Sovereign State
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Sovereign State is a brand design & idea studio based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
“Working with Sovereign State on the branding for Aspect Plastic Surgery was a genuinely meaningful experience for our team.
From the outset, Arnold and Joel approached the project with a level of care and emotional intelligence that’s rare to find. They didn’t just focus on how the brand would look, they took the time to understand how it should feel. They brought a sense of warmth, confidence, and intention into every conversation, and that energy carried through the entire process. Even during more challenging moments or decisions, they remained positive, steady, and solution-focused, which made a huge difference on our end.”
They have a real ability to translate ideas and emotions into something tangible. What we were trying to express, often in abstract or hard-to-articulate ways. They were able to refine and bring to life in a way that felt honest and elevated.
Clear communication, organized timelines, and a team that was always one step ahead. They handled the complexity behind the scenes while making the process feel smooth and manageable for us, which is no small thing.
What we’re left with is more than just a brand and a website, it’s something that truly reflects who we are and how we want people to feel when they interact with Aspect. We’re incredibly grateful for the care, creativity, and intention Sovereign State brought to this project.”
Jess F.
Brand design: Sovereign State
Interior design: Author
07/30/2026
A short while back, we developed the custom typography, hand-drawn illustrations and label design for Kinsip’s Wink Gin. As an estate distillery focused on considered profiles like wild Ontario sumac, lavender, and hops, Kinsip required an approach that also felt hand authored.
We stripped away unnecessary elements to focus on the line work and the resulting visual identity expresses much like the spirit. Clean, sound, and finishes with a twist.
“So the bar, like I said, should be an escape. Easy, non-committal. Bring a date, have a meal, watch a game, see a DJ, dance, party. It’s a thing that people need.
We’re going back to what a bar is supposed to be. For dudes our age, we miss those things. But these kids who are, like, 22 to 28, they’ve never experienced it. To them, bars are places where you get ripped off.
So we’re running it back. We want to show them, ‘Oh, this is the way it’s supposed to be.’ The bar can be a lesson in what you’re owed, your right to something better.
We wanted to make sure the food was approachable and the drinks were cheap, but good, and also profitable. It was very calculated.
So it’s an escape, but it’s also a fix. It’s a statement: We deserve better, right? You don’t know how good you can have it until you expect more, or see something that’s been done properly.”
Robin Goodfellow & Aldo Pescatore-Tardioli
Cafe Gigi / Dirty Laundry
05/25/2026
Hiring: Intermediate Brand Designer
3-Month Contract with Potential Full-Time / In-Studio / Toronto
Sovereign State is hiring an intermediate brand designer.
We’re looking for someone with strong brand instincts, contemporary taste, and the ability to move from idea to ex*****on with confidence.
This role is for a designer with solid fundamentals and room to grow. Someone with competence in typography, layout, hierarchy, presentation, print production, and the details that bind brand systems.
The work spans identity, digital, print, presentations, signage, production, and client-facing brand applications.
Figma fluency is important, including prototyping, component systems, and polished presentation work.
Strong print production knowledge is required, including file preparation, specifications, supplier coordination, and attention to final output.
We’re looking for someone who approaches challenges proactively, designs with restraint, takes direction well, contributes ideas, and maintains strong attention to detail throughout the process.
This is a 3-month, in-studio contract position in Toronto, with potential to move into a full-time salaried role.
Remote, freelance, and hybrid arrangements are not being considered.
Portfolio and short note of intent to [email protected]
We’ll respond directly to candidates whose work and experience are closely aligned with the role.
05/19/2026
Hiring: Senior Brand Designer
3-Month Contract with Potential Full-Time / In-Studio / Toronto
Sovereign State is hiring a senior brand designer.
We’re looking for someone with practiced taste, strong brand experience, and the ability to carry work from concept through ex*****on with care.
The role spans identity, digital, print, presentations, signage, production, and client-facing brand systems.
Figma fluency is important, including prototyping, component systems, and client-ready interactive presentations.
We’re looking for someone who can think clearly, design with restraint, present ideas with confidence, guide details, and represent the studio well.
An awareness of design, culture, hospitality, and the city is valued.
This is a 3-month, in-studio contract position in Toronto, with potential to move into a full-time salaried role.
Remote, freelance, and hybrid arrangements are not being considered.
Portfolio and short note of intent to [email protected].
We’ll respond directly to candidates whose work and experience are closely aligned with the role.
05/19/2026
Thank you to everyone who reached out and applied for our internship position.
We received hundreds of responses from local and international creatives, and we’re grateful for the time, care, and interest shown in Sovereign State.
The position has been filled.
There were many thoughtful portfolios and introductions, and we’ll be keeping a number of them on our return-to list for future opportunities.
To everyone who applied, thank you for sharing your work with us. We wish you the best in your creative journey and hope our paths cross again.
04/06/2026
For the original and ambitious.
Sovereign State is opening another internship position.
We’re looking for an individual with a strong point of view, a sharp eye, and the ambition to do standout work. This is an opportunity to step into the studio and gain real experience across the full brand design process.
Please send portfolios with a clear focus on brand design.
DM us with your portfolio and expression of interest.
Only selected candidates will be contacted.
Thank you.
Before the brand, is a culmination of concept, courage, belief and that leap of faith that creates something from nothing.
From idea to action and evidence over affirmation. It’s the visionaries that believe it to see it, that bring colour, culture and the truly human to our economies.
We’ve always believed that design is a destination of of trust, discipline, and seeing ourselves as part of the business rather than a supplier. So much emerges when a vision is aligned to doing what’s right vs. being right. And that visuals, story and a strategy play a role in a larger multifaceted eco system in motion. We have the honour of being at the blueprint phase of many of these “leaps” and “burning of the boats” and it’s a constant inspiration to be part of movement that say’s let’s move forward into that unknown, than accept standing by.
*Sovereign State x = Heavy. In collaboration on the Harbour Sixty rebrand.
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Address
827 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON
M6J1V4
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |