About our agency

With over two and a half decades shaping the visual narrative of some of high-tech’s strongest brands.

Michael Ball, our Chief Creative Officer, and founder, has interwoven best practices and design innovation to elevate the agency’s reputation while delivering results-driven creative daily. By stepping into more of a leadership and high-level client strategy role, Michael’s current focus is developing the talent within his team and supporting Initiate’s clients in strategic, brand-focused deliverables.

The goal is that the solutions that emerge from Initiate evoke emotions, inspire actions, and leave an indelible mark no matter the size or scope of the project. Outside of the office environment, his passion for the creative continues. He is an avid (hobby/home) chef obsessed with music, playing and collecting guitars. He can also be found at the gym, teaching Les Mills fitness classes and inspiring others to become better versions of themselves.

As Initiate’s resident bundle of energy, Jennifer is a force to be reckoned with. She’s got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire and the hotter, the better.

With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience and the help of a psychology degree, Jennifer has keen insights into customer behaviour, preferences and pain points. Combining this with a track record of exceeding targets, the ability to identify growth opportunities and the belief that change is a constant, she is integral to recent growth at Initiate.

As the Chief Operating Officer, Jennifer plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s future direction, ensuring its long-term success and sustainability. Jennifer is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive strategies that align with Initiate’s mission, vision and values while driving growth and profitability. Highly detail-oriented and passionate about KPIs and mitigating risk, Jennifer has already brought positive change to this organization in three short years.

Any spare time is spent in the gym teaching fitness or working on her fitness goals. A voracious reader, she can usually be found with her nose in a book or one of her favourite newspapers (actual paper, please). Spring and summer are the times to flex her green thumb, and she loves being able to grow food that her chef-like husband can cook with. Late fall and winter are reserved for putting together puzzles while singing along with Elvis, John Denver, Celine, or Whitney.

Kevin would have helped found Initiate if he could—he joined the company early on and hasn’t looked back.

From the start of his 25-year career, his passion was and continues to be motion. Kevin always puts extra thought into how things move—whether it’s in a video, animation, or when you scroll through a website. His style is clean yet playful, and is balanced with a pixel-perfect attention to detail that he applies across all of the projects that he manages at Initiate.

Kevin has been drawing since the time he could hold a crayon, and as a teenager his dream job was a computer animator at Industrial Light and Magic. Today, he continues to draw and paint whenever he can, and has found a passion for video editing after recording hours of footage of his kids. When he’s not busy being creative or collecting action figures, Kevin enjoys spending time in nature with his family—camping, skiing, biking, and walking his husky, Tokka.

Versatile and flexible, with 13 year’s industry experience, Jamie’s strength lies in his ability to move between design disciplines as clients requirements arise, at all times championing a focus on beautiful, but functional visual design.

Jamie approaches the root of every design request with a simple question, asking for a clear, visual answer. Finding that answer requires a level of focus that most designers do not possess, but it is Jamie’s sweet spot.

When not wearing his design hat, Jamie spends his spare time in the summer touring the countryside on his bicycle, and the winter on cross-country skis. If the weather isn’t suitable for either of these endeavors, he’s usually found in his home studio making strange electronic sounds and rhythms. And he also like eating pizza, just like you ; )

As a UI/UX designer by day, a college design teacher by night, and a freelance designer and amateur mixologist in between, Anish is unequivocally passionate about all things design.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, he has honed his skills and expertise to craft visually stunning, user-focused designs that resonate long after the first glance. Anish approaches every project with a keen eye for detail and a client-first mentality, as he truly believes that understanding the problem at hand is key to designing the perfect solution for you. He is always seeking new and innovative ways to push the boundaries of design, delivering creative solutions that help you effectively communicate and connect with your audiences.

His strong understanding of typography, UX patterns, and composition allows him to bring your ideas to life in a way that is both compelling and functional. He is committed to staying current with the latest design trends and techniques, constantly refining his skills to deliver top-quality work. Plus, he makes a mean Old Fashioned! Anish is excited to collaborate with you and learn how he can help solve your design needs. Cheers to great design!

Pamela’s creative journey began in childhood, inspired by ballet, music, and performing Disney and Broadway tunes into her trusty ’80s microphone.

This passion evolved into a career in marketing, brand management, copywriting, and creative project management. With degrees in psychology and journalism, and experience raising three kids close in age, Pamela has developed strong planning skills and a talent for building relationships. As a project coordinator at Initiate, she thrives on collaborating with our diverse clients and design team.

When she’s not directing projects, Pamela enjoys nature with her rescue Potcake, Ocho, and her three teens. She loves celebrating holidays, traveling, and is currently studying interior design. This year, she shared a memorable moment with her daughter attending their first performance of Hamilton in NYC.

Sarah comes from a diverse background, having started her career in the food and beverage industry before moving into health services and now marketing.

Sarah brings over 15 years of experience in building long-lasting relationships with clients and colleagues. As the studio manager at Initiate, she is the go-to person for everything non-design in the office. From organizing company lunches to ensuring the snack bar is fully stocked and handling “behind the scenes” administrative tasks, Sarah manages it all.

When she is not in the office, she is likely at the gym, where she teaches group fitness classes. During the summer months, she enjoys being outdoors with her furry sidekick. They especially love being on the water, whether paddle boarding or swimming. At home, Sarah enjoys putting together puzzles or watching the latest cooking and home improvement shows.

Linden has been a graphic designer for over 15 years, with a deep love for typography and layout. Once on track to become a scientist, they ditched the lab coat for a MacBook and never looked back—though their days as a pre-mathlete still come in handy more often than you’d think.

A strategic and critical thinker, Linden approaches each project with a problem-solver’s mindset. Their ability to balance structure with creativity allows them to craft designs that are both aesthetically compelling and functionally sound. Whether developing brand identities, editorial layouts, or digital experiences, they thrive on creating work that is intentional, engaging, and built to last.

When they’re working, there’s always something playing—usually an audiobook or a wildly eclectic playlist. Linden is a lifelong audiophile and book lover who draws constant inspiration from both. You’ll find everything from the Beatles and Nina Simone to Radiohead, Parliament, Motown, Boards of Canada, and Big Mama Thornton in the mix—sounds that fuel their creativity and keep the ideas flowing.

Ali not only possesses a talent for transforming concepts into visually captivating designs but also has a distinct flair for fashion, particularly in the realm of quirky sweaters.

The excitement of conveying messages through creative mediums, and the prospect of reaching a broad audience, fuel her continuous motivation and desire for more. Infusing a meticulous eye for detail into her work, Ali brings experience across various design domains, including motion, branding, layout/print, web design, and illustration.

While she may be relatively new to the captivating world of design, creativity has been an integral part of Ali’s life since its inception. Whether expressing herself through film, drama, music, fashion, or baking, creative exploration has remained a constant in her journey.

Christi is a multidisciplinary designer who loves to advocate for user experience and accessibility. At Initiate, she adds value to every project she touches and the team loves her warm, and cheerful spirit.

In a previous life, Christi briefly studied psychology, business, and worked in retail and sales for 10 years. Aptly described as “a natural leader” by close friends, she always moved into management roles, and there’s nothing quite like retail to train your people skills—so it’s no wonder the Initiate clients love working with Christi!

Wanting to pursue her innate passion for creativity, Christi went back to school and completed her Honours Graphic Design program at Algonquin College. An open-minded and conscientious creative professional, she found her stride, first doing user research and design work for Algonquin, then working in print production for an eco-design manufacturer, and more recently at an e-commerce design and marketing company building Shopify stores for SMEs. 

In her spare time, she is a dedicated house plant mother, who loves self-development, museums and art galleries, reading, and generally being outside. Bringing design home with her, Christi loves DIY projects and decorating her home, mixing modern with vintage.

From the moment Morgan opened KidPix on her Grandmother’s brand new iMac circa 1998, she knew that graphic design was where she’d end up. After taking a detour into the world of film studies in university while also compiling 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Morgan landed post-grad from Algonquin College here at Initiate.

Curiosity is Morgan’s design weapon of choice and with that comes a willingness to jump in head first to any design challenge thrown her way. From motion design and web development to print layout and branding, Morgan has a keen eye for how the end-user will interact with the design. She focuses on bringing the analytical side of digital design and the intuitive aspects of traditional design together to create functional and creative end products. 

When she’s not face-to-face with her MacBook, Morgan can be found (slowly but surely) assembling the ultimate turntable set-up so she can experience her vinyl the way it was intended to be heard, gallivanting through various fantastical settings while playing Baldur’s Gate 3, or hanging out with her niece in an attempt to secure the “World’s Greatest Auntie” title she knows she has always been destined for.

After working in arts-based education, Owen transitioned into the world of graphic design, a choice that allows him to fully embrace his creativity in his professional life.

Owen’s strength lies in his enthusiasm for each new project. His eye for good design shines through in his work. He has a keen attention to detail and a passion for delivering outstanding design solutions. With a multi-disciplinary background, Owen’s true devotion lies in print design, where his expertise truly shines.

Outside of work Owen channels his creative energy into singing in his choir and knitting under the watchful eye of his cat Oscar.