Within the city of Surrey, urban indigenous populations have grown significantly over the past few decades. In 2023, there were over 16,000 indigenous people living within its city limits, making it the largest urban indigenous population of any municipality in BC, yet their needs for meaningful gathering spaces, cultural safekeeping, and advocacy channels went unmet. To fill in the gaps and to dream a way forward, Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee (SUILC, pronounced SWILL-see) was founded in 2015, and has been continually growing ever since. In a testament to the connectedness and energy of SUILC’s community, their gatherings and research activities were extremely successful despite a website that didn’t reflect the human-to-human magic that is the organization’s hallmark. Simply put, they needed help making their online presence a lot warmer. 

When we got the call from Harriet VanWart, SUILC’s senior advisor, we couldn’t believe our luck. As a couple of guys who grew up in Surrey but didn’t meaningfully grow to appreciate its indigeneity until later, the opportunity to dig into the stories of urban indigenous people was immediately intriguing. As we do with every project, we began with some big conversations. Through our interviewing, we engaged several members of the SUILC team, elders from its community, colleagues from the City of Surrey, and leaders within SUILC’s broader community. Each conversation affirmed SUILC’s interconnectedness and importance within the lives of those involved, which became the guiding principles for the digital strategy that would ensue.

The outcome of this project is a beautiful website, that really captures the heart of SUILC. I think this came out of Harc’s approach, from day one, being so sincere and heartfelt. Everyone that connected with Harc was really impressed by this. Both Jarren and Parker have such a nice way about them that makes people feel comfortable and heard.

-Harriet VanWart, Senior Advisor

Interweaving design tropes from Surrey’s urban core with the colour palette and Indigenous characteristics present within SUILC’s brand, Harc designed a website that centers the human experience. Through large-format photography, first-person testimonials, and an easy-to-access research library, SUILC’s new website serves the operational needs of the organization while inspiring continued growth across its community. 

We know that our approach is a little different than most other agencies, but it’s projects like SUILC that remind us that it matters to do work this way: by slowing down and making meaningful space for listening and fulsome understanding, our creative potential grows and our empathy deepens. As a result, everyone around the table– ourselves and our client-partners included– gets a clearer picture of what truly matters to the work.