Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail uses its masthead as the basis of a visual system that can change depending on the subject of the advertisement. Instead of the standard name, individual executions feature phrases such as The Bull and Bear, The Opinion and Fact or The Kitchen and Culture.
The What Shapes Your World? campaign was developed by VML Canada, starting from one of the most recognizable elements of the newspaper’s identity. In each version, two words are changed, while the structure, typography and layout remain close enough to the original masthead for the source of the message to be immediately recognizable.
The platform was introduced in March 2026, while the design system on which the campaign is based was presented to the professional public in greater detail in July. The executions were adapted for television, outdoor advertising, print, digital channels and audio formats.
To enable the masthead to support a larger number of messages, the agency’s design team also developed additional characters that did not exist in its original version. This resulted in the Globe Display typeface, shaped according to the serifs, proportions and other characteristics of the existing logo.
The flexible format allows the newspaper to address different parts of its content using the same visual language. Business topics can use phrases related to the market, sports executions can refer to results and rivalries, while cultural advertisements can use terms connected to art, food or everyday life.
The Globe and Mail, founded in 1844, uses the campaign to adapt its existing identity to an audience that increasingly follows news on digital platforms. Instead of a complete redesign, VML Canada expanded the use of the masthead and turned it into a format that can be applied across a large number of topics and channels.
