CHALLENGE
Cheme had built a strong reputation in the Canadian engineering market, but their brand hadn't kept pace with their growth. The visual identity and messaging they'd relied on no longer reflected the full depth of what Cheme had become.
The challenge wasn't a lack of substance, it was a lack of expression. Cheme had a clear sense of who they were internally, but their external brand didn't communicate it with the same clarity or confidence. Their existing logo created confusion rather than connection, and their messaging hadn't been formalized in a way that could guide consistent communication across recruiting, business development, and client engagement.
As the company looked ahead, leadership recognized that a stronger brand wasn't a nice-to-have - it was imperative for growth. To attract the right clients and the right talent, Cheme needed a brand that communicated their value as clearly as their work did.
SOLUTION
Fratzke approached the engagement as a true thought partner, starting with our discovery process. Through guided ideation sessions, the team worked closely with Cheme's leadership to surface what made the company genuinely different: its values, its voice, its approach to client relationships, and the culture it had worked hard to build. That foundation informed everything that followed.
From there, Fratzke developed Cheme's brand story - articulating their mission, vision, and values in language that was clear, human, and true to how the company actually operated. A formalized brand voice followed, giving Cheme's team practical guidance on tone, style, and the do's and don'ts that would keep communication consistent across every touchpoint.
Key initiatives included:
- Brand guided ideation sessions and strategic discovery
- Mission, vision, values, and brand story development
- Brand voice guidelines including tone and messaging direction
- Logo refresh through structured ideation, refinement, and feedback rounds
- Full brand standards including color palette, typography, imagery, and iconography
- Logo delivery across all formats with usage guidelines
The logo refresh was approached with particular care. Rather than starting from scratch, Fratzke worked with Cheme to evaluate what was worth keeping and what needed to evolve, ultimately developing a mark that was cleaner, more intentional, and built to scale across contexts without losing its identity.
RESULTS
Our partnership with Cheme delivered a modernized visual identity that was cleaner, more confident, and built to scale, while staying true to the approachable, people-first personality Cheme had worked hard to build. The brand story and voice guidelines gave the internal team a shared language and a practical framework for communicating consistently across proposals, recruiting, and client conversations. For a company where relationships drive everything, that consistency matters.
The brand refresh also sharpened Cheme's positioning in a competitive market - giving leadership a brand that accurately represents their capabilities, reflects their culture, and makes the right impression with the right audiences.
