has announced the appointment of Jer Crowle as creative director of the communication design team, effective immediately. Based out of the Vancouver office, Crowle will work with the partners to expand the firm’s award-winning communication design team and continue HCMA’s mission to create measurable social impact through design.
A classically trained fine artist, Crowle makes use of various mediums, including traditional and conceptual art, to inform his interdisciplinary design approach. With past senior creative roles at sustainable product company Green Theory and design agency Burnkit, as well as a stint on the Advisory Council for the Vancouver Biennale, Crowle has been part of the Vancouver design world for 20 years, alongside other projects in Europe.
“The team at HCMA has demonstrated the crucial role communication design can play in positive social change by creating brands and campaigns that reflect the values of the organizations and communities they represent. I’m looking forward to working with the talented team that’s already in place to build our capabilities and deliver hcma’s distinctive communication design offer to a wider audience,” said Crowle.
Established in 2016, the communication design practice rapidly established expertise in branding community engagement to guide redevelopment projects for Vancouver’s West End Community Centre, the City of Surrey’s Clayton Community Centre, and Ganges Village for the Islands Trust.
Other projects include a new brand vision and identity developed in collaboration with Squamish Nation, naming and brand identity for Passive House Canada, and inclusive wayfinding for Clayton Community Centre and Wii Gyemsiga Siwilaawksat Student Housing at Coast Mountain College.
“We’ve long recognized the need for architecture to look beyond itself for answers, and since its creation the communication design team within hcma has helped us to connect people and create change within both architectural and stand-alone projects. Jer brings a rich interdisciplinary background that will help us to deliver positive impact to a wider range of partners, who we might never otherwise reach through architecture,” said Darryl Condon, managing principal at HCMA.
