Frontier is a design office dedicated to purposeful and inspiring ideas.

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Studio


We design big stories—brave, imaginative, and guiding stories—that help organizations thrive. 

Brave: The best businesses stand out because they stand up.

Business is changing, and those leading the way are taking a stance for the betterment of the planet and the people around them. At the same time, people are increasingly motivated to join companies they believe in. We work closely with leaders and teams to help shape and activate the principles that get you out of bed in the morning.

Imaginative: We use creativity to help companies become kids again.

We get excited by new challenges and by reinserting a sense of wonder into the familiar. As outsiders, we embrace a first-principles mindset, encourage people to shake things up, and allow everyone to see opportunities with fresh eyes. We begin by understanding the present, then open up space to ask questions and facilitate a shared journey toward something new.

Guiding: Every superhero needs an origin story.

We go beyond branding. More than just words and pictures, our work helps shape the direction of your entire business. Our approach is inherently symbiotic; we connect your purpose to your brand and your brand to your strategic plan and the actions you take. We give you the tools to guide decisions, align teams, make strong impressions, and measure impact.

We’ve put years of consulting experience into an approach we call Purpose Design that connects brand strategy with business strategy. We’re currently working on projects in branding, storytelling, strategy, digital design, and team engagement.

Our Capabilities:

Purpose: Brand Positioning, Brand Architecture, Research & Insight Development, Purpose Metrics & Strategic Plan Alignment, Workshop Facilitation & Visioning, Audience Engagement

Identity & Experience Design: Brand Identity Design, Naming & Taglines, Web Design & Development, Video & Motion Design, Print Design, Wayfinding & Signage, Brand Guidelines

Content: Brand Messaging, Editorial Direction & Story Writing, Web Content Development, Copy Editing, Script Writing & Storyboarding, Art Direction


Contact


Stay in Touch
Dispatch
Instagram
Twitter

Business Inquiries
hello@frontier.is

Media Inquiries
media@frontier.is

Mailing Address
2208 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6R1X3


Selected Clients


Aleafia
ArtsHelp
ATB Ventures
Azure Magazine
Bridgeable
Canadian National Exhibition
Cushman & Wakefield
Daniels School of Architecture
Design Workshop
Diamond Schmitt Architects
Electronic Arts
EllisDon
Fogo Island Inn
Giannone Petricone Associates
Government of Ontario
Haven
Honnold Foundation
Interior Design Show
Interior Felt
Kilmer Group
KPMB
MaRS
Martin Prosperity Institute
National Arts Centre
National Capital Commission
Quaker
Radical Ventures
United Property Resource Corporation
Sacramento Kings
Teknion
The Design Exchange
TIFF
Toronto Botanical Garden
Toronto Metropolitan University
Tsinghua International Graduate School
Unilever
University of Toronto
Wayhome Music Festival
Woodgreen
Youtube


People


Paddy Harrington — Founder

Paddy is the founder of Frontier, a design office focused on collaborations, media, and products with a philosophy of purpose-driven performance. After earning degrees in literature and architecture, he has worked for nearly twenty years in research, architecture, advertising, and design. He has collaborated with PepsiCo, MaRS, Unilever, The National Arts Centre, Electronic Arts, the Holy City of Mecca, and the Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland, among many other clients. He is an award-winning writer and filmmaker and has spoken at several design conferences as well as at Brown University, Harvard University, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Paddy is formerly the SVP Design Innovation and Digital Creative Director at Indigo Books and, prior to that, Executive Creative Director at Bruce Mau Design.

Portrait of Laura Sellors

Laura Sellors — CEO

Laura Sellors is a passionate, charismatic executive and strategic thinker with a deep understanding of business strategy, creative processes, and the operations of design-related companies. For more than twenty years, she has shaped and led creative firms, from software startups to advertising agencies to environmental-design companies. She has degrees and post-graduate education in theater production, design management, business, and the creative arts. She earned her RGD designation in 2011 for her portfolio of collaborations in branding, marketing communications, and web/app design and development for such clients as Visa, the Canadian Cancer Society, Wine Rack, SNC Lavalin, SOCAN, and many more. Sellors is a frequent conference speaker and past board member of RGD and the Society for Marketing Professional Services’ Ontario chapter. She currently serves on the management committee and co-chair of the outreach committee of ULI Toronto.

Brian Sholis — Media Director

Brian leads Frontier’s media projects and serves as strategist, editor, and copywriter for the company's collaborations. He brings to this work twenty years’ experience in the fields of contemporary art, photography, and publishing. He was most recently executive director of Gallery TPW in Toronto and, before that, curator of photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Earlier in his career he worked as an editor at Aperture Foundation and at Artforum.

Rachel Hilton — Senior Project Manager

Rachel Hilton is a marketing and communications strategist with deep expertise across the arts, culture and travel sectors. She brings over 25 years of business leadership with an emphasis on marketing strategy, brand-storytelling, consumer research and creative management and has helped brands move beyond short-term solutions to sustainable market leadership. Rachel has worked on major campaigns with leading visual and performing arts institutions such as the Stratford Festival, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, the Textile Museum of Canada, Canadian Stage, Just for Laughs and the Toronto Botanical Gardens. Rachel trained in Graphic Design at George Brown College and has a BA in Humanities for York University.

Jessica Leong — Associate Creative Director

Jessica is a detail-oriented designer who helps motivate and lead the design team to craft thoughtful and engaging experiences for clients big and small. She has taught graphic design at OCAD University and was previously a Creative-Professional-in-Residence there. Jessica was lead designer at Design Exchange, where she was responsible for creating and visualizing exhibitions and museum communications. She has also worked on teams at ERA Architects, Indigo Books, and Bruce Mau Design.

Tristan Marantos — Associate Creative Director

Tristan helps organizations figure out who they are and where they want to go, translating research into strategic ideas and visual expressions. He has taught Graphic Design at OCAD University and was previously a designer at Bruce Mau Design. Tristan is a graduate of OCAD University, where he was awarded the Medal for Graphic Design.

Sarah Paul — Senior Designer

Sarah is an ever-curious multidisciplinary designer with experience in branding, editorial, digital, and product design. Her approach with clients is to learn, distill, and visually communicate their essence through branding and editorial design. She is enthusiastic about collaborating with organizations that instigate change and advocate for something greater than themselves. Prior to Frontier, Sarah worked as a designer at The Felt Store for five years and as a freelance designer in Toronto with companies such as The Globe and Mail, RallyRally, and Van der Pop. Outside of studio work, Sarah has championed outdoor experiences in the Canadian landscape through initiatives such as Outdoor Studio and continues to support environmental activism through organizations such as Friends of Temagami. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Sarah immigrated to Toronto in 2006, where she studied in York/Sheridan’s Bachelor of Design Program.

Portrait of Lisa Qin leaning against a bookshelf

Lisa Qin — Senior Designer

Lisa is a graphic designer creating work that blends visual art and strategic thinking. She helps people tell stories and clarify their purpose through design and is optimistic about the potential of design to better the world. She has exhibited at the MaRS Centre and the Design Exchange and has worked with clients such as the Manitoba provincial government. She has an endless curiosity about the people and places around her and continuously seeks growth and new possibilities through a wide variety of creative mediums.

Phillip Novak — Wayfinding Consultant

Phillip is a graphic designer with a specialty in signage and environmental design who partners with the studio on our wayfinding initiatives. Working with creative teams, clients, fabricators, and end-users from the design and planning phases through to realization and implementation, Phillip creates work that is compelling, effective, and accessible. As a graphic designer and avid photographer of the everyday, he draws inspiration from a life lived around the world, from Germany and South Africa to the United States and now Canada. His experience includes working with a variety of specialty consultants and as an integrated member of graphic, architectural, and interior design teams. He has worked for clients in healthcare, education, cultural, and corporate environments.

Portrait of Deborah Khodanovich

Deborah Khodanovich — Designer

Deborah is a Toronto-raised graphic designer with experience in brand identity, exhibition design, publications, and web design. Her practice focuses on building foundations and frameworks for people, projects, and ideas through collaboration. Deborah graduated from OCAD U in Graphic Design and spent a semester at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Paul Twa — Designer

Paul Twa is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Toronto. Born and raised in Edmonton, Paul graduated from the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Design program. He has worked on projects for the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation, the City of Edmonton, Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, and the University of Alberta. His work as an illustrator is used as a tool in his projects to engage with audiences and make complex ideas accessible.

Rhiann Moore — Studio Coordinator

Rhiann graduated from the University of Toronto, where she studied English Literature and Art History. After completing a Fashion Arts diploma at Humber College, she spent years working in the costume department on several film and television shows. She brings extensive creative and organizational experience to her role.


Careers


We’re looking for Intermediate to Senior Designers to join our team.
For more information, read the the full job posting.
This is a full-time position. Applications close June 2, 2023.


Talks


Design and Magic — Creative Mornings

Branding Is for Cows, Stories Are for People — Brand New Conference


Writing


Why Designers Must Put Invention First — FastCo Design

The Power of Networks — MAS Context

News Logic — FastCo Design

Straight Talk on American Design — FastCo Design

The Power of Stories — FastCo Design

What’s Next for Nest — Azure Magazine