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Newmarket professional designer Toji Nola did not believe it at first when he got a call from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
An art director from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment contacted him last September, complimenting his online portfolio, Nola said. He recounted that the corporation offered him the chance to design a new logo for the storied franchise for their Black Excellence Game during Black History Month.
At first, Nola said he thought it must be a practical joke.
“There’s no way. Why would the Leafs contact me? They must have some world-class artist for them,” Nola said, adding he then researched to find out it was a legitimate contact. “I reached back out and said, ‘Yep, 100 per cent, I’m in. I don’t even have to hear the rest of it, I’m in.’”
Nola’s redesign of the Leafs logo was in the spotlight during the hockey team’s Black Excellence Game Feb. 22. The night recognizing Black History Month incorporated on and off-ice apparel for players and staff, and Nola got to attend a game and be part of the festivities.
Still, Nola said it was hard to believe it was happening until he got to the game itself.
“It didn’t hit me until the night of,” he said. “It just felt like I was on some sort of TV show or something. It was just a childhood dream come true. You grow up, you’re watching Hockey Night in Canada … To actually be there, with the organization, working with all these amazing people, it was just unbelievable.”
The logo Nola designed featured roots stretching down from the Leafs logo. According to a release on the team’s website, the logo’s roots symbolize ancestry and heritage, “providing one with a strong sense of identity that helps them grow to lofty heights.” In the background of the logo are triangles, each point representing an aspect of Black excellence: community, leadership and character.
“When these elements come together, a beautiful tapestry is formed giving people a sense of identity, history and belonging,” the team’s release said.
Nola said he has been an artist since he was a kid, and it was by far what he had the most aptitude for in high school. He was not sure what he could do with it but found an answer when a friend showed him what was being produced at George Brown College.
Seeing some of the incredible work there, Nola said he went on to take the graphic design program at the school. That launched his career as a professional designer.
It is not an easy profession, with plenty of stress, Nola said.
“But after a while, I started to really grow into the position and understand what it is I’m actually doing for my role, and that is clarifying a message and understanding how to communicate that message,” Nola said. “The more I got into this philosophy of it, the more I got obsessed with it, the more I got into my career.”
Getting to be at the game and meet amazing people was a head-spinning experience for him, Nola said. He added that designing the logo was something he gained a lot from.
“I learned a lot working with the team. This is the kind of work you look for as a designer. This is the fun stuff,” he said.