Meet the woman behind the TTC's first Lunar New Year-themed wraps

Torontonians may notice that TTC vehicles have been looking more festive lately.

That’s thanks to the transport agency’s first-ever Lunar New Year-themed wraps. Four TTC buses and one streetcar have been decorated with a vibrant design celebrating the Year of the Tiger.

While the design attracts attention on Toronto streets, the story about the woman behind it has garnered more attention online.

Brenda Tong, the TTC’s wayfinding and signage coordinator, is responsible for the beautiful design, which went viral online after her daughter Felicity Tse posted it on the popular Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits (SAT).

Her post included photos of the design adorning the Spadina streetcar and a heartfelt story about her mom, a Chinese immigrant who has been working in the Canadian graphic design industry for over 30 years.

TTC

“She immigrated to Ontario, was separated from my dad and brother in Hong Kong before they also immigrated here, and was the breadwinner of our family for years,” Tse wrote.

Tong’s journey as a graphic designer in Canada began when she moved to Toronto in 1988. She told Daily Hive that she had to spend a year all by herself while she waited for her husband and son to arrive.

“Like every new immigrant, I needed to look for a place to stay, a job, a way to travel around, and most of all, to learn the Canadian culture,” explained Tong. “Back then, I had a very good job that allowed me to fully utilize my design background.”

With a degree in communication design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Tong used her architectural signage and wayfinding skills on some major Canadian projects.

Her first was being part of the design team for SkyDome (which is now called the Rogers Centre). She then worked on the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena). She was also the first to design a Chinese New Year stamp for Canada Post.

Provided by Felicity Tse

Before joining the TTC in 2021, Tong also worked on big-name projects in both Canada and the US like the Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and the Whitney Museum of American Art. That project alone got her nine awards.

“Our family would go to different places in Toronto, or go on vacation somewhere, and she’d always casually mention, ‘Oh I worked on this project in this building before,'” Tse told Daily Hive.

She decided to share her mom’s story because, despite how proud her mom might be on the inside, she knows the mentality of the older generation of the Chinese community is to “keep your head down, work hard, and don’t draw attention to yourself.”

“The only people who have known about my mom’s accomplishments has been her immediate family, and maybe a select few of her coworkers,” said Tse.

“She’s won so many awards for her work over the years, but this project is probably the most public of all of them … I wanted other people to recognize that accomplishment, and also see that an Asian woman who immigrated from Canada can grow and thrive in the creative industry as a legitimate career.”

Since sharing her mom’s story in the Facebook group on Saturday, the post has racked up over 14,000 likes.

People flooded the comments with praise, many excitedly promising to head downtown to see the designs in person. One commenter even shared a story about buying Tong’s Chinese New Year stamps from Canada Post when they were 11 years old.

“I feel really happy and overwhelmed with the response from the public. I am also grateful for my daughter’s appreciation of my design,” said Tong making sure to add that Tse is also a talented artist, illustrator and web page designer.

Here are some more shots of the designs in transit:

TTC

Looking to catch a ride on one of the vehicles with this design? Find them on the following routes:

510 Spadina streetcar along Spadina Rd. through Downtown Chinatown
506 Carlton replacement buses along Gerrard St. through East Chinatown
25 Don Mills
39 Finch East
53 Steeles East