Toronto public relations firm Media Profile has launched a new logo and website, part of an extensive brand makeover that aims to raise awareness of the firm and make it seem a little less “corporate.”

The logo and website, along with revamped collateral materials such as client brochures, debuted yesterday, following an internal launch earlier this week.

John Belbeck, owner of Toronto agency Chronic Mind Inc., spearheaded the brand makeover along with Media Profile’s own staff.

The project began roughly a year ago with a survey of clients, employees and media contacts, said Media Profile president Alison King.

According to King, the research suggested that Media Profile was not effectively differentiating itself from its competition by highlighting qualities that stakeholders valued.

“Some of the words that came out were ‘smart,’ ‘passionate,’ ‘trusted,’ ‘partnership’ and also ‘unexpected’—that we were very good at coming to our clients with ideas that they hadn’t thought of or asked us to do,” said King. “But when we looked at our website, we realized that we looked very corporate and unimaginative, and it wasn’t a real reflection of who Media Profile was.”

The website was a key element of the new look and feel for the brand, with everything from written descriptions of the company to photographs of its staff updated to project a more dynamic, creative image.

After counselling clients to make marketing investments in the midst of the economic downturn, the agency also felt it was important to heed its own advice, explained King.

“We decided we had to walk the talk as well,” she said. “We know that companies that market during a recession actually come out better than they were beforehand, so we thought that rather than dialing back, it was time to jack it up a notch.”