Black Dog is a remote-based, virtual
branding company.

As technology continues to evolve, it is easier and easier to make things look pretty or use cool tricks to get people “to look.” But if your message is not relevant to your target group, no amount of gimmicks are going to entice them to buy into your message. If you create a brand that is really pretty and conveys relevance to your target market but is not truthful, people will find out and not only walk away from your brand, but also they may hold bad feelings towards it and spread that info to others.

Through Black Dog, Judy Kenzie offers clients access to seasoned professionals with over three decades of experience (each!), as opposed to a company that may have ten people with 30 years of combined experience.

We could be retired, but we are not because to us, this is not just a job, it is a passion. So if you are looking for people that will be passionate about creating the best brand for your product, drop us a line. We are always hungry for new work.

About Judy

After graduating from Capilano University back in 1986, Judy Kenzie worked as a freelancer with Vancouver agencies like Cossette, JWT and McKim on accounts like McGavins Bread, Canadian Airlines and BC Tourism. Within two years she landed the Vancouver Aquarium as her first direct client. She built a small team and between them they created the hugely successful “What’s Black & White and Wet All Over” campaign in the living room of her small apartment.

Judy teamed up with her spouse and they went on to work on accounts like BC Hydro (Powersmart Launch and Refrigerator Buyback Program), BC Transit (The Cure for the Common Commute campaign), The Vancouver Board of Trade and Sahara Centre (Grand Opening), among others. They developed a niche market with shopping centres such as Woodward Place, Capilano Mall, St Albert Centre and numerous others. The awards were nice and the business grew until a split in 2003. Judy rebuilt a solo career by acquiring new, core accounts like Central City Shopping Centre, Lansdowne Centre and Village Green Mall, as well as Que Pasa Mexican Foods and Mark Anthony Group.

But that was not enough for Judy. In 2012 she took the plunge to launch her own brand and product line: Strathcona 1890 Urban Seed Collections. Strictly through word of mouth, Strathcona 1890 has found its way into shops in major cities across Canada. It has been a wild ride, especially during the pandemic supply- chain breakdown. When Judy was unable to get the black canisters her brand was known for, she searched for all available options and pivoted to silver biscuit tins. Rather than make do, she decided to make her product and branding better, spending weeks on new illustrations and evolving the seed collections into Garden Kits.

There was some down time while the pandemic wreaked havoc, wildfires raged, the heat dome sent temps up to 48 degrees Celsius and floods ravaged the nearby valley. It was at this point that Judy’s ADHD and rather dark humour came together and she started a brand: Irreverent Cards for Challenging Times, which are slowly finding their way into stores and hearts.