Scarborough is about to get a little more love, this time in the form of Gemterra Development Corp.'s Love Condos, in Agincourt. Taking a major detour from the super-sophisticated look employed to sell most condominium devlopments in Toronto, Love instead goes for whimsy and visual delight, hoping to put a smile on the face of people who are not expecting this approach in a condo ad.

Love Condos' whimsical marketing with Melvyn Evans characters, image courtesy of Gemterra Development Corp

Love's unique marketing campaign features whimsical illustrations by award-winning British artist Melvyn Evans. Not well known in Canada, Melvyn Evans is most famous for advertising campaigns for Transport for London, the coordinating body for transit in the British Capital.

Melvyn Evans' award-winning depiction of the River Thames for the London Transport SERCO Prize for Illustration

L.A. Ads, the agency handling Love's branding, had particular clients in mind when they approached Evans: the large local population of Chinese descent for whom storytelling is integral to their engagement. Evans' bright and colourful fantasy illustrations were considered perfect for the direction L.A. wanted to go. Evans' playful storybook characters placed in bright and airy outdoor settings are used to evoke Love's proximity to the vast green space of the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course. The designs for brochures, signage and other promotional items are all adorned by Evans' work.

Love Condos' Whimsical Marketing, image courtesy of Gemterra Development Corp

With hundreds of buildings competting for buyers across the GTA through similar imagery, Love's change from all the sexiness and glamour seen in most other condominium campaigns stands out. It also poses the question 'has Toronto condo marketing become too predictable?' Certainly this campaign reminds us of the breadth of the market, and makes us consider that there may be more room for creativity than has been on display as of late. Why not employ imagery which shamelessly evokes happiness over status and celebrates simple joy over libido?

In the meantime, we can tell you that when completed, Love Condos will be a two-tower-and-townhome development in the Sheppard and Kennedy. Headlining the project is Turner Fleischer Architects Inc., with interior designs by Tanner Hill Associates Inc. Phase One, now in sales, consists of a 20-storey condominium tower and 21 ground-hugging townhome units, and featuring amenities such as a pool, fitness room, sports louge and bar, party room, outdoor lounge, and even a grassy Tai Chi area. Prices start as low as $189,900, making this project one of the easier entries into the GTA property market.

Love Condos, image courtesy of Gemterra Development Corp.

So, what's your take on this departure from the marketing norm? Has Love caught your fancy? If you have fallen in love with Love, we have more to look at in our lovely dataBase listing. (Sorry.) You can also keep up-to-date with all the Love Condos developments in our forum threads, linked below.