Toronto agency Jib Design & Advertising Inc. has just completed placement of The  Autists’ new ID into the event blog you’re presently staring at. The company’s agreement to take on the task was given to us only last Friday. In just six days Jib has delivered.

And we’re proclaiming it gorgeous. In his witty iteration, Jib graphic designer Dalibor Simic has taken the upbeat, declarative qualities of the logo that Underline Studio designed for us and basically slapped a turbocharger onto them.

But there’s more: Jib’s management yesterday informed us that in future weeks they’d like to enhance the site’s functionality, in particular the bits that apply to Web searchability, ease of sponsorship and other areas.

And all on a pro bono basis.

Our cups runneth over here at The Autists. We would like to express our most profound thanks to Jib’s generous people, in particular Dalibor, but also principals David Shephard and George Argyropoulos, who, when asked if they’d help us out, said ‘Yes’ without a second’s hesitation.

What this means for The Autists is we’re officially up and running as a fund-raising machine. We have us a date, a venue, plus expert design and technical minds at our sides.

Onward we march to the enormous task at hand: Raising a ton of cash for contributing Autists, and for the Geneva Centre for Autism.

Screen grab from jib.ca

A while ago, we contacted multi-award-winning Toronto graphic design shop Underline Studio about developing a brand ID for the Autists, as well as some collateral material for use in fundraising. They not only said yes, but offered to do so on a pro bono basis.

Now they have delivered, and we’d like to introduce the world to our new baby:

We hope you’ll agree that it not only looks brilliant but nicely broadcasts the celebratory spirit we intend on infusing into this event. We like that its mixed font/colour approach is a knowing wink to the many vagaries the autism spectrum presents — both to those living within its sphere, and those who care for them. It somehow does all that while remaining tasteful, clean and an all-around class act, if we do say so ourselves.

So expect to see The Autists’ new ID on all materials connected to the event.

And a big tip of the hat from all of us at The Autists to Underline Studio’s principals, Claire Dawson and Fidel Peña.

Screengrab from UnderlineStudio.com

The Autists has just found a home, and a date of birth.

After considering and touring several top-tier locations around Toronto, we have settled on the just-renovated Royal Conservatory of Music on Bloor Street, just west of Avenue Rd.

The reasons are many: It will easily handle all the events we intend on staging, it is in a tremendous location — walking distance from four decent hotels, TTC station, taxi stand, the ROM, the Bloor/Yorkville shopping and entertainment scene — and also because it is simply stunning.

As soon as we saw the vast auditorium, along with its floor-to-ceiling glassed-in reception area overlooking Philospher’s Walk and the city core, we knew.

Also the fact that music will be a big focus of The Autists… well, the longer we stood there absorbing it, the more it all made sense.

So we have booked The Autists event for SUNDAY, MAY 2, 2010. Please scratch that one into your daytimers and keep the day clear from mid-afternoon till the early hours — because this is going to be one fabulous bash.