The New Address – print ad, Cooper & Beatty, Allan Fleming, 1959

In late 1958, Cooper & Beatty’s Creative Director Allan Fleming prepared this ad for the 10th Annual of Advertising and Editorial Art – the Toronto Art Directors Club Annual for 1959. With his customary skill and wit, the 29-year old Fleming transformed what could have been a routine moving notice into a striking graphic image of enlargement and expansion – a visual message that art directors and designers would have instantly understood and appreciated.

The previous year, Fleming had refined Carl Dair’s original 1951 C&B logo by replacing the calligraphic ampersand with a more typographic one. His revised version of the logo remained in use until 1963. Curiously, he did not include the street number of the new location. But within just a few years, the address – 401 Wellington Street – would become even better known than their former Adelaide Street location.

Fleming’s ability to elevate even the most utilitarian message into a clear, elegant expression of identity and purpose is a hallmark of his contribution to Canadian graphic design. This ad quietly announces more than a move – it signals a shift in how design could think, speak, and carry itself. – Rod McDonald

Artifact Text

on January 1, 1959, Cooper & Beatty, Limited will enlarge their facilities to almost three times their present size
The new address: Wellington West at Spadina, Telephone Empire 4–7272