What’s all this about then?

In 2015, Toronto-based designer Noah Ortmann had to come up with a birthday gift for his then, and to his surprise, current wife. “She likes books and libraries” he thought. “Wouldn’t it be fun to visit all the libraries together?” Noah designed a notebook with a list of every library branch in Toronto and printed it off at the local Staples. He called it the “Toronto Library Passport.” It was an excellent birthday gift, objectively.

Five or so months later, Noah posted a mockup of the Library Passport on Twitter. After the Toronto Public Library retweeted the mockup, people began to take notice and ask for a real one.

Noah designed and produced the Toronto Library Passport and placed it for sale online. It would eventually be featured on CTV News, the National Post, BlogTo, the Torontoist, and MentalFloss. Noah hopes to continue the spirit of the Passport by designing and producing things that engage with the city and its people.

The name Avro Design Company pays tribute to the defunct Avro Canada Company, an aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1945-1962. Most famously, they designed the Avro Arrow, a highly advanced aircraft at the time. Engines for Avro were produced in Malton, Mississauga at Orenda Engine, where Noah’s grandfather worked the assembly line as a mechanic.