Rebranding alberta avenue
A community-led journey to a new identity for 118 Avenue
About This Project…
Alberta Avenue has always been a place that defies easy description. One of Edmonton's most culturally diverse and entrepreneurially vibrant corridors, it is home to over 250 businesses, tens of thousands of residents, and a community that has been quietly building something remarkable for decades.
For years, the avenue carried the identity of the Avenue of Champions, a name tied to Edmonton's hockey and football legacy that once fit the spirit of the street. That era has passed. The arena is gone. And the community that calls 118 Avenue home today is more diverse, more dynamic, and more layered than any single sporting era could capture.
In 2023, the Alberta Avenue Business Association made a decision: it was time to let the avenue tell its own story. What followed was more than two years of research, community engagement, and honest conversation about who we are, what we value, and what we want people to think of when they hear the words Alberta Avenue.
The journey so far…
March 2023 The AABA Board began discussing infrastructure priorities along 118 Avenue. A question about what to do with the Avenue of Champions sports figurines on the lamp posts opened a much bigger conversation; before changing anything, the Avenue needed to decide who it wanted to be.
August 2023 AABA met with the Edmonton Heritage Council and Explore Edmonton to explore how the legacy of the Avenue of Champions could be preserved and honoured as the avenue moved forward. The Rebrand the Ave project was formally submitted to the City of Edmonton for Neighbourhood Revitalization funding and approved.
March 2024 AABA hosted a public engagement session with over 60 community representatives. Participants shared perspectives on the existing brand, explored the case for change, and signaled interest in shaping what comes next. A diverse group stepped forward to form a dedicated committee.
June 2024 The Rebrand the Ave Committee was officially established with a formal Terms of Reference. Representing community leagues, cultural organizations, local businesses, educational institutions, and social service providers, the committee became the driving force behind the process.
November 2024 AABA hosted a World Café Community Engagement Workshop, bringing together residents, business owners, and community partners to share input on the importance and identity of the avenue. The session generated rich public data that informed the committee's next steps.
November 2025 Dr. Fernando Angulo-Ruiz of MacEwan University presented findings from two rounds of primary research, including survey data from up to 400 residents and non-residents across Edmonton. The evidence pointed clearly toward a new identity rooted in the avenue's multicultural character.
January 2026 Drawing on more than two years of research and community engagement, the Rebrand the Ave Committee formally ratified a core brand identity and defined a set of supporting identity layers for Alberta Avenue. A new chapter begins.
what comes next
AABA is reviewing proposals from qualified design firms to translate the ratified brand identity into a full visual system including logo, colour palette, typography, and design guidelines for Alberta Avenue.
The selected firm will develop the visual expression of the new brand, present concepts to the Avenue Branding Committee, and deliver a final identity system approved by the AABA Board.
The new brand identity will be unveiled at a public community launch event on 118 Avenue, celebrating the avenue's new chapter and inviting the community to experience and share in the transformation.
Signage, materials, communications, public art, and beautification projects will be updated to reflect the new identity as the avenue steps fully into its next chapter.