Wedge

What Wedge does

Wedge is an independent brand and design studio co-founded by Justin Lortie and Sarah Di Domenico, operating from studios in Montreal and Los Angeles. The studio delivers end-to-end brand creation and design services including brand strategy and narrative, visual identity systems, voice and naming, packaging, campaign development, creative direction, web design, and ethnographic trend research. Its client base spans both established legacy brands seeking evolution (Canada Dry, SSENSE, EQ3, Indigo, Mott's Clamato Caesar, Diana's Seafood) and venture-backed startups in Seed-to-Series-A stages (Aupale, Brami, Ami Ami, Blake Brown, Matheson Food Company, Vacation, GrowHappy, Cocolab), with projects concentrated in food, beverage, beauty, personal care, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle categories.

The studio operates three revenue streams: fee-for-service brand and design engagements with a deliberately limited annual client roster, an equity-for-services program called Wedge Ventures that takes stakes in early-stage consumer brands it helps build, and a direct-to-consumer publishing arm called Wedge Shop that sells limited-edition cookbooks and art books. Its proprietary 'Cultural Foraging™' methodology anchors a research-driven approach that combines strategic narrative with visual aesthetics, and the studio has generated measurable client outcomes including a 6.4% market share increase and 4.9% volume growth for Mott's Clamato Caesar, $16M media exposure within one week for Blake Brown at Target, and Target retail entry for Diana's Seafood.

Wedge's commercial strategy is built on reputation-driven, selective client acquisition, supported by a deliberate marketing approach centered on earned media in top-tier publications (Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Forbes, Monocle, Fast Company), industry awards (Dieline Studio of the Year 2024 and 2025, D&AD Pencils, Dezeen Awards), and an organic social presence on Instagram and LinkedIn. The studio's own 'Wedge House' workspace in Montreal was featured by Dezeen in December 2024, reinforcing its position as both a working studio and a curated brand environment. No external funding rounds, no AI/ML capabilities, and no software products are disclosed; Wedge is a people-and-method business with an asset-light, services-driven model and an emerging portfolio of equity stakes through Wedge Ventures.

Name

Wedge

Legal name

Wedge

Website

https://wedge.work

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wedge is an independent brand and design studio with offices in Montreal and Los Angeles, serving a selective roster of legacy brands and venture-backed startups through strategy, visual identity, packaging, and campaign services, supplemented by equity partnerships via Wedge Ventures and a publishing arm via Wedge Shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Brand Design & Strategy Services: Full-service brand design and strategy engagements for selective clients across branding, packaging, campaign, and creative direction.
2. Wedge Ventures: Partnership model where Wedge co-creates brands with entrepreneurs, providing brand design, strategy, and storytelling in exchange for equity or partnership stakes. Typically involved between Seed and Series A funding stages.
3. Wedge Shop: Direct sale of published products including limited edition cookbooks and art books designed and published by Wedge.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wedge is an independent brand and design studio that provides brand strategy, visual identity systems, packaging design, campaigns, and creative direction for a selective roster of clients spanning legacy companies and emerging startups. It also operates a venture arm taking equity in brands and a shop selling limited-edition publications and merchandise.

Product overview

Wedge is a Brand & Design Studio offering strategic and aesthetic services to create distinctive brand identities. The studio provides a comprehensive suite of services including Brand Strategy & Narrative, Visual Identity & Systems, Voice & Naming, Campaign development, Packaging design, Creative Direction & Production, Web Design & Development, Ethnography & Trend Research, and Special Projects. Through its Wedge Ventures program, the studio also partners with early-stage entrepreneurs from Seed to Series A to build investable brands. The portfolio spans diverse sectors including food & beverage, beauty & skincare, wellness, spirits, retail, and non-profit organizations, with notable projects for Blake Brown, Matheson Food Company, Canada Dry, EQ3, Vacation, GrowHappy, Cocolab, Omy, SSENSE, Aupale, Equip, Diana's Seafood, and many others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wedge Ventures: The venture side of Wedge that allows the team to partner differently with entrepreneurs. They leverage brand design, strategy, and storytelling to land further investment and grow. Typically involved between Seed and Series A funding stages.

Products and services

• Brand Strategy & Narrative Strategic positioning, brand narrative, and storytelling foundations developed for companies seeking to define or reposition their brand.
• Visual Identity & System Design of logos, visual identity systems, and brand guidelines for client brands.
• Packaging Design Packaging design for consumer products across food, beverage, beauty, and lifestyle categories.
• Campaign Development Creative campaign concepting and execution for brand launches and marketing initiatives.
• Creative Direction & Production Art direction, photography, and production services supporting brand and campaign execution.
• Web Design & Development Design and development of brand websites and digital experiences for clients.
• Wedge Ventures Venture arm through which Wedge partners with select brands, taking equity in exchange for design and brand-building services.
• Wedge Shop E-commerce shop selling limited-edition publications, art books, and merchandise produced by the studio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blake Brown achieved record-breaking Target sales and $16M media exposure within 1 week of launch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Aupale Vodka FoundersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Wedge Venture partnership with founders whose backgrounds span across the high-end world of spirits and music industry. Wedge provides complete brand creation including strategy, naming, industrial design, packaging, website, creative direction, and launch campaign. Aupale Vodka launched in 2021 and expanded to new product lines in Fall 2022.
• BramicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Wedge Venture partnership with California-based Brami, reimagining Italian pantry into plant-based products. Wedge provided strategy, ethnography, brand voice, branding, packaging, creative direction, launch campaign, and website design. The rebrand launched in 2022 and coincided with expanded distribution.
• Ami Ami Founders (Woody Hambrecht, Ross Dawkins)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Wedge Ventures partnership with Woody Hambrecht (former co-founder of Haus) and Ross Dawkins to transform sustainable boxed wine business into brand world. Wedge provides brand naming, strategy, visual identity, packaging, creative direction, and photography. Ami Ami reduces carbon impact by 50% through boxed wine packaging.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Pentagram is the most structurally comparable peer: a partner-led, equity-style brand design studio serving enterprise and challenger clients with the same 'intimate partner involvement' model. Both compete for the same category-leading brand engagements (visual identity, packaging, campaigns) and share the boutique, high-fee positioning that defines Wedge.
• Koto: Koto is a brand design studio specializing in identity, packaging, and verbal identity for consumer brands across F&B, tech, and lifestyle — a near-direct overlap with Wedge's service offering and category mix (spirits, food, beverage). Comparable scale and similar client profile of funded startups and enterprise refreshes.
• &Walsh: &Walsh is an award-winning independent brand design studio offering strategy, identity, packaging, and digital for consumer and lifestyle brands — directly mirroring Wedge's services and D2C / CPG client base. Comparable boutique size, similar recent international award trajectory.
• Collins: Collins is a brand consultancy combining strategy, identity, and experience design for consumer and enterprise clients — overlapping with Wedge's strategic-narrative-plus-visual-identity offering. Both serve a mix of heritage brands seeking transformation and high-growth challengers.
• Order: Order is an independent brand design studio focused on identity systems and packaging for CPG, beverage, and lifestyle clients — a direct comparable in both service mix and category focus (spirits, food, beauty), competing for the same enterprise rebrand RFPs Wedge pursues.
• Mucca: Mucca is an independent design studio known for branding and packaging across food, beverage, beauty, and lifestyle — closely aligned with Wedge's vertical mix and boutique, award-driven positioning. Frequent design-award peer and direct competitor in CPG packaging engagements.
• Athletics: Athletics is an independent brand and design studio building identity systems, packaging, and digital experiences for consumer brands — a direct comparable in services, client types, and indie-boutique positioning, frequently recognized in the same design awards as Wedge.
• Manual: Manual is a creative agency and brand design studio that combines strategy, identity, packaging, and campaign work for food, beverage, and lifestyle brands — overlapping directly with Wedge's services and category mix, including heritage brand refreshes and startup brand creation.
• Mast Studio: Mast is an award-winning independent design studio focused on brand identity, packaging, and digital for consumer and cultural brands — a closely comparable peer in scale, services, and D2C / lifestyle client profile to Wedge.
• Mother Design: Mother Design is the design arm of Mother, offering brand identity, packaging, and campaign work for global consumer brands — comparable to Wedge in services and brand-world approach, though attached to a larger agency network; relevant as a benchmark for how Wedge's model might scale or partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wedge-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/wedgestudio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Wedge