Branding & Creative Direction · Canada & US

Branding & creative direction designed to age well.

Strategy, identity, naming and art direction for ambitious Vancouver and Canadian businesses — built as a system, not a logo, and made to outlast the trend cycle.

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In short

What does a branding agency do?

A branding agency shapes how a business looks, sounds, and is remembered. That covers brand strategy and positioning, the visual identity of logo, wordmark, colour, and type, naming, art direction, and a brand book that keeps everything consistent. Angarum designs brands and directs creative for businesses across Canada and the US, building identity systems made to last rather than a single logo, and you own every file.

  • What it is: brand strategy, identity design, naming, and art direction as one system.
  • Who it is for: businesses that want a durable, recognisable brand, not just a logo.
  • What you keep: full ownership of vector source files, exports, and the brand book.
  • Fees: Starter from $2,500, Signature from $6,500, Bespoke from $9,000, milestone-billed.
ANGARUM MEDIA
Digital Growth Studio
Canada · United States
What we make

A system, not a logo.

A logo is one tile in the grid. The brand is the grid — mark, type, colour, voice, photography direction, motion, and the rules that let strangers extend it without losing the thread.

On the right: a sample showing how identity components live together. Every brand we build comes with a written system, not a single PDF.

A
A
A
B
B
Aa
Playfair / Poppins
C
C
The Practice

Six capabilities. Run as one studio.

Most agencies treat these as separate disciplines billed by separate teams. We treat them as one practice — because they only really work that way.

i.

Brand Strategy

Positioning, archetype, value proposition, messaging pillars. The argument the brand makes for itself, on one page. Everything else flows from this.

Output: positioning brief + voice guide
ii.

Identity Design

Mark, wordmark, monogram, lockup system. Typography pairing, colour palette, supporting graphic elements. Built to scale from favicon to billboard.

Output: full identity system + assets
iii.

Naming

For new brands and new products. Linguistic exploration, trademark check, .com availability, stakeholder testing. Coordinated with your IP lawyer; we don't file.

3 final candidates with rationale
iv.

Art Direction

Photography and illustration direction. Mood boards, shot lists, photographer briefs. We art-direct shoots; we work with your photographer or one of ours.

Photo/illustration brief + on-set direction
v.

Brand Book

The written system. Logo usage, type rules, colour with hex/CMYK/Pantone, voice + tone, do's and don'ts. Delivered as editable Figma + PDF.

Living document; updated quarterly
+

Rollout & Activation

For rebrands and launches. Stationery, social templates, signage, presentation deck, internal launch comms. The first 90 days of the new brand in the wild.

Bespoke tier only
Proof · Angarum Media (yes, us)

Our own brand, as the working sample.

Most agencies show client work and hope you connect the dots. We'd rather show you ours and let you judge whether the system actually holds together — logo, mark, type, palette, tone of voice, photography. You're looking at it now.

Griffin
Mark · Sage + Explorer archetype
Royal
Gold · with deep teal + ink
Playfair
Display · with Poppins body
Editorial
Tone · spare, confident, dry

See the brand pillars in our Studio, or read the case studies.

The Angarum Media griffin — our own house mark in gold and teal

Carved permanence · House mark

Begin Your Royal Road

Build something made to endure.

The first charters were carved in clay to outlast the hands that shaped them. We build brands and demand systems on the same principle — clear, considered, and made to last.

Begin a Project
The Process

Why start with discovery before a single sketch?

A brand designed without understanding the business is decoration. The first two weeks are interviews and pattern-finding.

Week 1–2

Discovery

Founder interviews, customer interviews, competitive scan, archetype work. The strategy brief everything design-side will trace back to.

Week 3–5

Concept

Three distinct visual directions. Mark, type, colour exploration. One safe, one bold, one “you didn't know you needed this.”

Week 6–8

Refine

Direction chosen. Identity system built out: lockups, applications, supporting graphics, photography direction. Two structured rounds of refinement.

Week 9–10

Deliver

Brand book finalised. Assets exported in every format. Editable Figma + PDF + raw source files. Brief walkthrough call with your team.

Engagement · Anchor Prices

Project pricing. Milestone-billed.

Brand work isn't a retainer — it's a project with a beginning and an end. Billed in three milestones: kickoff, mid-point, delivery.

Starter
Logo system + mini guidelines
Project
From $2,500

Logo system (mark + wordmark), colour + type palette, mini brand guidelines. Three concepts, two rounds of revision. Best for new businesses or simple refreshes.

Bespoke
Rebrand or new entity
By engagement
From $9K

Multi-brand architecture, naming, trademark coordination, launch campaign, rollout assets. The full 12–16 week rebrand.

See full packages & pricing

Begin a conversation

Tell us what you're building and what it should feel like.

A paragraph is plenty. We'll come back inside one business day with the right tier, the right timeline, and three reference points for the direction.

Better when paired

Brand is sharper when these run alongside.

ANGARUM MEDIA
Digital Growth Studio
Canada · United States
A studio, not a vendor

Built in Vancouver, run for Canada and the US.

One team for search, social and the tracking behind them, and every account stays yours.

Frequently asked

Plain answers. No design jargon.

What does a brand identity project cost in Vancouver?
Starter (logo system + mini guidelines): from $2,500. Signature (full identity + brand book + strategy): from $6,500. Bespoke (rebrand, naming, launch campaign): from $9,000 by proposal. All projects are milestone-billed, not hourly. See full packages & pricing.
How long does a brand identity project take?
Starter: 3–4 weeks. Signature: 8–10 weeks. Bespoke rebrands: 12–16 weeks. Timelines include client review cycles. We don't rush; a brand that ships in two weeks tends to age in six months.
Do you do naming as well as identity?
Yes — naming is included in Signature when needed, and is the core of most Bespoke engagements. Process covers linguistic exploration, trademark availability check via CIPO, .com domain availability, and stakeholder testing. We do not file trademarks ourselves; we coordinate with your IP lawyer.
Will I own the logo files and brand assets?
Always. Full ownership transfers on final invoice payment. You receive vector source files (.ai, .svg), raster exports for every common use, the brand book as editable Figma + PDF, and a clear written transfer of rights.
Can you refresh an existing brand instead of starting over?
Yes — and often it's the right call. Brand refreshes preserve equity (logo recognition, color associations) while modernizing typography, color palette, and the system around the mark. We'll audit the existing brand and recommend refresh vs. rebrand on the discovery call.
Do you design websites and digital products too?
Brand identity covers the design system. Website implementation is a separate engagement — we coordinate with your dev team or refer trusted partners. For full brand-led digital transformation, the Bespoke tier of brand work plus our Social Media Signature tier covers it end to end.
What is the difference between a logo and a brand?
A logo is one mark; a brand is the whole system people recognise and trust. Your brand includes the logo, but also the colour palette, typography, tone of voice, photography style, and the way all of it behaves across every touchpoint. We design the system, so the logo is one consistent part of something larger rather than the entire identity.
What is brand strategy, and do I need it?
Brand strategy is the thinking that comes before the design: who you serve, what you stand for, how you differ, and the message that carries it. You need it if you want an identity that means something rather than just looks nice. We build strategy into Signature and Bespoke projects, because a mark without a position ages fast.
What do I receive at the end of a branding project?
You receive the full identity system ready to use: vector logo files, raster exports for print and screen, your colour and type specifications, and a brand book that shows how to apply everything. Signature and Bespoke projects also include the strategy and messaging. Everything arrives as editable files and a written transfer of rights, all owned by you.
How is a branding agency different from a freelance designer?
A freelancer usually delivers a logo; an agency delivers a strategy-led system and the direction to keep it consistent. We combine positioning, identity, naming, and art direction under one roof, with a defined process and review cycles. For a one-off mark a freelancer can be enough, but a brand meant to scale benefits from the wider team.
How many logo concepts will I see?
We present three developed concepts per engagement, each a considered direction rather than a random variation. That keeps the choice clear instead of overwhelming, and every concept is one we would be happy to build the full system around. You choose a direction, then we refine it together through defined review rounds until it is right.
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Further reading

Guides from our Journal