Garden North America Inc, The

What Garden North America Inc, The does

The Garden (legal entity: Garden North America Inc, The; website owned by parent Humanise, Quebec-incorporated) is a Toronto-headquartered independent creative, design and brand strategy agency founded in 2015 by Shari Walczak (Chief Strategy Officer) and Shane Ogilvie (Chief Creative Officer). The firm delivers an integrated suite of services — Strategy, Advertising, Design, Brand Transformation, and Brand Experience — to enterprise clients across North America and globally. Its client roster spans Fortune 500 and large multinationals including Samsung Electronics, Mackenzie Investments, Rakuten Kobo (13-country global eReader launch), Carlsberg Group (1664 Rosé North American launch), Enbridge (SmartFlow HVAC system identity), Food Banks Canada, Jack Astor's, SodaStream, and Fitzrovia Real Estate.

Underpinning the agency's service offering is a Creative Problem Solving (CPS) methodology operationalized through six proprietary, trademarked engagement frameworks: the DIG Sprint (10-day diagnostic), CULTIVATE Sprint (15-day innovation), THRIVE Sprint (10-day operationalization), HARVEST Sprint (15-day synchronized planning), Brand Love SMP (4-hour rapid brand affinity mapping), and ThinkShop (a separate-domain three-day capability-building program). These time-boxed consulting products distinguish the firm from pure-play creative shops by embedding facilitated workshops across the engagement lifecycle, enabling strategy execution in days rather than quarters.

Revenue is generated entirely through project-based, quote-determined B2B professional services engagements acquired via direct enterprise relationships, referrals, and RFP processes — no pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. The firm is a certified B Corporation and a member of the Humanise Collective, a network of purpose-driven agencies. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, with no disclosed external funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional investment.

Name

Garden North America Inc, The

Legal name

Humanise

Website

https://the.garden

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Garden is a Toronto-based independent creative, design and brand strategy agency founded in 2015, serving enterprise clients globally with strategy, advertising, design, brand transformation and brand experience services, anchored by six trademarked sprint consulting methodologies and a Fortune 500 client roster.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Strategic Consulting: Project-based consulting engagements delivering strategic advisory services to enterprise clients. Engagements include strategic workshops, brand transformation programs, and organizational velocity consulting.
2. Creative and Branding Services: Creative services including advertising campaigns, brand identity development, design systems, experiential design, and content creation delivered as project-based engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Garden is a creative, design, and brand strategy agency that helps enterprise clients build brand love and transform their organizations from the inside out. The firm delivers project-based engagements across five core service areas: Strategy, Advertising, Design, Brand Transformation, and Brand Experience. It also offers six proprietary consulting methodologies (DIG Sprint, CULTIVATE Sprint, THRIVE Sprint, HARVEST Sprint, Brand Love SMP, and ThinkShop) that accelerate strategic decision-making and organizational alignment.

Product overview

The Garden is a creative, design, and brand strategy agency offering a unified suite of services organized around brand-building. The core service portfolio spans Strategy, Advertising, Design, Brand Transformation, and Brand Experience, each delivered as a distinct practice area within the agency's integrated offering. Supporting these are six proprietary consulting methodologies—DIG Sprint, CULTIVATE Sprint, THRIVE Sprint, HARVEST Sprint, Brand Love SMP, and ThinkShop—which are structured engagement programs designed to accelerate decision-making, innovation, and strategic execution for client teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Strategic consulting service that develops brand opportunity roadmaps and optimizes business success by combining client expertise with agency insights, tailored for enterprise brand leaders.
• Advertising Campaign development service spanning out-of-home, digital, social, film/OLV, and experiential channels to drive brand love and measurable business results for consumer-facing brands.
• Design Visual identity, branding, and creative platform development service that creates compelling design systems and brand expressions across all touchpoints.
• Brand Transformation End-to-end brand redesign and repositioning service that transforms brands from the inside out by uncovering strategic purpose and delivering on it across the entire ecosystem.
• Brand Experience Immersive and engaging brand experience design service that creates meaningful connections between brands and audiences through experiential activations and live brand environments.
• The DIG Sprint

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% greater price premium for loved brands
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Humanise CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Garden is a member of the Humanise Collective, a network of purpose-driven agencies committed to human-centered creative work and values-based brand building. The website's terms and conditions indicate the site is exclusively owned by Humanise, suggesting The Garden operates as part of this collective structure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zulu Alpha Kilo: Toronto-based independent creative agency of comparable scale, recognized for brand strategy and creative campaigns. Closest peer on geography, independent model, and brand-led enterprise positioning.
• Anomaly: Independence-focused creative agency with brand strategy, advertising, and design capabilities serving major global brands. Directly comparable business model as a modern independent agency competitor.
• Bensimon Byrne: Toronto independent creative and brand agency with overlapping service offering in strategy, advertising, and brand transformation. Similar independent operating model serving Canadian enterprise clients.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Largest globally recognized independent creative agency, brand-purpose driven with a similar creative-led, founder-influenced model. Comparable on independence and premium creative reputation.
• Mekanism: Independent creative agency combining brand strategy, advertising, and content for enterprise clients. Compares on independent positioning and integrated brand-building methodology.
• 72andSunny: Independent creative agency focused on brand strategy and culture-driven campaigns for major brands. Comparable on independent creative positioning targeting Fortune 500 enterprise clients.
• Mother (Agency): Global independent creative agency network with a brand-strategy-led approach and reputation for building 'brand love.' Comparable independent operating model and creative philosophy.
• Juniper Park\TBWA: Toronto-based creative agency with strong brand strategy and campaigns work, comparable in scale and category focus. Operates a relatively independent culture within the TBWA affiliation.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Song: Global consulting-led creative and experience transformation arm of Accenture. Represents the consulting-firm push into The Garden's strategic and creative transformation category.
• Cossette: One of Canada's largest marketing communications agencies offering advertising, brand strategy, and digital at scale. Provides regional incumbent comparison for Canadian enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Garden North America Inc, The