What Carter Hales Design Lab does

Carter Hales Design Lab is an independently owned, Vancouver-based creative agency that delivers brand strategy, visual identity, website design and development, packaging design, digital design, and marketing communications for enterprise, government, and mid-market clients. The firm, founded under its current brand in 2012 and led by 30-year industry veteran Sean Carter, serves a diverse roster including Vancouver International Airport, TELUS, LaGuardia Airport, BC Place, KPMG, SkilledTradesBC, and the Invictus Games 2025. Service delivery is project-based professional services work delivered through direct client relationships, with no public pricing; new business is routed through a dedicated contact (Stuart Freer).

The agency's core production runs on standard creative technology — WordPress for custom websites, Adobe Creative Suite for design, and Mailchimp for email — augmented by AI tools used during discovery for market and consumer insight work. In May 2025, the firm added two senior practitioners (Tavis Yeung in data/digital strategy, Jenny Duncan in brand and communications), repositioning the practice as a fully integrated creative, brand, and digital agency rather than a pure design studio. The 11–50 person team operates from a 1,400 sq ft ground-floor studio in Strathcona that doubles as the SMoMA gallery.

Revenue is generated through custom, multi-service creative engagements; the firm does not disclose revenue, has no outside institutional ownership, and previously operated (and divested in 2017) a consumer product brand, Pink Door Pink Label. Geographic footprint is primarily North American (Canada and US), with selected international projects and globally recognized award work.

Name

Carter Hales Design Lab

Legal name

Carter Hales Design Lab Inc.

Website

https://carterhales.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carter Hales Design Lab is an independent Vancouver-based creative agency providing branding, website, packaging, and digital design services to enterprise, government, and mid-market clients across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand & Creative Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Visual identity design
• Packaging design agency
• Website design development
• Creative brand agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Services Revenue: Professional services revenue generated through branding, visual identity, website design and development, packaging design, digital design, marketing strategy, and advertising services. Projects are custom engagements typically involving multiple service offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Carter Hales Design Lab is a fully integrated Vancouver-based brand and digital agency that designs and delivers branding, visual identity, website design and development, digital design, packaging design, signage, marketing strategy, and data & insights services for enterprise, mid-market, government, and nonprofit clients. Engagements are custom, project-based, and typically bundle multiple creative disciplines with AI-augmented discovery and human-centered strategy.

Product overview

Carter Hales Design Lab is a full-service brand and digital agency offering an integrated suite of creative services. Their core offerings include branding (visual identity, logo design, brand strategy), website design and development, digital design, packaging design, marketing strategy, and data & insights. The agency also developed proprietary consumer brands including Pink Door (high-end beauty/amenities) and Pink Door Pink Label (stationery products, launched 2007, sold 2017). Their service portfolio spans multiple disciplines including copywriting, illustration, photography, annual report design, trade show design, and advertising campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pink Door Pink Label: An 'everyday simple' line of patterned notecard sets, journals, and notebooks. The brand was launched in 2007 and won numerous industry design awards. Sold by the company in 2017.
• Pink Door Black Label
• Pink Door Amenity
• SMoMA

Products and services

• Branding Services Comprehensive brand identity development including visual identity, logo design, brand strategy, and brand guidelines/graphic standards for enterprise, government, and mid-market clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of agencies using AI tools report efficiency gains of 25-40%; 96% report improved work quality (referenced from Function Point 2024 Industry Report)

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Global independent design firm with deep brand identity, packaging, and digital expertise. Comparable on service mix and design prestige, though significantly larger and globally distributed.
• Cossette: Major Canadian full-service marketing and communications agency. Larger incumbent with broader service offering; overlaps with CHDL on brand strategy and creative services but operates at much greater scale.
• DDB Canada: Global agency network's Canadian operations offering advertising, branding, and digital. Comparable as a Canadian agency serving enterprise clients but with significantly broader portfolio and larger team.
• Lg2: Quebec-based independent creative agency with national reach. Comparable as a Canadian independent agency offering brand strategy and creative services, though larger and more advertising-focused.

Direct peers

• Bruce Mau Design: Canadian design firm with deep brand strategy and visual identity expertise. Directly comparable as a Canadian independent design studio serving enterprise and cultural clients with integrated strategy and design offerings.
• Meow Agency: Vancouver-based creative agency focused on branding, packaging, and digital design. Matches CHDL closely in size, location, and integrated brand+packaging+digital service mix.
• Taxi (Juniper Park\TBWA): Canadian creative agency with strong brand and advertising heritage. Comparable as a Canadian creative agency offering brand strategy, design, and integrated campaigns for enterprise clients.
• WAX Partnership: Canadian independent creative agency providing branding, packaging, and digital design services. Compares as a similarly sized full-service Canadian agency with packaging and brand expertise.
• Rethink: Vancouver-based independent creative agency offering branding, advertising, and digital services. Same geographic market and similar profile of mid-sized independent agency serving enterprise and consumer brands.
• Anderson Hopkins: Canadian design and branding agency with a focus on visual identity and packaging. Comparable as a similarly sized independent branding specialist serving consumer and enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carter-hales-design-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/carterhalesdesignlab
• Xx.com/CarterHalesLab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Carter Hales Design Lab