Environmental Branding for SiriusXM’s Toronto Performance Studio
Scope
Branded Environment
Environmental Graphics
Spatial Programming
Art Direction
Experiential
Production Management
Contributors
Philip Aaron Pax
Lighting Designer
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SiriusXM is home to some of the biggest names in music, comedy, sports, and entertainment.
Their Toronto headquarters needed a state-of-the-art performance and broadcast studio capable of hosting acoustic sets, interviews, comedy drop-ins, and full-band sessions while supporting livestream and cross-border programming.
The space also needed to function as a cultural destination. A studio that worked seamlessly on camera, in person, and behind the scenes.
Jacknife was brought in to translate that ambition into a fully realized branded environment, bridging concept and construction so the studio delivered both operational precision and a clear creative point of view.
The guiding idea was Canis Major, the constellation that contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Rather than treating the reference literally, we approached it as a study in presence. The environment was designed to elevate talent without overpowering it. Confident. Controlled. Purpose-built.
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Inside the studio, light became the defining material. The goal was to saturate the interior with colour and intensity so the space reads like a beacon within the building. Something that signals when a performance is underway while doubling as a natural content backdrop for artists.
Lighting became the primary instrument. Working with lighting designer Philip Aaron Pax, we developed a dynamic system that allows the mood to shift instantly. Intimate and restrained one moment. High-energy and performance-driven, the next. Every decision balances atmosphere with broadcast precision.
The studio also had to pivot effortlessly between solo interviews and five-piece bands. Modular furnishings enable quick reconfiguration. Tall stools for musicians. Lounge seating for conversations. Layouts that support small audience events without compromising sightlines or flow.
The approach corridor was designed to contrast the clean geometry of the performance space with something more organic and immersive. A transitional environment that moves artists out of the everyday office setting and into a creative mindset.
Diachroic materials were integrated throughout the corridor, shifting colour depending on light and viewing angle. As people move through the space, surfaces move between hues of green, pink, and blue, creating a subtle sense of movement and anticipation.
The corridor, surrounding walls, and adjacent lounge areas were treated as part of one continuous spatial narrative. Rather than hiding the studio as a production room, the design positions it as a focal point within the office.
Developed alongside SiriusXM’s broader rebrand, the project became an opportunity to rethink what a studio could be. The result is an environment that feels distinctly SiriusXM and now stands as a destination for live performance and recording within Toronto’s creative landscape.
