Foundations
Foundations is Compass Group Canada's station framework for dining sites across the country. I rebuilt a sprawling set of station concepts into one equipment-driven system that works across 300+ units. Then I built the pipeline that generates every sign, screen and template from one source.
- Client
- Compass Group Canada
- Year
- 2026
- Role
- System design, identity, production pipeline
- Scale
- 11 stations, 8 identities, 300+ units
Start from the equipment
Stations are named for what the counter does: grill, pizza, soup, salad, bowls, sandwiches, bakery, beverage. A site picks its stations based on the equipment it has, not a menu someone invented.
That makes the system something an operator can order from, and it keeps the names honest when the menu changes.
Eight identities, one structure
Every station exists in eight visual identities, from a quiet serif to a loud food hall style. A site picks the identity that suits its client.
The names, taglines, sizes and file set stay the same in every identity. Only the skin changes.
The food hall set
The loudest identity, built for food halls. Each station gets its own colour so people can find their way from across the room. The type and the tagline sit in the same place on every sign.
In a real room
A concept render of the food hall identity in place. Same signs, same taglines, now at the scale a student sees them.
One source, every file
I built a Python pipeline that generates each station's full kit from one data file: the 45 x 15 inch station sign, a 23.6 x 63 inch banner, a 30 inch circle sign, landscape and portrait screens, editable PowerPoint menus and frames, 10-up product ID cards and SVG logos.
Change a tagline once and every file updates. Each site team gets a folder per station and does not need a designer to make a sign.
Next project
Algonquin College