If you’re at all interested in knowing about the Nanaimo graphic design and marketing industry on the island, this should help. I’m making lists of all the design and marketing agencies across British Columbia; starting with Nanaimo. I hope this will be a great resource for designers looking for work or for businesses needing marketing work. Plus, I really love seeing what local companies are up to.
Nanaimo, the ‘Hub City’, is one of the larger cities in BC, but doesn’t have much of a media/tech industry, especially compared to larger cities like Victoria or Vancouver. Despite it’s size, Nanaimo does have a decent amount of marketing & design agencies in it, though those companies are small. Even though Nanaimo is a hub for all of Vancouver Island, it has no large design or marketing agencies, and the majority of jobs are primarily in retail and healthcare.
This means that it’s rare to find a Nanaimo graphic design and marketing agency with the same expertise and portfolio of work as in the big cities. Only a few on this entire list could rival agencies in the larger cities. For Nanaimo’s sake, I hope that changes soon.
I’m not listing companies that are one-man/one-woman operations. There’s a lot of very talented designers in Nanaimo that run small design businesses with no staff but themselves. I’m not including them here because they don’t really fit the definition of ‘marketing agency’. I might do that list in the future. But for now I’m focusing on agencies with at least a handful of people. Here’s a list of all the design and marketing agencies in Nanaimo, which I will try to keep updated.
Alpha Strategy
Alpha Strategy hasn’t been around as long as other agencies in Nanaimo, but their work is great. I love how they detail each project they’ve done on their website. Seeing a company’s process is extremely helpful in deciding to work with them or hire them. They also have a YouTube channel that features an introduction to the company.
| Specialties | Web design, digital marketing, SEO, brand development, photography, technical services |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Array Web + Creative
Judging by their Instagram alone, these guys have done some beautiful design work. I’ve been following them for awhile and their logo designs are a great source of inspiration. I’m a fan of their brand re-design for the Lake Louise Inn. I love how polished and clean their website is too. And look at all these awards!
| Specialties | Marketing, SEO/SEM, web design, programming, and brand design |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Better Mouse Trap
I’m only slightly familiar with Better Mouse Trap, but I like how they detail their approach to marketing very clearly on their website. They have some pretty stellar website designs in their portfolio. The website design for High Tide Pub is my favorite.
| Specialties | Marketing planning, advertising, marketing consulting, web design, branding, internet marketing, graphic design, copywriting, and social media marketing |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Box 221
Box 221 is one of the newer studios in Nanaimo, having only been around since 2016. They don’t have a huge amount of work in their portfolio, but what is there is pretty solid. Their logo design and website for West Coast Helicopters is really nice.
| Specialties | SEO, social media, websites, photography, videography, design, branding, advertising, marketing, campaigns |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Employees | 5 -10 |
Elite Image
Elite Image is a full service advertising agency that operates out of Nanaimo, Parksville, and Victoria. They also do onsite digital printing.
| Specialties | Print, Design, Branding, Marketing, Advertising, Websites, and Software Development |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Employees | 11 – 50 |
Evolution Business Media Group
Evolution Business Media Group is a marketing & advertising agency specializing in small to medium sized businesses. They promote themselves as having a team of marketing specialists. However, I can’t find much about the actual team anywhere. Although they had a short feature in the September 2015 issue of Nanaimo Magazine.
| Specialties | Web development, video, online advertising, social media, SEO |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Employees | Unknown |
Hired Guns Creative
Of all the design and marketing agencies in Nanaimo, these guys have the most unique, creative stuff. Hired Guns is a small company with an impressive array of illustrative talents. Their portfolio of packaging design is some of the best I’ve ever seen. Their attention to detail and typographical abilities are amazing. The typography and illustration work for Mad Bruin is insane. Seriously, look at their stuff. Their work is world-class. Their awards are proof of that.
| Specialties | Branding, Design, and Marketing for Breweries, Distilleries, and Wineries |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Lynk Website Design
Lynk is a boutique website design and marketing firm with offices in Nanaimo and Langley. They specialize in website development and online marketing services for small to mid-size business.
| Specialties | Website Design, graphic design, Digital Marketing, Branding, PR, social media management, and SEO |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Primal Communications
Primal has been around for a long time. When I think of all the various Nanaimo graphic design agencies, they are the original in my mind. When was in design school, these guys were the company you wanted to get a job with after grad. These days, there is a bit more competition in Nanaimo, but Primal has remained a major player in the marketing & design industry in Nanaimo.
| Specialties | Tourism & Hospitality, Packaging Design & Product Marketing, and Branding & Corporate Collateral |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
V3 Media
V3 Mediaworks is a full service technical and creative company specializing in branding, website design and hosting. They provide design and marketing services to businesses across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and apparently, everywhere else too. They have slightly altered landing page designs in an effort to target different cities in Canada and the US. I’d be curious to know if that tactic works. I like that they list their pricing structure for branding projects right on their website. It’s great when companies are super transparent with what they provide and how they price things. I’m also glad to see a company that uses value based pricing instead of hourly. Although, charging only $1200 for a custom logo identity package is quite low.
| Specialties | Website design and hosting, branding, marketing, graphic design, and logo development |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Webacom
Webacom has been around for a long time with a portfolio of work to match. They work all over Vancouver Island and the mainland. They’ve also worked with some major brands like Subway, Boston Pizza, and Telus.
| Specialties | Website Design, Marketing, and SEO |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Employees | 11 – 50 |
250 Digital
250 Digital is a Nanaimo based website & digital marketing company supplying businesses with a variety of marketing solutions. Their website re-design for Shift Energy Group is my favorite project of theirs.
| Specialties | Web Design, Paid Media, Facebook Advertising, Email Marketing, SEO, and Digital Marketing |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Employees | Unknown |
460 Communications
460 Communications includes a large portion of what used to be Impact Visual Communications. Impact was my go-to print house over a decade ago. Of all the Nanaimo graphic design companies, Impact was the place I wanted to work at the most before moving out of the city. These days, 460 Communications continues to be one of the major marketing and design companies in Nanaimo.
| Specialties | Public Relations, Digital Media, Social Media, Branding & Advertising, Internal Communications, Crisis Communications, Web Design & SEO |
| Founded | 2015 (Impact began in 1993) |
| Employees | 2 – 10 |
Nanaimo Graphic Design & Marketing: In Conclusion
With Nanaimo being so centrally located on Vancouver Island, it’s a shame it isn’t more of a tech and media hub. Vancouver Island University is continually producing talented designers from their design degree program. Unfortunately, most of those designers leave Nanaimo in search of work. I truly hope the companies above continue to grow in size and skill. Maybe one day we’ll see Nanaimo competing with Vancouver and Toronto agencies. That’s what the ‘Hub City’ needs.
Are there any Nanaimo graphic design and marketing agencies that I’ve left off this list? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll try to keep this page updated with a current list of Nanaimo graphic design and marketing agencies.
Photo Credits
