Trajectory Brands Inc.

What Trajectory Brands Inc. does

Trajectory Brands Inc. is a Toronto-based brand strategy and design agency founded in 2009 that operates as a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm. The company helps organizations undergoing brand transformation develop positioning, naming, taglines, visual identity systems, and implementation toolkits. Its client base spans universities and colleges (Athabasca University, SAIT, Algoma University, Brock University), cultural institutions (McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Luminato Festival), healthcare organizations (London Health Sciences Foundation, Lakelands Public Health), and places and destinations (CN Tower, Toronto Public Library, Niagara Benchlands, Capitol Hill DC, Dupont Circle BID). Engagement models include multi-month strategy projects and long-term agency-of-record relationships, with McMichael Canadian Art Collection retained since 2017 and Algoma University since 2020.\n\nThe firm's service offering is organized into four pillars: brand strategy and positioning, identity design, implementation and communications, and content. Beyond services, Trajectory operates two proprietary digital assets: the SmartStories editorial platform for branded narrative content and the Resilience Playbook, an AI-powered online assessment tool for organizational resilience. The agency does not maintain a proprietary technology stack in the SaaS sense and is not a software company. Its intellectual assets are concentrated in the founder team's category authority, including Jeannette Hanna's co-authorship of Ikonica: A Field Guide to Canada's Brandscape, the Ikonicast podcast, and ongoing contributions to The Placebrand Observer.\n\nTrajectory monetizes exclusively through project-based B2B professional services contracts with custom fees negotiated per engagement; no public pricing, rate cards, or revenue figures are disclosed. Distribution is direct, with client acquisition driven by referrals, business development, and industry reputation; the firm holds paid-media presence at conferences such as City Nation Place but does not engage in performance marketing. Geographic delivery extends across multiple Canadian provinces (Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia) and select US markets including Washington DC, Minnesota, and Ohio, though the firm does not claim a formal global footprint.

Name

Trajectory Brands Inc.

Legal name

Trajectory Brands Inc.

Website

https://trajectoryco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trajectory Brands Inc. is a Toronto-based brand strategy and design agency founded in 2009 that helps universities, cultural institutions, healthcare organizations, destinations, and non-profits with naming, identity systems, and brand implementation on a project-based, agency-of-record model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Strategy & Identity Systems (MPAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Visual identity design
• Stakeholder engagement services
• Place-based branding
• Marketing communications agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brand Strategy and Consulting Services: Professional services revenue from brand strategy consulting, research, stakeholder engagement, and advisory work. Projects typically involve multi-month engagements with organizations undergoing brand transformation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Trajectory Brands Inc. is a brand strategy and design agency that helps organizations, places, and institutions define stakeholder value, articulate positioning, and create visual identity systems—from research and naming through implementation and branded content. Engagements are multi-month professional service projects that frequently evolve into long-term agency-of-record relationships, supported by proprietary tools such as the SmartStories editorial platform and the Resilience Playbook assessment.

Product overview

Trajectory Brands Inc. is a brand strategy and design agency founded in 2009, offering a comprehensive suite of services rather than a single unified software product. The company's core offerings span four interconnected service areas: Brand Strategy Services (including research, stakeholder engagement, positioning, and messaging), Identity Design Services (naming, visual identity systems, brand architecture), and Implementation & Communications Services (launch planning, branded content, guidelines, training). The agency also offers proprietary tools including the SmartStories Platform for interactive editorial storytelling and the Resilience Playbook assessment tool. Clients engage Trajectory for end-to-end brand development from discovery through implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartStories: Editorial designed to engage, enrich and extend all kinds of narratives. SmartStories is a branded editorial platform developed by Trajectory for client storytelling.

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Services Comprehensive brand strategy consulting including stakeholder research, stakeholder engagement processes, brand positioning, brand architecture, persona development, and messaging and voice articulation. Built for organizations undergoing brand transformation.
• Identity Design Services Creation of unique brand identifiers including naming, taglines, identity design, and visual identity systems for organizations and places.
• Implementation and Communications Services Brand implementation planning, marketing and communications plans, launch campaigns, branded content production (editorial, video, interactive), guidelines, tactical communications, brand training, and brand toolkits.
• SmartStories Platform Editorial platform developed by Trajectory for creating engaging brand narratives and interactive storytelling experiences for clients. Features include web-based editorial content, brand playbooks, and interactive digital experiences.
• Resilience Playbook An online, AI-powered assessment tool that enables teams and organizations to measure resilience and confidence based on six capacities of adaptive organizations. Used for culture-building insights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Algoma University achieved 3,000 student enrollment target 3 years ahead of schedule following brand engagement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OCAD University Inclusive Design Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for Toronto Public Library comprehensive identity project. OCAD's Inclusive Design Research Centre and DesignFutures Lab provided expertise for inclusive and accessible design processes, partnering on the year-long Toronto Public Library Experience 360 engagement.
• Toronto Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on CN Tower 50th Anniversary and '114 Stories/Storeys' exhibit exploring local history. Joint initiative creating interactive visitor experiences and augmented reality content.
• Liz Stone, Mishiikehn ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous liaison for Lakelands Public Health branding project involving Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health merger. Ensured Indigenous community engagement in naming and design process.
• JAW AdvertisingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedia buying partner for Algoma University recruitment campaigns. Part of integrated marketing services for education client.
• Stack CreativeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDigital design partner for Algoma University projects. Collaboration on branding and marketing materials.
• Giant CreativeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVideo production partner for London Health Sciences Foundation brand launch video.
• Plan of RecordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuminato Festival's podcast renaming to LuminoCity included collaboration reference to Plan of Record, suggesting creative partnership on festival communications.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consultancy with a dedicated place branding practice that has rebranded cities, countries, airports, and universities. Directly comparable to Trajectory's brand strategy and identity work for places and cultural institutions, but operates at much larger scale with hundreds of consultants globally.
• Interbrand: One of the world's largest brand consultancies with dedicated practices for places, institutions, and cultural clients. Overlaps significantly with Trajectory's brand strategy and identity work but operates at global incumbent scale.

Direct peers

• Saffron Brand Consultants: Boutique global brand strategy consultancy that combines strategy, naming, and identity work for places, corporations, and cultural clients. Highly comparable boutique positioning and methodology to Trajectory's stakeholder-engagement-led brand strategy model.
• Lippincott: Brand strategy and design firm known for brand positioning, identity systems, and naming work for major corporations and institutions. Closely comparable in service mix to Trajectory's brand strategy, naming, and identity offerings.
• Resonance Consultancy: Place branding and marketing consultancy specializing in cities, countries, and destinations, with proprietary benchmarking like the World's Best Cities ranking. Direct competitor in the destination and place branding niche Trajectory serves with CN Tower, Niagara Benchlands, and Capitol Hill.
• Siegel+Gale: Global brand strategy and design firm focused on simplicity-driven branding for institutions, healthcare, and cultural organizations. Comparable in serving education, healthcare, and non-profit sectors with strategy plus identity engagements.
• Pentagram: Independent design firm with a partner-led, no-accounts model creating identity systems, naming, and brand work for cultural institutions and places. Comparable boutique-creative model with deep identity systems expertise similar to Trajectory's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trajectorybrands
• Instagraminstagram.com/trajectoryco
• Xx.com/trajectoryco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trajectory Brands Inc.