Aegis is a boutique design agency that builds deeper

relationships between organizations and people.

Experience has taught us that the best design comes

from the bottom up. ⬤ As anthropologists, we start

on the ground, ask a lot of questions and observe

carefully. As designers, we collectively draw on

expertise in social science, culture, journalism and

story-telling. ⬤ No two projects are the same but our

conviction remains: the real answers are more likely

to be found in the field than in the boardroom.

Aegis is a boutique design agency that builds deeper relationships between organizations and people. Experience has taught us that the best design comes from the bottom up. ⬤ As anthropologists, we start on the ground, ask a lot of questions and observe carefully. As designers, we collectively draw on expertise in social science, culture, journalism and story-telling. ⬤ No two projects are the same but our conviction remains: the real answers are more likely to be found in the field than in the boardroom.

Practices

We’ve found that the most daunting organizational problems are best solved by examining cultural context: the messy web of material constraints, habits, social relationships, needs, and values that inform what people believe and why they do the things they do. Grounding our design practice in a deeper ability to interpret culture leads to more impactful results for our clients.

Designing Communications

The best communications succeed not just because they’re clever or beautiful, but because they make a genuine connection with their audience. Our social science expertise enables us to bring underlying values to light, connecting organizations and their audiences.

❶ We can convey your value proposition clearly.— An outside perspective combined with attentive and thorough research gets to the heart of even the most complex value proposition, then shares it in accessible, differentiating terms.

❷ We can create a memorable identity for your new project.— We’ve helped many new ventures better understand their market context and potential audience, giving them the traction to grow quickly and thrive long-term.

❸ We can help you rebrand without losing who you are.— A rebrand can’t just be a fresh look — it needs to draw from the same culture and values that fostered your original success. We create durable new identities by building on the best of what is already there.

Designing Strategy

Rather than trying to be all things to all people, successful organizations focus on what makes them incomparable. We will identify your organization’s uniqueness and work with you to ensure that those qualities are reflected in your decision-making and operational structure.

❶ We can help you adapt to new challenges.— Adapting to change intelligently is critical. We can help you navigate shifts in markets and trends without losing sight of who you are.

❷ We can improve a specific process or service.— By studying your organization’s on-the-ground performance, we offer insights into what is working, what is not and why that is. Service design is not just about making processes highly efficient, but also humane and enjoyable.

❸ We can facilitate communication between different parts of your organization.— We listen carefully to what is being said — and not said — at all levels of your organization to reach a better understanding of your needs and priorities. In our experience, this lateral, interactive approach helps build stronger consensus than top-down mandates.

Insights — Our thoughts on design, anthropology, strategy, branding and our work.

Our newest insight:
Expanding qualitative research
beyond usability and use
See all Insights →

Want to hear more from us?

Enter your email for updates on our thoughts and projects

↩

Clients

Camp Kandalore

Crescent School

Council of Ontario Universities

Diabetes Canada

Fidelity Life

Goethe-Institut

Heart & Stroke Foundation

Ivey Business School

Lakeridge Health

London Health Sciences Foundation

Ontario Lung Association

Peeps Magazine

Radient Care

Ryerson University

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

TD Bank

The Bishop Strachan School

The York School

The Woodbridge Company Limited

Thrive Group

Thomson Reuters

United Way

University of Guelph

Women’s College Hospital Foundation

World Wildlife Fund

Menu ↑
Team
Contact
Contact
|

Let’s have coffee and talk.

people@aegisbrand.com

Sign up for our
insights newsletter.

↩

181 Carlaw Ave., Suite 206

Toronto, Ontario

647 348 2788

LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
cross
Paul Pat Sabrina Alex Greg
|
Paul
Kurskii
Full Stack Developer
Paul has a beautiful mind. Given his experience as a full stack engineer specializing in complex and complicated websites and his abstruse expertise in software development, plumbing its depths can be dizzying. He uses it to determine the best-fit stacks to develop seamless, elegant solutions based on leading-edge technologies. He’s been a front and back-end developer and acquired a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Not to mention finish three marathons over the past four years.
Pat
Morden
Senior Writer
A triple-threat, Pat is a writer, editor and communications consultant. Her experience covers a wide range of writing, editing and consulting services, primarily to the university and health care sector. She has worked with major institutions across Canada including: The Ivey Business School, the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, London Health Sciences Centre, the South West CCAC, and Women’s College Hospital. She has written multi-syllabic success stories that have been recognized with 35 local, national and international awards.
Sabrina
Xiang
Senior Director
Sabrina Xiang is a senior art director and designer with over 20 years’ experience. She has worked in the international offices of multinational advertising agencies—Bates and TBWA Shanghai, with clients large and small, corporate and cultural, including GM China, Virgin Atlantic, Chevrolet and Roche. We consider ourselves lucky she has chosen Toronto as a home for her talent, as well as brightening our office with her personality. Her current role from team building, art directing and managing projects from inception to final execution.
Alex
Dawson
Brand Culture Strategist, Anthropologist
Alex likes to people-watch. A design researcher and anthropologist, he’s fascinated by the way people live, work, disagree, and play together: it’s how he learns the meanings and systems that shape people’s actions and experiences. Equipped with a Master of Arts in Sociocultural Anthropology, Alex has firsthand experience leading research projects, from documentary films to evocative written and oral narratives. As the eyes and ears of Aegis, he’s always learning new skills and techniques to contribute compelling research insights to any design problem.
Greg
Salmela
Design Strategist
Greg believes design is an effective communication tool only when practiced within cultural context. That’s why, beyond being his clients’ trusted resource and someone they’ll tell you is a genuinely nice guy, he focuses on integrating the social sciences with the discipline of design. Over his 25-year career he has won dozens of national and international awards, bringing success to organizations in finance, education, media and the public sector, among others. Somehow remains humble about it.
cross

Aegis is a boutique design agency that builds deeper relationships between organizations and people. Experience has taught us that the best design comes from the bottom up. ⬤ As anthropologists, we start on the ground, ask a lot of questions and observe carefully. As designers, we collectively draw on expertise in social science, culture, journalism and story-telling. ⬤ No two projects are the same but our conviction remains: the real answers are more likely to be found in the field than in the boardroom.

Practices

We’ve found that the most daunting organizational problems are best solved by examining cultural context: the messy web of material constraints, habits, social relationships, needs, and values that inform what people believe and why they do the things they do. Grounding our design practice in a deeper ability to interpret culture leads to more impactful results for our clients.

Designing Communications

The best communications succeed not just because they’re clever or beautiful, but because they make a genuine connection with their audience. Our social science expertise enables us to bring underlying values to light, connecting organizations and their audiences.

❶ We can convey your value proposition clearly.— An outside perspective combined with attentive and thorough research gets to the heart of even the most complex value proposition, then shares it in accessible, differentiating terms.

❷ We can create a memorable identity for your new project.— We’ve helped many new ventures better understand their market context and potential audience, giving them the traction to grow quickly and thrive long-term.

❸ We can help you rebrand without losing who you are.— A rebrand can’t just be a fresh look — it needs to draw from the same culture and values that fostered your original success. We create durable new identities by building on the best of what is already there.

Designing Strategy

Rather than trying to be all things to all people, successful organizations focus on what makes them incomparable. We will identify your organization’s uniqueness and work with you to ensure that those qualities are reflected in your decision-making and operational structure.

❶ We can help you adapt to new challenges.— Adapting to change intelligently is critical. We can help you navigate shifts in markets and trends without losing sight of who you are.

❷ We can improve a specific process or service.— By studying your organization’s on-the-ground performance, we offer insights into what is working, what is not and why that is. Service design is not just about making processes highly efficient, but also humane and enjoyable.

❸ We can facilitate communication between different parts of your organization.— We listen carefully to what is being said — and not said — at all levels of your organization to reach a better understanding of your needs and priorities. In our experience, this lateral, interactive approach helps build stronger consensus than top-down mandates.

Insights are our thoughts on design, anthropology, strategy, branding to our work.

Our newest insight: Expanding qualitative research beyond usability and use
See all Insights →

Want to hear more from us?

Enter your email for updates on
our thoughts and projects

↩

Insights are our thoughts on design, anthropology, strategy, branding to our work.

Our newest insight:
Expanding qualitative research
beyond usability and use

See all Insights →

Want to hear more from us?

Enter your email for updates on our thoughts and projects

↩

Clients

Camp Kandalore

Crescent School

Council of Ontario Universities

Diabetes Canada

Fidelity Life

Goethe-Institut

Heart & Stroke Foundation

Ivey Business School

Lakeridge Health

London Health Sciences Foundation

Ontario Lung Association

Peeps Magazine

Radient Care

Ryerson University

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

TD Bank

The Bishop Strachan School

The York School

The Woodbridge Company Limited

Thrive Group

Thomson Reuters

United Way

University of Guelph

Women’s College Hospital Foundation

World Wildlife Fund

Menu ↑
Team
Contact

Let’s have coffee and talk.

people@aegisbrand.com

Sign up for our
insights newsletter.

↩︎

181 Carlaw Ave., Suite 206

Toronto, Ontario

647 348 2788

LinkedIn Twitter Instagram
cross
Greg Salmela
Design Strategist
cross
Greg believes design is an effective communication tool only when practiced within cultural context. That’s why, beyond being his clients’ trusted resource and someone they’ll tell you is a genuinely nice guy, he focuses on integrating the social sciences with the discipline of design. Over his 25-year career he has won dozens of national and international awards, bringing success to organizations in finance, education, media and the public sector, among others. Somehow remains humble about it.
Alex Dawson
Brand Culture Strategist, Anthropologist
cross
Alex likes to people-watch. A design researcher and anthropologist, he’s fascinated by the way people live, work, disagree, and play together: it’s how he learns the meanings and systems that shape people’s actions and experiences. Equipped with a Master of Arts in Sociocultural Anthropology, Alex has firsthand experience leading research projects, from documentary films to evocative written and oral narratives. As the eyes and ears of Aegis, he’s always learning new skills and techniques to contribute compelling research insights to any design problem.
Sabrina Xiang
Senior Designer
cross
Sabrina Xiang is a senior art director and designer with over 20 years’ experience. She has worked in the international offices of multinational advertising agencies—Bates and TBWA Shanghai, with clients large and small, corporate and cultural, including GM China, Virgin Atlantic, Chevrolet and Roche. We consider ourselves lucky she has chosen Toronto as a home for her talent, as well as brightening our office with her personality. Her current role from team building, art directing and managing projects from inception to final execution.
Pat Morden
Senior Writer
cross
A triple-threat, Pat is a writer, editor and communications consultant. Her experience covers a wide range of writing, editing and consulting services, primarily to the university and health care sector. She has worked with major institutions across Canada including: The Ivey Business School, the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, London Health Sciences Centre, the South West CCAC, and Women’s College Hospital. She has written multi-syllabic success stories that have been recognized with 35 local, national and international awards.
Paul Kurskii
Full Stack Developer
cross
Paul has a beautiful mind. Given his experience as a full stack engineer specializing in complex and complicated websites and his abstruse expertise in software development, plumbing its depths can be dizzying. He uses it to determine the best-fit stacks to develop seamless, elegant solutions based on leading-edge technologies. He’s been a front and back-end developer and acquired a Master’s degree in Computer Science. Not to mention finish three marathons over the past four years.