Our Team
About Us
THE TEAM
Aleks Gniazdowska
Strategy & CreativeArmed with an Honours Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design, Aleks built her freelance business while working at design agencies, in-house studios and government offices to accumulate expertise in target audience- and objective-driven, strategic design. She has over a decade of experience in addressing the needs of B2B and B2C organizations through her work with high-profile clients such as Engel & Völkers, PCL, the Government of New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick and The Royal. Aleks is recognized by an ever-growing roster of clients for her creative, yet strategic approach to problem solving.
She considers herself perpetually lucky to be able to grow creatively, inspired by nature that surrounds her when she’s hiking with her dogs, gardening, foraging for wild food or homesteading on her rural Quebec property.
Berdene Owen
Graphic DesignWhether it is graphic design, woodwork, photography or (these days) messy kids crafts, Berdene is always active in her creative pursuits.
She earned a Bachelor of Design degree from the joint program between York University and Sheridan College after immigrating to Canada from South Africa. Her twelve years of design experience was largely spent in boutique design studios and as an independent freelancer with work ranging from large pharmaceutical and food service clients to small not-for-profit organizations. Her every creative endeavour is fuelled by curiosity, directed by intuition and completed with meticulous care.
Close collaboration with Berdene has led to a number of successful brands that shine because of her well-trained eye for detail and craftsmanship. Her talents are showcased online at Alivelihood.me.
George Simard
WebmasterAfter a decade of service in the Canadian Forces, George chose to pursue his passion for hands-on projects by joining the construction industry. It’s with great surprise that he realized he could find equal satisfaction building things online. Working extensively with WordPress CMS, George now provides ongoing maintenance for our clients’ websites, along with content updates to ensure consistency in messaging and visual identity across all social media channels.
When he’s not working websites, George is knee-deep in reno projects, toiling in our untamed garden, working on his own lifestyle brand Our Valhalla, or sending high fives via MailChimp.
Jet, Jinx & Ash
Team MascotsThe pets provide constant moral support through infinite cuteness, cuddles, and kisses. They also have an uncanny ability to force us away from our monitors, often for a much needed break.
Jet, the ultimate client meeting companion, greeting guests at the door and getting up close and personal during Skype calls. Our stunning cat, Jinx has a particular fondness for print design, often ‘sampling’ paper stocks for comfort, and sometimes for flavour. Finally, Ash, our newest companion, is still finding his place but bravely exploring his horizons; as we like to do creatively.
WHAT WE DO
What Our Clients Ask For
Our daily work consists of an interesting mix of strategy, design and support – some clients come looking for a little bit of everything, while many need us to focus on the creative exclusively. Our studio can cater to all your needs to ensure your creative and strategic objectives are well taken care of.
Every Project is a Process
Research
Strategy
Design
Execution
Support
Our Approach
We know that effective results are achieved by working with you, rather than for you. That said, we do our best to alleviate your stress by ensuring that every aspect of the creative process – from project management, to asset sourcing and coordination of additional services – is taken care of, every step of the way.
Whether we’re developing a strategic marketing plan, crafting a visual identity or designing a new website, we explore a wide range of possible outcomes in order to deliver only the best ideas. We strongly believe that form follows function, and take each and every one of your objectives to heart to solve problems with clarity, simplicity & honesty. For every project we’re tasked with, we combine careful research, strategic & innovative thinking, creative craftsmanship, meticulous execution and ongoing support to deliver elegant solutions.
Research:
We get to know your core values, analyze your market & identify real user needs. We also want to know what you like.
Strategy:
We develop mood boards & sketches, to wire-frames & mockups, to visualize ideas & determine an appropriate strategy.
Design:
We use visual inspiration to create numerous concepts, refining them one by one towards the perfect final design.
Execution:
We passionately craft the final outcome with acute attention to detail.
Support:
We test and deploy in the real world, tweaking as we go. We’ll monitor performance, to recommend improvements.
HOW WE DO IT
1584
Coffee Beans
Consumed each week
28
Steps
To the studio
6
Apple Devices
Used in the office daily