Scrubs In Our City

A Toronto inspired visual system for a SickKids milestone gala.

Scrubs in the City is one of Toronto’s most highly anticipated charity parties, bringing together more than 1,500 attendees, including donors, sponsors, volunteers, and longtime SickKids supporters. For its 25th anniversary, the event brought the celebration home, turning the spotlight on Toronto's communities, culture, and impact.

Working alongside another in-house designer, I helped shape the creative system for Scrubs across event and digital materials. My role focused on translating the theme into a flexible visual direction that captured Toronto’s layered energy, supported the anniversary milestone, and felt elevated enough for one of SickKids Foundation’s signature fundraising events.

The existing website and marketing materials lacked consistency and did not fully reflect the organization’s approachable, youth-focused mission. The goal was to create a more engaging and accessible visual experience that could better connect with younger audiences while maintaining credibility within healthcare and educational spaces. As a freelance designer, I supported the refresh through website design, brand development, social content, and supporting marketing materials.

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Tools

Figma

InDesign

Illustrator

Year

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Tools

Figma

InDesign

Illustrator

Branding

Event

Services Provided:

Event Design

Visual Identity

Research & Discovery

Marketing Collateral

How it was solved

Past Scrubs themes had transported guests to cities like Nashville, Mykonos, Paris, and Mexico City, where the creative direction could draw from recognizable aesthetics. Toronto was different. As a city shaped by many cultures, communities, and neighbourhoods, it could not be summed up through one look, so the creative system needed to bring that complexity together across every guest touchpoint.

Visual System

The visual direction balanced grit with polish, using graffiti-inspired details, layered graphics, bold typography, and Toronto-inspired textures to create an identity that felt expressive but still gala-ready. Together, these elements gave Scrubs in Our City a cohesive foundation that could flex across all event materials.

Guest Journey

On-site signage, decals, and environmental graphics supported wayfinding, guest flow, and key moments throughout the evening while keeping the experience consistent from arrival to the end of the night. The system helped practical areas like registration, lounges, and sponsor activations feel connected to the theme without overwhelming the space.

Sponsor Needs

Some materials required a careful balance between the Scrubs in Our City identity and the brand requirements of major sponsors. Rogers signage shifted from the established wayfinding system’s blue to red to avoid placing their logo on a competitor's colour, while Holt Renfrew activations needed to align with their signature pink. Each piece had to accommodate sponsor needs while still feeling integrated into the larger event experience.

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The Outcome

The final creative helped bring Scrubs in Our City to life as a polished, city-wide celebration of Toronto and 25 years of SickKids impact. The system gave the event a cohesive visual foundation across digital, print, sponsor, and on-site materials while allowing different parts of the experience to reflect the energy and variety of the city.

Together, donors, sponsors, volunteers, and guests raised $1.44M in one night toward a new CT scanner for SickKids, supporting faster imaging, higher-resolution scans, and more precise diagnoses for patients.

Event Photography by George Pimentel and Melissa Di Pasquale