Welcome to the Blue Sky City

Calgary
Moh-kins-tsis
Otos-kwunee
Wîchispa Oyade
Guts-ists’i

Blue Sky City inspires, connects and calls for a deeper understanding of our past and our future. It is an invitation to belong, reconcile and embrace a more equitable future.

As we share in a new collective story, we pay respect to the peoples of the Treaty 7 region, who are creators of the community we now thrive in. We acknowledge that we gather in the home of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), who are comprised of the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, the îethka Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), who are comprised of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations, and the Tsuut'ina Nation. Calgary is also the homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6.

Under the blue hues of promising skies, our new story is built on fostering a better relationship with First Peoples, and taking pride in a place of real possibilities — Calgary.

The blue sky city brand story

The truth of our city wasn’t something to be created by any one person or group; it was something to be unearthed from a vast mix of Calgarians who were kind enough to share their ideas, stories, and imaginations to create a collective identity for our city.

We believe that clarifying who we are and what we stand for as a city will do many things, but most importantly, create greater cohesion between Calgarians and align us around a vision for a shared future.

With that, we went into the community and listened to the voices often heard — tech, energy, entrepreneurs, government— but more importantly to those less often heard: equity-deserving communities, Indigenous communities, youth groups, not-for-profits, community associations, and arts groups. We sat with their words, heard them, and listened for the deeper meaning behind them.

From there three key truths emerged:

We are a place of unexpected possibilities

It’s called blue sky thinking for a reason. Calgarians look up at the sky and imagine what’s possible. And lucky for us, Calgary will be the place where the sky reminds us that anything is possible.

We have more sunny days than any other major city in Canada

Calgary’s blue skies are an inarguable attribute of our location, and because of that, it creates a strong foundation for our brand story. Calgary is home to 333 days of sun — it’s a truth we can stand behind.

We all live under the same blue skies

The sky belongs to all of us equally. When the sky looks down on us it cannot differentiate between ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other facets of our being. To the sky, we are all equal.

From these three truths, a new identity for our city and the deeper story of who we are was unearthed.

The elements of a visual identity

A logo is one part of a visual identity, but a lot more goes into creating the tools for a city to express itself — typefaces, colours, patterning, symbols, photography, and motion are all elements that help a brand come to life.

The Blue Sky City’s visual identity was inspired by beadwork; an art form that has existed since prehistoric times and has shown up in almost every culture since — from Ancient Africa, Ancient Egypt, to the Greeks and Romans, and also the First Peoples here in Calgary and Alberta.

Beadwork is a powerful and relevant metaphor for our city. Small individual elements of varying shapes and sizes, colours, and compositions come together to create a stronger, more beautiful whole.