About

Stuart Ash, esteemed Canadian graphic designer, is wholly committed to a better Canada, through his innovative approach to designing strategic visual identities that all Canadians recognize and identify with.

Stuart’s life has been lived with courage and integrity, paired with an unmatched vision and motivation– to quote Stuart, “The ability to see clearly has been [his] life pursuit.” Stuart is best known for his design of Canada’s 1967 Centennial symbol, a contribution to the Canadian identity that launched Stuart’s career.

Stuart and Fritz Gottschalk together formed Gottschalk+Ash, introducing European sensibilities to Canadian design, while evolving the entire industry with groundbreaking work. In 2011, the legacy of Gottschalk+Ash carried forward through a merger with Entro, evolving once again to provide a new offering, “experiential branding.” Stuart continues to stay active, advising the design community and sharing his life’s work.

For a detailed biography, see Canada Modern’s profile of Stuart here.

Education

  • Western Technical School, Toronto (1957—1962) 

  • Ontario College of Art, Toronto (1962—1964) 

Studios

  • Cooper & Beatty, Toronto (1964—1965)

  • Paul Arthur+Associates, Ottawa (1965—1966)

  • Gottschalk+Ash, Montréal (1966—1972)

  • Gottschalk+Ash, Toronto (1972—2007)

HONOURS

  • Canadian Centennial Medal (1968)

  • AGI, Alliance Graphique Internationale, Member (1974)

  • Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Member (1975)

  • Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Centennial Medallion (1998)

  • Society of Environmental Designers (SEGD), Director (1998)

  • GDC Fellowship (2008)

  • GDC Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)

  • Communication Design Association, Honour (2011)

  • ADCC Les Usherwood Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)

THIS SITE

This website is a collaboration, designed to bring a selection of Stuart’s work and accomplishments to a wider audience, and would not be possible without the support and knowledge of the following partners:

Cataloguing work that spans five decades is a tall order, and this site features material from Cultivating a Design Legacy, Entro’s publication on Canadian design development and evolution. Canada Modern’s comprehensive digital and physical archive of Canadian design material allowed for a deep translation of Stuart’s many accomplishments throughout his entire career.

COLLABORATIONS + COMMENTS

If you are interested in connecting with Stuart, please use the contact form.