Featured Firm: Very Polite Agency
What’s the story behind your firm’s founding, and how has your journey shaped its vision today?
Very Polite was established in 2017 by founders who come from different realms of the creative world. That diversity of perspective and experience has always allowed us to work across industries whether it be fashion, food, tech and beyond.
Since opening our Vancouver office, we expanded to Toronto in 2023. We’ve been intentional about building a team of talented individuals, but what makes our culture especially dynamic is: curiosity. Whether it’s learning a new creative method, shadowing another department or pursuing a passion for a particular industry, our goal is to keep the curiosity alive.
Why do clients typically hire you?
We believe branding is the 21st-century form of storytelling. Our process of narrative branding offers a multidimensional way to craft stories, using brand world-building to assign human characteristics that are malleable and imperfect. This gives the narrative depth and creates something people can truly relate to.
Narrative branding isn’t always the easiest concept for clients to grasp. But by deeply understanding their needs and translating their message in a way that authentically connects with their audience, we create brands that fully embody their reason to be.
Share 1-3 projects that represent your firm’s expertise. What made them effective/special?
Shaketown Brewing
This project has set the tone for how we approach storytelling. The owner wanted a brand for their new brewery in North Vancouver. All they knew was it would be called Shaketown: a defunct name for the Lynn Valley area. With very little documented history, we invented an entire mythology with stories, characters, businesses and events spanning a hundred years. That narrative shaped everything from the taproom design to the beer labels. And it gave the brand a living world to explore and grow into.
CBOC
When a Canadian chocolate connoisseur came to us wanting to take over the industry, we leaned into their home-grown roots. The result was the Chocolate Board of Canada, a fictional authority on chocolate that takes itself rather seriously, while having fun with what it means to be Canadian. From packaging to store design, the brand turned into a platform for storytelling that’s the right mix of charming and a little absurd.
Skye Bioscience
We’ve worked with Skye since 2020, helping them evolve as their research advanced and their business grew. What started as developing the naming and identity turned into supporting them as they went public on Nasdaq. To do that well, we had to be fluent in their science and technology, despite our team being made up of ‘creative types.’ But curiosity led us to a brand that is doing something different in an industry that mostly plays it safe.
How is your RGD Team Membership helping your team members grow professionally?
The RGD Team Membership opened us up to a wider community of designers and creative businesses. Opportunities like the studio tour introduced us to the next generation, which was a nice reminder of why this work can be so energizing.
It’s also helpful to hear about the successes and struggles of others to put our own challenges into perspective. It’s inspiring to see the diversity of people and projects and recognize there’s still a hunger in this community to connect, which can sometimes feel rare in a city like Vancouver. There aren’t many tools left in this industry that do that.
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