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Learn Canadian: a book and a maple leaf in one logo

A maple leaf emerges from the negative space of an open book. For Learn Canadian, ARK Agency brought two familiar symbols together, then used the space inside the mark to frame photographs.

Deslove editorial team 2 min read Published

Updated

White Learn Canadian symbol on black: an open book with a maple leaf in negative space.

Learn Canadian promotes Canada as a study destination for international students. Led by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and supported by the education sector, the initiative was introduced in November 2025. ARK Agency created its logo and visual identity.

In their case study, the designers describe an education that shapes how people see the world. The layouts support that idea with images of people and places beyond the classroom.

The book forms the mark’s outer silhouette, with a maple leaf emerging from the negative space inside. Look at the cutout’s lower edge: it follows the curves of the pages, while the upper edge takes on the leaf’s sharp points. That shift between curves and angles brings the two images together.

Black Learn Canadian logo on a white background, combining an open book with a maple leaf.
The Learn Canadian logo in black and white. Identity design: ARK Agency.

The black-and-white versions make that relationship easy to examine. There is no need for separate colours to distinguish the two images. The solid shape describes the book; the cutout supplies the leaf. A single shared edge does both jobs.

White Learn Canadian logo on a black background, combining an open book with a maple leaf.
The reversed Learn Canadian logo. Identity design: ARK Agency.

That same edge becomes a way to frame photography. In the identity examples, the enlarged mark holds portraits and group shots. Some layouts retain the full book outline; others use just the shaped cutout. The compositions change while keeping a visible connection to the logo.

Six Learn Canadian layouts with the book-and-maple-leaf symbol, slogans and photographs of people in cream, olive, blue and black.
The Learn Canadian colour palette, typography and photographic masks. Identity design: ARK Agency.

Landscapes are part of the picture, too. An outdoor advertising mockup places the question “Your new classroom?” beside a lake and a canoe. The white mark sits over the photograph, letting the scene show through its open centre. It carries the logo’s negative-space idea into a larger format.

A mockup of a Learn Canadian corner billboard with “Your new classroom?”, a lake and canoe, and the book-and-maple-leaf symbol.
Learn Canadian outdoor advertising mockup. Identity design: ARK Agency.

Identity design: ARK Agency. Project: Learn Canadian for CBIE.

Learn Canadian case study, entered by ARK Agency at D&AD · About Learn Canadian · CBIE launch announcement, 3 November 2025

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