“I took on the Crystal Globe name as a nod to my family heritage of over 100 years of making well designed, high quality and high utility things. To me the name conjures up ideas around clean, clear, concise design and communication in a global paradigm”, says David McFarlane.
Crystal Globe was the product name of a line of washboards produced by The McFarlane Manufacturing Company from the early 1900s-1960s and were one of many ‘best of breed’ products the McFarlane brand became know for. The company was also well known for the manufacture of the very best baby carriages, ladders, and pool tables, among other woodenware and household items.
“I remember talking with my Grandfather about a Crystal Globe I had bought in an antique shop for $35.00 and he recalled, as a youth, how proud he was to sell them in London during the second world war…for a nickel!”, says David.
“I love brand stories and it dawned on me that I had one of my own. Growing up, I was surrounded by superior products that had my name on them and it still inspires me today to do my best work.”
Crystal Globe is a boutique design, branding, and digital strategy company based in Toronto, Canada, and is the online portfolio for David McFarlane. McFarlane founded the organization with a strong desire to take on unique projects and build multi-functional teams that ensure every client gets the attention, experience, and results they hope for and deserve.
Throughout his career as a Creative Director in the marketing communications industry, David has separated himself from the pack. The title “Creative Director” hardly fits, because Dave is more about guiding the creative journey than directing it. He is of the firm belief that the team around him (partners and clients) are equally vital to reaching the creative apex. Creative sherpa might better define how Dave performs: expert, reliable, innovative, strategic, team oriented, passionate, results driven.
A Fine Arts background combined with his natural gifts of communicating and strategic thinking afford David the unique position of being able to effectively manage dual roles of creative and account service. David’s approach to all creative challenges is to put himself squarely in the shoes of the end user, ultimately arriving at the sweet spot where business goals and user needs meet.
Over the past 25 years David has worked across many industries, for clients such as Bank of Nova Scotia, Russel Athletic, Mazda, Sony, RE/MAX, Royal LePage and Daimler Chrysler. David is steadfast in recommending the channel that best serves the business objectives as well as the needs of the end user, whether traditional or digital.