At this years 26th Annual International ARC Awards, the Canadian Blood Services Annual Report was judged as the Best Report in Canada. This report also received gold awards for photography, cover and interior design. Soapbox brought home a total of 8 awards this year, including reports for Gay Lea Foods and PEN Canada.

Recently we worked with The Writer’s Union of Canada to redesign and launch their new format magazine WRITE. The new covers feature the artwork of two great illustrators: Tara Hardy and Gracia Lam.

One in a series of ads for Somerset Graphics showcasing different printing techniques and paper. Photography by Jim Ryce.

New PEN event at the ROM: Funny Strange: Satire After Mordecai Richler.

PEN Canada is part of an international non-profit organization that works to defend freedom of expression as a basic human right. PEN works on behalf of writers who have been imprisoned or detained for their beliefs. Our inspiration for their new identity came from a bookmark, which is a reminder of the core values of PEN Canada and to the many people who have given so much to defend our right to free expression.

One of our long-standing clients, PEN Canada, co-hosted an event this past weekend at Ryerson University. The event featured a lecture from Zarganar (Muang Thura), one of the best-known political dissidents in Burma (Myanmar). Before Zarganar spoke, Soapbox Design Director Jim Ryce had the opportunity to photograph him. He will be featured in this years PEN Canada Annual Report, our 13 report for PEN Canada. Zarganar has received numerous distinctions for his advocacy, including the One Humanity Award by PEN Canada. Zargarnar was freed this past fall in a general amnesty and he remains very active in the drive for democratic transition in Burma.

We just wrapped up the latest cover in the History of Canada series, The Best Place to Be, by John Lownsbrough. Staged in Montreal, Expo 67 captured the attention of the world and became a touchstone that penetrated the collective psyche of many Canadians. See the rest of the History of Canada series in the Book Cover section, launched through Allen Lane, Penguin Canada’s newest non-fiction imprint.

Now arriving, the 2010 Corporate Responsibility report for the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA). This was our fourth CR report for the GTAA. This year we choose to highlight the GTAA’s broader strategic objectives through the first-hand stories of the people who’ve helped turn them into realities. Now that’s something nice to declare.