Conrad Stel is a creative contractor and entrepreneur living in Vancouver, Canada.
After nearly a decade of in-house experience leading creative for B2B, B2C and development companies Conrad started a boutique design agency called Pawn. Today he runs Pawn and operates a series of side businesses from a shared photo studio/office space called Snake Eyes Studio in Abbotsford, BC.
He spends most of his time building brands, websites, and creating new products for established businesses across North America. In the few hours he finds between, he explores new business ideas and passion projects.
PASSION PROJECTS
PAWN DESIGN GROUP
Pawn is a boutique design agency operating in Vancouver, Canada focusing on all aspects of branding and web, it is a full service studio. There Conrad works to reposition brands and elevate ideas with timeless logos, user friendly websites, and award winning packaging.
Dark & Volfram
D&V is a ring company that focuses on two things. Simplicity and value. Conrad and his business partner Adrian set out to sell tungsten wedding rings to the middle class at a better rate than they saw on the market. Most tungsten ring companies today dropship and the business never even holds the ring, while we hold every single one as we package and ship them ourselves, guarunteeing quality and expedient shipping.
BC FREELANCE
BCF is a slack group for freelance designers, photographers and creatives operating in British Columbia. Conrad wanted to meet more like-minded people and learn from others while providing value from my own experiences. The intention was to grow it large enough to host public events and meetups for members as well as share resources but Covid has affected those plans.
SNAKE EYES STUDIO
Snake Eyes Studio is a shared photo space owned by Conrad's long time collaborator Alex Suarez. Together they retrofitted an abandoned dispensery into an office and 650sq.ft. photo studio available for rent on open space. Most days he can be found here working or watching terrible movies on the projector just loud enough for the other offices to hate him, but not loud enough to formally complain.
SUPPORT CANADIAN COFFEE
When Covid-19 struck North America in March 2020 coffee shops across Canada were forced to shut their doors and only provide limited services. A lot of these local spots were posting on social media but it was hard to tell which were still open. Conrad noticed two friends - Lara and Brittany - from his hometown were making a spreadsheet to help consumers figure out what shops were still offering. He approached them and built a website for the information they had gathered to make it more accessable to a wider audience.
DOING CHURCH ONLINE
Similar to the need created by Support Canadian Coffee, Conrad and his friends saw churches shut their doors without any way of moving forwards with the transition to digital only services. Together they designed and built this site in a week to help older churches update their processes and continue to operate using modern technology.
LOVE MY CITY WEEK
In 2018 a friend of approached Conrad and 6 others with an idea to help unite cities in the Tri-Cities outside Vancouver. His idea was to rally people to volunteer to clean local city streets and scrub graveyard headstones amongst other acts of philanthropy. Over the course of their week of events over 1000 people attended. The week ended with a large outdoor concert and had a successful second year sponsored by the likes of CocaCola, Starbucks, and Walmart before going on hiatus through Covid.
HIS TESTIMONY
Conrad has had to overcome a lot of things in his life to get where he is. One of the most difficult being the passing of his father when he was eight. Ronald Paul Stel wrote his testimony on his deathbed, in 2018 Conrad turned his story into a website to encourage others and as a reminder to people to cherish their family.
ALXNDR
Conrad is in a unique situation in that a handful of his closest friends and collaborators all share the name Alexander. One night they joked about combining their agencies to create a shared entity. Thus ALXNDR was born. Although built as a joke, we agreed that if anyone filled out the form we would collaborate on any work that came out of it.
Proverbs & Pints
Proverbs and Pints was a men's bible study concept that Conrad created and successfully hosted for a couple of years. The idea was to bring in local pastors from different churches to each session to speak on a biblical chapter of Proverbs and come with questions to spark discussion over beer that he provided. Conrad is looking to resurrect this ministry in some new way in 2021/2022.
Exploit The Wilderness
Exploit the wilderness was a hiking blog Conrad was super passionate about for a number of years. More than anything he desired to monetize his passion for the outdoors so he would have more reason to spend time in the wild. However he realized that the site could ultimately destroy his love for the outdoors by taking him out of the moment while hiking and create backlash by drawing attention to less popular trails. He still loves the clickbait name he came up with though and the site remains (hidden) so who knows...
BARRE CREATIVE
Conrad worked as the only UX/UI designer for the world's biggest Dance and Cheer Competition software company for a year. During his time there the company was kind enough to hand off any website/design work that they had become too busy for to Conrad on the side. In response Conrad built a simple website to showcase some of his dance industry specific work to help sell his services to that niche. This side company is called Barre Creative.
DISRUPTDOOR
Web App Coming May 2021.
CONTRACT WORK
PHOTOGRAPHY
PASSION PROJECTS
PAWN DESIGN GROUP
Pawn is a boutique design agency operating in Vancouver, Canada focusing on all aspects of branding and web, it is a full service studio. There Conrad works to reposition brands and elevate ideas with timeless logos, user friendly websites, and award winning packaging.
Dark & Volfram
D&V is a ring company that focuses on two things. Simplicity and value. Conrad and his business partner Adrian set out to sell tungsten wedding rings to the middle class at a better rate than they saw on the market. Most tungsten ring companies today dropship and the business never even holds the ring, while we hold every single one as we package and ship them ourselves, guarunteeing quality and expedient shipping.
BC FREELANCE
BCF is a slack group for freelance designers, photographers and creatives operating in British Columbia. Conrad wanted to meet more like-minded people and learn from others while providing value from my own experiences. The intention was to grow it large enough to host public events and meetups for members as well as share resources but Covid has affected those plans.
SNAKE EYES STUDIO
Snake Eyes Studio is a shared photo space owned by Conrad's long time collaborator Alex Suarez. Together they retrofitted an abandoned dispensery into an office and 650sq.ft. photo studio available for rent on open space. Most days he can be found here working or watching terrible movies on the projector just loud enough for the other offices to hate him, but not loud enough to formally complain.
SUPPORT CANADIAN COFFEE
When Covid-19 struck North America in March 2020 coffee shops across Canada were forced to shut their doors and only provide limited services. A lot of these local spots were posting on social media but it was hard to tell which were still open. Conrad noticed two friends - Lara and Brittany - from his hometown were making a spreadsheet to help consumers figure out what shops were still offering. He approached them and built a website for the information they had gathered to make it more accessable to a wider audience.
DOING CHURCH ONLINE
Similar to the need created by Support Canadian Coffee, Conrad and his friends saw churches shut their doors without any way of moving forwards with the transition to digital only services. Together they designed and built this site in a week to help older churches update their processes and continue to operate using modern technology.
LOVE MY CITY WEEK
In 2018 a friend of approached Conrad and 6 others with an idea to help unite cities in the Tri-Cities outside Vancouver. His idea was to rally people to volunteer to clean local city streets and scrub graveyard headstones amongst other acts of philanthropy. Over the course of their week of events over 1000 people attended. The week ended with a large outdoor concert and had a successful second year sponsored by the likes of CocaCola, Starbucks, and Walmart before going on hiatus through Covid.
HIS TESTIMONY
Conrad has had to overcome a lot of things in his life to get where he is. One of the most difficult being the passing of his father when he was eight. Ronald Paul Stel wrote his testimony on his deathbed, in 2018 Conrad turned his story into a website to encourage others and as a reminder to people to cherish their family.
ALXNDR
Conrad is in a unique situation in that a handful of his closest friends and collaborators all share the name Alexander. One night they joked about combining their agencies to create a shared entity. Thus ALXNDR was born. Although built as a joke, we agreed that if anyone filled out the form we would collaborate on any work that came out of it.
Proverbs & Pints
Proverbs and Pints was a men's bible study concept that Conrad created and successfully hosted for a couple of years. The idea was to bring in local pastors from different churches to each session to speak on a biblical chapter of Proverbs and come with questions to spark discussion over beer that he provided. Conrad is looking to resurrect this ministry in some new way in 2021/2022.
Exploit The Wilderness
Exploit the wilderness was a hiking blog Conrad was super passionate about for a number of years. More than anything he desired to monetize his passion for the outdoors so he would have more reason to spend time in the wild. However he realized that the site could ultimately destroy his love for the outdoors by taking him out of the moment while hiking and create backlash by drawing attention to less popular trails. He still loves the clickbait name he came up with though and the site remains (hidden) so who knows...
BARRE CREATIVE
Conrad worked as the only UX/UI designer for the world's biggest Dance and Cheer Competition software company for a year. During his time there the company was kind enough to hand off any website/design work that they had become too busy for to Conrad on the side. In response Conrad built a simple website to showcase some of his dance industry specific work to help sell his services to that niche. This side company is called Barre Creative.
DISRUPTDOOR
Web App Coming May 2021.
CONTRACT WORK
PHOTOGRAPHY
BLOG AND MOODBOARD
Brand identity and logo design in Vancouver British Columbia
From Category: Your logo is not your whole brand, but it is often the first signal people remember. This page is for Vancouver businesses, founders, and growing teams that need a clear brand identity system: logo, visual direction, messaging cues, and practical assets that can move from strategy into everyday use. If you are building a new company, refreshing an existing look, or preparing to show up more consistently across digital and physical touchpoints, the goal is simple: make your brand easier to recognize, trust, and choose. What should your Vancouver brand identity do? A strong brand identity should help people understand who you are, what you offer, and why you feel relevant before they read every detail. For businesses in Vancouver, that might mean looking credible in a competitive local market, feeling polished enough for investors, or creating a visual system that works across your website, pitch deck, signage, packaging, social media, and sales materials. Good identity work is not decoration; it creates useful structure so every brand touchpoint feels connected. That structure matters because people rarely make decisions from a single impression. They see your logo on a search result, your website, a proposal, an Instagram post, a storefront, a referral email, or a product label. Each moment either strengthens recognition or adds friction. Brand identity design gives those moments a shared language, so your audience does not have to re-learn who you are every time they meet you. Strategic logo design built for recognition Effective vancouver logo design starts with a practical truth: logos rely on familiarity to be effective. A mark does not become meaningful in isolation. It earns meaning when people see it repeatedly in the right contexts, attached to a clear offer, a consistent experience, and a memorable point of view. That also means logos are not initially considered “great” before public exposure. They become strong as they go into the world and build association. The Nike Swoosh is a useful reminder: Phil Knight’s early reaction to the Swoosh was, “I don’t like it but maybe it will grow on me”. The lesson is not that taste does not matter. It is that a logo’s real power comes from consistency, context, and time. A thoughtful logo should be distinctive enough to recognize, simple enough to use, and flexible enough to scale. It should not depend on a trend, a long explanation, or one perfect layout. When paired with a considered identity system, it becomes a useful anchor for the entire brand. Brand identity design for real business touchpoints Brand identity design should work where your business actually shows up. A logo that looks good in a presentation but fails on a mobile screen, email signature, storefront decal, app icon, embroidered uniform, or small social avatar is not doing its job. The best systems are designed with real usage in mind from the beginning. For Vancouver companies, those touchpoints can vary widely. A hospitality brand may need signage, menus, packaging, and local street presence. A startup may need a flexible identity for pitch decks, product screens, landing pages, and investor materials. A professional services firm may need a refined system for proposals, LinkedIn content, reports, and client communications. The identity should adapt without losing its centre. A strong visual system may include: A primary logo for the most common brand applications Secondary logo versions for tighter or alternate spaces A responsive mark or icon for small digital placements Colour palette guidance for consistency and accessibility Typography choices that support the desired tone Image, graphic, or layout direction for brand recognition Social, presentation, or document styling guidance Basic usage rules so the identity is not stretched, crowded, recoloured, or misapplied This is where brand identity vancouver work becomes more than a logo file. The outcome should make it easier to create new materials without guessing every time. Built for startups, local businesses, and growing teams Brand identity for startups vancouver often needs to balance speed, clarity, and future flexibility. Early-stage companies may not have every product feature, audience segment, or sales channel fully defined yet. The brand system has to feel focused enough for launch while staying adaptable as the company learns, grows, and sharpens its positioning. For local businesses, the challenge can be different. You may already have recognition, referrals, or a loyal customer base, but your identity no longer matches the quality of your work. A refresh can preserve what people know while making the business feel more current, professional, and consistent. This service is a good fit if you are: Launching a new business and need a complete visual foundation Building a startup and preparing for customers, partners, or investors Replacing a logo that feels generic, dated, or difficult to use Unifying scattered visuals across your website, social media, and collateral Expanding into a more competitive market and need a sharper presence Preparing for a website redesign, product launch, campaign, or rebrand Creating a more professional identity without losing personality The right approach depends on where you are now and what your brand needs to do next. A founder trying to explain a new category needs different tools than a neighbourhood business trying to become more memorable. The process should account for that rather than forcing every business into the same visual formula. A practical process from clarity to launch The identity process should feel organized, collaborative, and grounded in decisions that matter. Instead of jumping straight into shapes and colours, the work begins by clarifying what the brand needs to communicate. That early thinking saves time later because design choices can be judged against strategy, not personal preference alone. A typical process can include: Discovery and direction We clarify the business, audience, market context, goals, tone, and practical requirements. This creates a shared foundation for the identity and helps separate what simply looks interesting from what will actually support the brand. Positioning and creative focus The brand’s personality, visual direction, and key associations are defined. This step helps establish whether the identity…
B2B vs B2C brand strategies and how they differ
From Category: These strategies cater to distinct audiences and require unique approaches. This is a photo I took on-site for a concrete company I rebranded. Each industry has unique challenges that can widely differ between it’s B2B and B2C markets. In the world of marketing, understanding the difference between B2B and B2C brand strategies is crucial. These strategies cater to distinct audiences and require unique approaches. B2B, or Business-to-Business, focuses on building long-term relationships with other businesses. It involves complex decision-making processes and emphasizes trust and reliability. On the other hand, B2C, or Business-to-Consumer, aims to connect emotionally with individual consumers. It often uses storytelling and engaging content to capture attention. The sales cycle in B2B is typically longer, involving multiple stakeholders. In contrast, B2C sales cycles are generally shorter and more impulsive. Marketing strategies for B2B often rely on data-driven approaches. They emphasize the technical aspects and ROI of products or services. B2C strategies prioritize brand positioning and visual identity. They appeal to consumer emotions and lifestyle aspirations. Customer engagement differs significantly between the two. B2B involves personalized communication, while B2C focuses on broad reach and brand loyalty. Understanding these differences is vital for marketing professionals and brand managers. It helps in crafting effective strategies tailored to specific business models. This guide will explore these distinctions in detail, offering insights and guidance. Understanding B2B and B2C: Definitions and Key Differences The terms B2B and B2C represent distinct business models. They define different approaches in how companies interact with their target audiences. B2B, or Business-to-Business, refers to transactions between companies. These interactions often involve purchasing products or services in bulk. In contrast, B2C, or Business-to-Consumer, describes transactions where businesses sell directly to consumers. These interactions focus on individual customer needs. A key difference between B2B and B2C lies in their audiences. B2B strategies target businesses that need specific solutions. B2C strategies focus on reaching the end-user or consumer. The buying process in B2B markets is often complex. It involves multiple decision-makers and emphasizes long-term relationships. This requires trust and transparency at every stage. For B2C, the buying process is usually more straightforward. Consumers often make spontaneous purchase decisions driven by emotion. Key distinctions between B2B and B2C: Target Audience: Businesses vs. Individual consumers Buying Process: Long and complex vs. Shorter and simpler Relationship: Long-term partnerships vs. Transaction-based interactions These differences shape the marketing and branding approaches for each model. They guide how brands communicate their value propositions in each market. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for success in either domain. B2B strategies target businesses that need specific solutions. This is the signage for a logo I designed for a cannabis production company called Adastra that sits on a building in a warehouse district visible from the road. The Role of Brand Strategy in B2B and B2C Markets Brand strategy is fundamental in both B2B and B2C markets. It serves as the blueprint for how a brand presents itself to its audience. In the B2B sector, brand strategy underscores reliability and expertise. Businesses look for brands that offer value and help solve specific challenges. Conversely, B2C brand strategy emphasizes emotional connections. Consumers are drawn to brands that align with their lifestyle aspirations and personal values. Effective brand strategies entail more than just messaging. They encompass every aspect of how a brand engages with its audience, from tone to visual identity. Elements critical in both B2B and B2C brand strategies: Consistency Ensures the brand message remains coherent across channels. Value Proposition Communicates what makes the brand unique and desirable. Customer Understanding Pinpoints the needs and preferences of target audiences. Differentiation Distinguishes the brand from competitors in meaningful ways. While both sectors require strategic alignment, the approaches differ considerably. B2B strategies often involve intricate storytelling that highlights product performance. In B2C, storytelling seeks to evoke emotions and captivate broader audiences. Understanding these roles helps businesses tailor their approaches for maximum impact. Visual Identity: Professionalism vs. Creativity A brand’s visual identity is crucial in forming first impressions. In B2B markets, a polished and professional image often takes precedence. The visual components reflect stability and dependability. Conversely, B2C brands have room for more vibrant expressions. Creativity and bold design help capture consumer attention. This approach often results in playful and dynamic visual elements. Colors in B2B branding can often include more subdued tones. These colours convey seriousness and a corporate nature. Fonts and logos tend to be classic and straightforward, underscoring professionalism. In B2C branding, colors are frequently lively and engaging, drawing consumers in. Graphics in this sector are designed to evoke emotions and enhance brand memorability. On the left are boxes that my team and I designed for Greenplanet Nutrients for B2B while I worked in-house with a labelling system I came up with that allowed the warehouse workers and retailers to quickly scan product by size. This saved money by using one plate for the cardboard and a universal label for every product size. On the right are the new fertilizer base nutrient starter kits my team and I designed to stand out on store shelves based on the new label designs for end consumers. Key components of visual identity: B2B: Often B2B is more subdued or practical. It also means showing up in unexpected ways like on the cardboard box that the end user may never see. This way the retailer knows they were also considered. Here you can see how I worked to build a system that made it easier for warehouses on both sides of the deal to build trust and show intentionality. B2C: Often B2C visual identities need to stand out on a shelf or steal attention away from a lot of other distractions. This is often where you’ll see more bright and decorative design. Creative designs that engage emotions and spark interest. Both B2B and B2C brands must ensure their visual identity aligns with their core values and audience expectations. A carefully crafted visual identity strengthens brand recognition and loyalty, essential in both market types.
“What is this website’s purpose?”
I think this is something I have always struggled with when building a personal site. With a client site the discovery process dictates the purpose, and the functionality is than dictated as a natural progression of that process i.e. if we want users to do X we need the site to do Y. For this site however, I hit a wall every time. What do I want to do here? Show the design work I already show on my agency site over here? I know I want to highlight personal projects but that isn’t the true purpose either. Every time I’ve tried to redesign it I’ve come back to this idea of a vessel. Something that contains and ties everything I’m working on back to me. Giving more context to who I am than just a body of work to those who find me online. This revelation helped me to launch with this very concise site design. One that feels more like a container for ideas than a showy portfolio. One that will house more editorial and non-design/marketing related thoughts as well as life updates. I wanted to build a site that I would enjoy updating, and hopefully one that passersby would find at least mildly entertaining. One containing posts about my life’s journey, personal projects, some case studies, thoughts on industry, and more. Which is what brings me here. Welcome to the latest iteration of Conradstel.com
Feed Test Post
Here is some other info that will show where the text is etc.
Get 75% OFF On A New Website – Government Grant Opportunity
So Covid hit your business hard and you’ve decided now would be a good time to take your products online.. Or maybe your business has actually been thriving through the last year and you’re looking for an opportunity to expand your online presence. Well thanks to a new BC Government program you could get up to 75% of your new website build covered (up to $7,500.00). “The Launch Online Grant program provides funding to B.C.-based business to create an online shop or an online booking system and/or improve their existing online operations to attract new local customers and expand to new markets. The grant will pay for up to 75% of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500 per business.” My design agency and I qualify as the type of businesses that can build you the site with everything required to qualify for this grant. Our services include design, development, photography, SEO, and copywriting. Conveniently our e-commerce shop builds have always started at $10,000. If you or someone you know is interested in building a new online store that is either retail, wholesale, or with online booking functionality for a service, please reach out. You can find all of the information and application form here : https://launchonline.ca Pay $2500 instead of $10,000 and be selling product or booking clients in as soon as 12 weeks. Reserve a slot with us and apply asap. These funds won’t last forever.
Conrad Stel is a creative contractor and entrepreneur living in Vancouver, Canada.
After nearly a decade of in-house experience leading creative for B2B, B2C and development companies Conrad started a boutique design agency called Pawn. Today he runs Pawn and operates a series of side businesses from a shared photo studio/office space called Snake Eyes Studio in Abbotsford, BC.
Most of his time is spent building brands, websites, and creating new products for established small-to-medium sized businesses across North America. In the few hours he finds between, he explores new business ideas and passion projects.