Esquao (IAAW)

Esquao, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW), is an Alberta non-profit organization that serves to amplify and share the voices of Indigenous women on the issues and challenges they face. Serving as a conduit to government, boards, academia, funders, and the public, they are at the forefront of breaking down systemic barriers—as leaders, experienced in taking on larger issues, shaping policy, collaborating with their partners, and developing positive outcomes and opportunities for the women they serve.

Project:

30th Annual Esquao Awards Gala

Details:

2026 marked the 30th Annual Esquao Awards which celebrates the strength, leadership, and achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women from throughout Alberta. With the Gala celebrating an important milestone, Esquao wanted an design for the prestegious event that reflected its importance. The design combines gala prestige with cultural identity by pairing a regal gold-and-purple palette with a prominent feather motif that honours Indigenous women. Photos from last year’s Gala are prominant throughout and the overlapping circular frames help showcase the award recipients and the Circle of Honour Inductee.

Deliverables:

Digital invitation, sponsorship brochure, event program, event signage

Esquao, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW), is an Alberta non-profit organization that serves to amplify and share the voices of Indigenous women on the issues and challenges they face. Serving as a conduit to government, boards, academia, funders, and the public, they are at the forefront of breaking down systemic barriers—as leaders, experienced in taking on larger issues, shaping policy, collaborating with their partners, and developing positive outcomes and opportunities for the women they serve.

Project:

2025 Esquao Awards Gala

Details:

Each year, the Esquao Awards celebrate the strength, leadership, and achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women from throughout Alberta. With the Gala being a prestegious event, metallic accents and background immagery are used to add elegance and prestige to the Esquao brand we previously established. The typography combines a strong, elegant script for headings, paired with a clean, legible sans-serif for body text to ensure accessibility. Photos from last year’s Gala are prominant throughout the pieces showcassing award recipients and highlighting the last year’s Circle of Honour Inductee as it is the high point of the Gala.

Deliverables:

Digital Invite, Sponsorship Brochure, Event Program, Event Signage.

Project:

2023 Research Report on the Experiences of Indigenous Women and 2Spirit+ People in Alberta

Details:

Through 313 surveys and four community gatherings over 10 months, the findings in this report are meant to contribute to transformational change through key issues affecting the needs of First Nation, Métis, Inuit, Indigenous women, and 2Spirit+ individuals (18+) and their families in both rural and urban communities across Alberta.

The report design was based on the 2023 Community Report Diva previously designed, as it coincided with the growth and influence of Esquao over the past year. The main brand elements were applied which helped highlight the amazing work done by Esquao and showcased all the data, research, stories, and imagery gathered from various communities and their members through large imagery, bright and bold colours, and visual graphs and tables.

Deliverables:

Print and digital report

Project:

2024 Community Report

Details:

The 2024 Community Report spotlights the people of Esquao and uses a magazine style cover to list the highlights of the year. The design uses a softer colour palette and gradients to flood pages with colour and highlight important information accomplishments. The inside pages of the report have a magazine inspired layout with lots of white space and large headlines.

Deliverables:

Report Print PDF

Project:

Signage

Details:

In 2023, Esquao purchased and moved into a larger office building that would allow them to house more services and offer more programing to the community. They asked Diva to develop a series of branded wall wraps and decals to brand the building and liven up the various spaces used by employees for office space and workshops. We adapted several brand graphics for the walls including the 7 Sacred Teachings graphic used in the Community Report. Artwork was created for pillars, walls, doors, and boardroom and office windows.

Deliverables:

Various wall wraps and window decals

Additional designed projects:

Brand identity, website, annual report, brochures, pull-up displays, building signage, promotional items.