We build brands, businesses, and bottom-lines.
Unparallel is a full-service branding and marketing firm that helps companies emphasize their strengths and elevate their brands. With a complete range of creative capabilities, we craft authentic brand experiences that engage and inspire audiences at every touch point.
Focus
Portfolio
BookJane, MaxSold, Manic Coffee, Pape Chaudhury, Strata.ca, Buchanan Trading, Slate Realty, Teneo Results, D+H, Budweiser, Davenport, SickKids Foundation, TD, RBC, BMO, National Bank, MedCounsel, The Care Company
Pape Chaudhury Brand Development
Paul Pape and Shantona Chaudhury, two of Canada’s most acclaimed legal stars joined to form a new firm. They entrusted us to help build their brand identity, positioning and website.
Branding for Manic Coffee & Gelato
Approached to help introduce Manic Coffee & Gelato, Parallel helped streamline a consistent brand based on the history of the business. Parallel expanded the brand to all Manic products and created a retention program. Emphasizing the brand’s counter-culture aesthetic. Parallel helped increase brand recognition in the area for Manic coffee.
Branding for Wheels.ca
As a highly respected Canadian automobile publication, Wheels wanted to expand into the digital magazine market. By rebranding the logo, Parallel created instant brand recognition in a highly competitive market. Parallel also leveraged the strengths of the publication on the website to differentiate Wheels from the competition. Within the first year, Wheels has over 1.1 million monthly visitors.
Branding for The Ride
Designed as a solution for personalized public transportation, The Ride requested branding services from Unparallel. Aware of the bilingual market in Quebec, Unparallel made the logo easily transferrable between English and French. The app successfully unified taxi companies and public transportation that were being edged out by Uber and Lyft and prevented surge pricing.
Reviews
the project
Branding Services for Consumer Goods Startup
"Their level of creativity, amazing personality, and friendliness stand out."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
COO of a consumer goods startup company based in Toronto, Canada.
For what projects/services did your company hire Unparallel Brand + Design?
We needed to get branding development from the ground up for a startup. Still in sensitive stages, so cannot provide much details about the project but it involved logo and typography as well as messaging guidelines for a consumer product.
What were your goals for this project?
To have logo and brand development done by true professionals - where the final work shows it was clever, well though out, and invested in.
How did you select this vendor?
Researched the top 3 branding vendors in Toronto; had conversations with them over the phone; also considered their past clientele. Everything was impressive with Unparallel.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
They obtained information about the product, the target audience (actually there were multiple market segments). They created a number of creative logo concepts capturing our requirements and helped our team converge on an idea that everyone felt happy with. This was following by colour palette selection, typography finalization, and very helpful messaging pointers. We were offered a very comprehensive set of files upon completion with all the colour combinations as well as logo orientations possible.
What was the team composition?
We interfaced with one of the executives of Unparallel - Mr. Michael Gouveia. Amazing person. Knowledgeable, personable, patient, creative - just an amazing guy.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Since we are an early stage startup and are in the process of trademarking the work - no, we cannot share the results yet.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Very effective. Communication was seamless. Meetings (i.e. video calls due to COVID) were set up as frequently as we wanted (not too many were needed). They were flexible and adjusted their flow with our team's.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
Their level of creativity, amazing personality, and friendliness stand out; as well as the awesome value.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Not really. Just keep at things the same way and your clients will be very thankful.
the project
Branding Dev for Real Estate Brokerage
"The team produced work of exceptional quality."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m the owner of Slate Realty Inc, a real estate brokerage where I'm also the broker of record.
For what projects/services did your company hire Unparallel Brand + Design?
We hired Unparallel Brand + Design to help us establish a new brand image, and revamp our primary website accordingly.
What were your goals for this project?
We wanted to re-position the branding on our website to appeal to a broader audience ranging from millennials to empty nesters. The new website would support lead generation by encouraging users to contact stakeholders for more information.
How did you select this vendor?
Michael (Owner, Unparallel Brand + Design) was highly recommended to us by our senior backend developer. We were impressed by his portfolio of previous work and decided to meet him for lunch. He shared excellent ideas for the site with great enthusiasm, and he seemed genuinely interested in collaborating with us.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
The team reflected a re-positioned brand in the aesthetics of the web design, including defining a color palette and brand voice.
They also reworked the content on our website, simplifying a large amount of data into more digestible concepts. The website was developed to generate leads by directing users to contact internal stakeholders.
What was the team composition?
The team consisted of ten people (e.g. developers, content writers, a data manager, photographers, and data entry team members).
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
Less than a year after launching our site, we have been generating about 10 leads per day. Our agents have been busier, and they’ve expressed that they’re proud to be featured on our website.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
The team used Trello and Slack platforms to efficiently manage the project. Michael completed mockups which were then processed by the development team. He assisted the developers as needed, especially as they moved closer to the production phase.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
There were many moments when Michael was aware that I was completely satisfied with a mockup, yet he'd still look for better solutions (e.g. a better UX). He seemed personally dedicated to our project, and that went a long way. The team produced work of exceptional quality.
Are there any areas for improvement?
No areas of improvement come to mind.
the project
Brand Development for Quick Service Restaurant
“They make creative, cost-effective decisions considering the resulting ROI.”
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I'm the owner of a quick service restaurant in Toronto.
For what projects/services did your company hire Unparallel Brand + Design?
I hired Unparallel Brand + Design to create a brand logo, design the aesthetics of my restaurant, outline our menu, hire a team of builders, as well as structure our catering services and ordering system.
What were your goals for this project?
My restaurant needed to have a high-end brand to fit my target audience, yet it also needed to be cost-effective so it could be franchised.
How did you select this vendor?
Mike (Creative Director, Unparallel Brand + Design) had designed about eight other restaurants for us in the past. Each restaurant he’s helped us plan has received a lot of attention, and I’ve been able to sell them all.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
The team designated time to evaluate the current and future needs of my business. They also looked at how my business could best satisfy the needs of the greater community.
They made aesthetic design decisions about the restaurant, choosing materials that would resonate with our brand yet also be cost-effective. Using inspiration from the brand, they designed our logo and our website. The team also helped create our catering menu, main menu, brochures, and business cards. Outside of branding work, they've helped populate our cash register display with images, introduced us to an online ordering service, and set up our security cameras.
What was the team composition?
I communicated directly with the owner of Unparallel Brand + Design.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Within the last three months, our restaurant activity has increased by 35%. Our establishment has received an extremely positive response from food court customers. We had franchising inquiries within months of opening the doors. The online ordering services they’ve introduced us to are more efficient than our original system.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
I’m confident in their ability to satisfy my business needs. They have been very accommodating with my busy scheduling, involving me in the early decisions and self-managing the rest on their own. The team coordinates the optimal times to update me on their progress and ask for my approval.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They have been flexible with my varying needs, even if they are outside of the original scope of work. They accomplish tasks quickly with a positive attitude.
They make creative, cost-effective decisions considering the resulting ROI. For example, they could have chosen expensive materials to match my high-end brand image, but instead, they found less expensive products that still appear high-end.
Are there any areas for improvement?
I’ve been happy with the team’s work, and I hope the excellent quality remains as they continue to expand.
the project
Creative Direction Consulting for Ride Hailing App
"Unparallel Brand + Design turned around high-quality work rapidly every time we turned to them."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the acting director of a communications company.
What challenge were you trying to address with Unparallel Brand + Design?
We engaged Unparallel Brand + Design to create assets for a location-based mobile application that connects users with taxi services. We needed brand design as well as web and marketing material for the app.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We first had in-person meetings with Mike (Creative Director, Unparallel Brand + Design) and his team to whiteboard and storyboard designs. We worked on everything from messaging to typography from scratch. Unparallel Brand + Design helped us design the app flow. They also help craft the logo, which involved creating a wordmark, a visual identity, and a written identity.
All messaging and graphical material went through several rounds of feedback and revisions. The team also developed the assets for the app’s native Android and iOS versions and its web presence. Lastly, Unparallel Brand + Design created marketing materials for multiple digital and print initiatives. Some initiative included promotional material for campaigns with organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
What is the team composition?
We worked primarily with Mike, who led a team behind the scenes.
How did you come to work with Unparallel Brand + Design?
We wanted an experienced firm that can work in different capacities. We needed marketing and advertising support, asset and material production, and web and native app development. I had worked with Mike when he was working at a large advertising agency. His skill set met our needs.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent between $100,000–$200,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from May 2016–October 2018.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The app received praise and positive feedback from Mothers Against Drunk Driving and related organizations that discourage driving while under the influence. We’re thrilled with the brand work and final products that Unparallel Brand + Design delivered. We’ll definitely work with their team again.
How did Unparallel Brand + Design perform from a project management standpoint?
They never missed a single deadline. We even brought their team in to create assets for last-minute campaigns, and they always pulled through for us. We communicated every day throughout the development process—regular feedback sessions and product cycles required constant back-and-forth
What did you find most impressive about them?
Unparallel Brand + Design turned around high-quality work rapidly every time we turned to them.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I can’t think of anything.
Any advice for potential customers?
Call them and see if their team is a fit for your needs. Unparallel Brand + Design will be honest with you about whether or not your project matches their skill set.
Since the startup is in its early stages, it isn't possible to share results yet. However, the client is very pleased with Unparallel Brand + Design's seamless communication style and flexible working habits.