Building Brands with Heart

Significant Other is a brand and digital agency in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.

We build brands and websites for universities, cultural and public spaces, publishers, nonprofits and membership organizations. We work with people who believe in what they’re doing and want the world to know why.

Imagine what we could do together

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Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD)

Staying Safe Online

We're here for the moments that decide how your work will be seen: a brand brought to life, a platform rebuilt, a campaign that's inspiring change, a new chapter for a legacy institution. We do our best work in the following three areas:

High contrast black and white image of a circular swirl of paint in stark relief

Arts +
Culture

We collaborate with cultural institutions, place-makers, and arts organizations to bring ideas and stories to life. From shaping digital platforms for The Bentway to elevating design coverage with AZURE, our work deepens engagement and celebrates creativity across the cultural landscape.

High contrast black and white image of a petri dish with clear indication of cellular growth

Research +
Innovation

Research and innovation demand clarity. We’ve worked with institutions like the University of Toronto and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to translate complex ideas into accessible strategies, content, and digital tools that connect knowledge with the people who need it.

High contract black and white photo of a cross section of a large tree trunk with many rings

Climate +
Justice

We partner with climate leaders, advocacy groups, and community organizations to design brands and platforms that earn trust and inspire action. Collaborations with the UN on its COVID-19 Research Roadmap and with Forests Canada on climate resilience have shown us how thoughtful design can amplify missions that matter most.

Strategy & Planning

Strategy is where we take the time to see who you are. We read what you've written, including the reports nobody expected us to read, and talk to the people who make the decisions and the people who live with them. Then we come back with a position you can defend and a plan your team can run. Along the way we'll tell you what you need to hear, so you can act on it.

Research & Foresight
Positioning & Value Proposition
Brand Architecture & Naming
Communications Platforms
Audience & Channel Strategy
Roadmapping & Prioritization
Stakeholder Workshops & Co-design

Digital Platforms

A platform is the interface between you and your audience: where a reader finds the report and a visitor buys the ticket. It has to work for everyone who uses it, whatever device or ability they bring, and remain workable for the people who run it. We start by understanding your organization and the people it's for, build in modular pieces so it can change without being rebuilt, and stay for the moments that matter after launch.

UX Research & Prototyping
Service & Journey Mapping
Website & Platform Design
Custom Application Development
CMS Implementation (WordPress, Contentful, Sanity)
CDP & CRM Integration
DataVis & Interactive Tools
Accessibility & Performance Optimization
Digital Campaigns & Motion Content

Brand

Your brand is infrastructure. Everything you say and do runs on it, from your next job posting to your annual report, long after the people who built it have left the room. We design brands to carry that weight: an identity and a voice, and the rules that keep both steady while the work changes and the team grows, so anyone on your team can make something recognizably yours without asking us first.