Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates

What Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates does

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates is a Toronto-based boutique branding and design agency founded in 2004 by Albert Strano. The firm operates at the intersection of brand strategy and visual identity, applying what it describes as an "architectural approach" — a research-led strategic framework that precedes creative execution. Service offerings span brand strategy and naming, visual identity systems, packaging design, digital design and web build, motion graphics, and experiential campaigns. Two differentiated specialized practices are notable: aircraft livery design (3D modeling and wireframe illustration for aviation clients such as Momentum Solutions and Momentum Jets) and sustainability branding (anchored by hospitality projects such as The Iberian Aparthotel in Portugal).

The agency's business model is professional services, project-based, with publicly disclosed pricing tiers ranging from core identity refresh ($15k-$40k) through strategy + brand system + site ($60k-$150k+) to full rebrand programs ($150k-$500k+). Engagement is sales-led and direct: new business is solicited through email enquiries and initial conference calls, with senior team involvement throughout rather than delegation to junior staff. The client roster spans both enterprise accounts (Zone·tv, Zone·ify, Presia Ag Insights under McCain Foods, Goway Travel, Second Cup, Momentum) and SMBs (Vito's Wings & Pizza, Jenny Betts London), across verticals including hospitality, travel, aviation, spirits, food and beverage, technology, healthcare, and cannabis. Notable work has been featured in Communication Arts, HOW Magazine, The Dieline, Awwwards, Marketing Magazine, and Strategy Magazine, with DesignRush Accredited status.

The firm is privately held with 1-10 employees, no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Operations are run from Toronto, with client engagements delivered internationally across at least nine countries spanning North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Leadership consists of co-founder and creative director Albert Strano (20+ years industry experience, previously at Young and Rubicam, Saatchi and Saatchi, and Blast Media) and brand and culture strategist Ana Bugalete (14+ years experience, formerly with FTSE 100 companies).

Name

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates

Legal name

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates

Website

https://stranoandpettigrew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates is a Toronto-based boutique branding and design agency founded in 2004, serving enterprise clients and startups globally across hospitality, aviation, travel, spirits, CPG, and technology with research-led brand strategy, visual identity, packaging, and aircraft livery design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Branding and Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Environmental & Experiential Brand Design (Retail/Exhibit/Signage) (MPAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Visual identity design
• Packaging design agency
• Aircraft livery design
• Experiential campaign design

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Branding and Design: Service-based revenue from branding strategy, visual identity design, packaging design, digital design, motion graphics, and experiential campaigns. Projects range from core identity refresh ($15k-$40k), strategy + brand system + site ($60k-$150k+), to full rebrand programs ($150k-$500k+).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates is a boutique branding and design agency that provides brand strategy, visual identity design, packaging design, digital/web design, motion graphics, and aircraft livery design to corporate clients and startups. Engagements are organized into three pricing tiers: core identity refresh ($15k-$40k), strategy + brand system + site ($60k-$150k+), and full rebrand programs ($150k-$500k+).

Product overview

Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates is a Toronto-based boutique branding and design agency offering comprehensive brand building services. Their core offering is brand strategy and visual identity development, supplemented by specialized services including airline livery design, packaging design, motion graphics, experiential campaigns, digital design, and sustainability strategy. The agency has created brand identities for diverse clients spanning hospitality (The Iberian Hotel, The Walper Hotel), travel (Kōa Surf Academy, Goway Travel, Momentum Jets), technology (Zone·tv, Zone·ify, Peri AI, Presia Ag Insights), consumer products (Solapop, Bro & Co., Stockyards Distillery, Rollados), and corporate sectors (GHN Group, Effica Life Sciences, Momentum Solutions). The portfolio demonstrates expertise across brand naming, visual identity systems, packaging, website design, and multi-channel brand expression.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Identity & Strategy Services Full-service brand strategy and visual identity development including naming, positioning, messaging, brandmarks, brand guidelines, and design systems for corporate clients and startups.
• Packaging Design Package design services for consumer products, food & beverage, spirits, and personal care categories.
• Airline Livery Design Aircraft livery design for aviation branding, including corporate jets and cargo airlines, using 3D modeling and wireframe illustrations.
• Motion Graphics & Video Motion graphics, video editing, sound design, and broadcast production for brand campaigns and experiential marketing.
• Digital Design & Web Website design and build, wireframing, information architecture, social media assets, presentation design, and digital advertising.
• Experiential Campaigns Experiential marketing campaigns including brand activations, product launches, and sampling programs.
• Sustainability Strategy Sustainability branding and environmental strategy services for hospitality, consumer products, and corporate clients.

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Therefore InteractivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Canadian web agency with significant track record in travel industry. Awarded Goway Travel web contract including branding component. S+PDA was their branding agency partner of choice for the branding portion of the project. Goway Travel underwent first brand refresh in 54 years.
• Fika CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Canadian cannabis retail company that acquired several cannabis retail brands. S+PDA developed the Spark partners rewards programme branding across six brands in their portfolio. Symbol design based on six locations, the flower and the spark.
• Réka KirályminorOthersIllustrator who created hand-painted floral illustrations for The Iberian Hotel branding project. Her work brought organic balance to the overall design system.
• Joe Baker IllustrationminorOthersIllustrator who created hand-drawn illustrations for Peri AI pet care assistant brand. Illustrations paired with friendly, approachable design system to move away from typical tech aesthetic.
• Ian Pettigrew PhotographyminorOthersPhotographer who provided pizza photography for Vito's Wings & Pizza branding project.
• Anthony OrozcominorOthersIllustrator commissioned to create Mexican Calavera illustration for Rollados taco rolls packaging design. Created retro-styled illustrations for the food brand.
• Laura BarnardminorOthersUK illustrator who created celebration illustrations for Sauza Blue Montreal outdoor campaign.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FutureBrand: Global brand strategy and design consultancy delivering brand positioning, identity systems, and packaging across CPG, hospitality, aviation, and tech — comparable to S+PDA on full rebrand programs but with significantly larger team capacity.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy providing brand strategy, naming, visual identity, and brand valuation; competes for the same enterprise rebrand budgets S+PDA targets, with a broader portfolio of services and geographic reach.
• Landor & Fitch: Large global brand consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, naming, packaging, and experience design across hospitality, aviation, CPG, and tech — overlapping with S+PDA's full-service brand-building remit but at much greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Lippincott: Brand strategy and design firm delivering brand identity, naming, and visual systems — a direct comparable in service mix and client profile to S+PDA's brand identity, naming, and packaging practice.
• Pentagram: Global partner-led branding and design studio operating on a similar boutique, senior-access model with comparable identity, packaging, and brand-system offerings across many of the same sectors (aviation, hospitality, CPG, tech) that S+PDA serves.
• MetaDesign: International brand and identity agency producing strategic brand frameworks, visual identity systems, and multi-platform brand expression — a direct comparable in methodology (research-led strategic framework supporting creative execution) to S+PDA's 'architectural approach.'
• Bruce Mau Design: Toronto-based design studio offering brand systems, identity, and environmental/experiential design; shares S+PDA's Canadian base and boutique, founder-led delivery model with similar sector-agnostic portfolio.

Regional players

• Taxi (Taxi Toronto / Downtown Partners): Canadian creative agency with a long-standing Toronto presence producing brand identity, advertising, and design work; a regional comparable for the same enterprise and consumer brand assignments S+PDA pursues out of Toronto.
• Cossette: Major Canadian-headquartered marketing and brand communications agency; shares the Toronto market with S+PDA and competes for similar enterprise and challenger-brand rebrands, but operates at substantially greater scale and offers integrated advertising/media services.

Emerging players

• Koto Studio: Brand identity studio working with tech and consumer companies on brand strategy, naming, and visual identity; overlaps with S+PDA on naming, identity systems, and digital-first brand builds, particularly with startup and streaming-tech clients like Peri, Zone·tv, and Zone·ify.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strano-pettigrew-design-associates
• Instagraminstagram.com/stranoandpettigrew
• Xx.com/albertstrano
• Facebookfacebook.com/stranoandpettigrew

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Strano + Pettigrew Design Associates