From Lugano, Switzerland to San Francisco, California, Rainbow has a rich history representing nearly 100 years of quality, integrity, and teamwork. As we usher into a new era, Rainbow has launched a major rebranding campaign, including a new logo designed by San Francisco’s own Scott Hammond. With this exciting shift, we reflect on our roots and look toward the future of building restoration services in the Bay Area.
Our History
Our history began when Rene Canonica emigrated from Switzerland to the United States in 1925. After settling in San Francisco, he established Rainbow Painting & Decorating, focusing on residential painting contracts.
John F. Maillard acquired Rainbow in 1967 and shifted the company’s priorities to commercial and industrial services. Over the next 20 years, Rainbow pivoted to waterproofing and masonry restoration.
Bay Area locals Chris Abell and Rob Browne became Rainbow’s next generation of executives in 2001. Under their leadership—and with their talented team members—Rainbow continues to flourish as a full-service commercial restoration and waterproofing contractor.
Rebranding Rainbow
From commercial restoration to historic preservation, Rainbow has built our business through hard work, dedication, and commitment to quality. Now, we introduce a new logo that captures this spirit.
The Pantone 1797 red logo, “brick red” was designed by Scott Hammond of Scott Hammond Studio and represents Rainbow’s solid foundation. But while honoring our rich history, it also reflects how we are collectively embracing the future.
“We recognize our organization is changing within, as key employees take on expanded roles and young professionals join our team, it was time to look into our branding strategy and a refreshed logo made the most sense. We wanted something new and exciting while keeping with our past, utilizing a consistent color and modern font.” – Rob Browne
Rainbow also turned to two other San Francisco-based partners to bring the new vision to life: Signographics for vehicle signage, job site signs, and banners and Leewood Press as our printer of business cards, labels, and other materials.
With this rebranding, we hope to more fully showcase our vibrant outlook and the fresh approach we take to each project. This approach has allowed us to establish deep roots in the community and become the award-winning company we are today.
Award-Winning Building Restoration Services in the Bay Area
Rainbow strives for excellence in all of its historical preservation and building restoration services—and people are taking notice.
In 2018, we were presented with the California Preservation Award for Sather Tower, UC Berkeley as well as the California Preservation Award for Goodman Library. More recently, we proudly accepted the SWR Institute Trinity Award Recognition for Outstanding Collaborative Partnership for our work on the Marin County Civic Center. Rainbow has also been recognized as one of the 100 fastest-growing private companies by the San Francisco Times multiple years in a row.
These accolades are the result of the exceptional work and innovative thinking of our entire team; from field apprentices to operations leaders; office staff to project managers each team member is an integral part of Rainbow.
Thanks to the talented professionals who have been a part of Rainbow’s history, we are thrilled with our progress as a company and excited to step into our future.
Rainbow has the experience and expertise needed to make your Bay Area building commercial or historic restoration projects a success. Reach out to the Rainbow team today.
The Rainbow Team is Northern California’s most trusted waterproofing and restoration company. We have the craftsmanship and expertise to handle any commercial or historic building envelope, masonry, or waterproofing project in the San Francisco Bay Area.
