Amusing stories & views by us
To blog, or not to blog, that is the question. Through these musings, we hope to give you a better sense of who we are, what we believe in, and share our (design) perspective. Below, explore our creative opinion pieces and discover design tips and tricks to use in your daily life.
Culture
Industry insights
Jennifer
There’s proof in the numbers
A reflection on the journey that brought us here, as our agency gets ready to celebrate 18 years!
2026-08-19
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Design thinking
Industry insights
Leadership
Michael
A logo is small. The work behind it isn’t.
the fundamentals of creating a logo — for a refresh, or from scratch — plus the perspectives nobody mentions in the kickoff: the moodboard trap, the AI trap, why colour ownership is harder than you think, and why boring-on-second-look is a feature.
2026-08-18
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B2B high tech
Design thinking
Industry insights
Jamie
Why minimalism is still winning in B2B
I’ll open my social feeds to face countless posts competing for my attention. That is why there is an argument for minimalism in B2B right now. Not that it looks good, but that it ‘functions better’ when everything around it is competing for attention. A clean, confident visual language signals that a business knows what it wants to say.
2026-08-14
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Culture
Design thinking
Linden
My first love: Typography
In my mid-twenties, I dropped out of a miserable English degree and stopped letting others dictate my life, which landed me in my first actual year of a graphic design program. For the first time, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
2026-08-14
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Culture
Industry insights
Leadership
Michael
72 Seasons of Initiate: What 18 years in business taught me about building something that lasts
When I look back on building Initiate, I don’t measure success by multi-figure exits or financial vanity metrics. I measure it by the lives we’ve impacted, the careers we’ve helped grow, and the long-term partnerships we’ve built along the way.
2026-08-13
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Culture
Design thinking
Ayla
The door that leads to creative curiosity
This September will mark four years since I moved to Ottawa. I’ve always been an adventurer at heart, drawn towards exploring new places, learning as much as I can, and simply being curious about the world around me. With being endlessly curious, it’s led me to wonder where it lends itself to my creativity. Is it because I am creative that I am drawn to a thirst for knowledge? Or is it because with curiosity comes the ability to be creative?
2026-06-15
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Leadership
Jennifer
Grief at work: Leadership reflection
For all the things we learn to prepare for at work, such as measuring productivity or performance, the immobilizing weight of grief and its impact on yourself and your team are not among them. No one warns you that it will sit beside you in meetings or that it can alter focus. It shortens tempers and can make the chattiest of us silent. Just when we think it’s done with us, it reminds us that we are permanently linked.
2026-06-01
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Culture
Ayla
Learning to design my future
I just landed my first job as a Junior Graphic Designer — and I’m still in shock. Here’s what six weeks at a real agency taught me about design, growth, and figuring out where I’m headed.
2026-05-29
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Industry insights
Michael
The skill you’re not talking about
Most creative teams are good at talking about the work. The brief, the concept, the execution, the feedback. It’s the other conversation — the one about where our own skills are heading — that tends to go quiet. Here’s what happened when I brought it to my team.
2026-05-29
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Industry insights
Linden
The invisible work behind invisible illness
Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), MCAS, and POTS means my body occasionally treats everyday tasks like extreme sports. But it’s also changed the way I approach design, problem-solving, and work in ways I never expected.
2026-05-26
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Industry insights
Leadership
Jennifer
From vendor to partner: The shift that changes everything for marketing
Marketing teams often treat agencies as vendors, not partners—leading to missed insights and extra revisions. True collaboration and trust turn creative output into campaigns that perform.
2026-03-27
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Culture
Owen
How to get to Southam Hall? Practice, practice, practice
I share how a guest lecture at Algonquin unexpectedly rekindled my passion for design and reminded me why I love what I do.