New Image – brochure, Cooper & Beatty, Tony Mann, 1964

By the early 1960s, it was clear that Cooper & Beatty needed to update their visual identity. The company had grown significantly through the 1950s, expanding its services, client base, and national presence. Their advertising had become increasingly sophisticated – thanks in large part to Allan Fleming – but the firm’s visual identity had not kept pace.

In early 1963 British-born Anthony (Tony) Mann replaced Allan Fleming as Creative Director at Cooper & Beatty. The company’s announcement in The Financial Post on March 2, states that “His main interest at Cooper & Beatty, Limited for some time will be the company’s own image and design policy”. Within the type industry, this was a major announcement, and many wondered whether Mann would be able to match the reputation of his predecessor.

More than two decades earlier, Carl Dair believed that the two worlds of typesetting and graphic design belonged together – and helped set C&B firmly on that course. Allan Fleming, with his sophisticated design sense, demonstrated just how powerful that union could be. Tony Mann joined the company as it was heading into the unexplored world of computerized photo-typesetting and graphic design. Mann’s use of a Saturn rocket heading toward the moon was apt, as was his creation of a mark that was not tied to specific letterforms.

But, there was someone else heavily involved in this evolution who is rarely mentioned: company president, W. E. (Jack) Trevett. Without his vision and support, it is doubtful that Cooper & Beatty would have risen beyond being just another good typesetting company.

Tony Mann’s new identity was more than a new logo – it was a strategic rethinking of how a typesetting firm should present itself in the modern world. Cooper & Beatty’s new identity dominated the Toronto graphic arts scene for more than 25 years – a testament to the clarity of its vision and the strength of its execution. – Rod McDonald