Bowda Creative Co.

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Canada
Ottawa, ON
Bowda Creative Co.

A boutique creative communications agency specializing in strategic social media management, content We harbour a deep affection for words and language.

We are the type of people that actually play scrabble for fun, sincerely believe that social media is the greatest thing since sliced bread and get a (huge) kick out of grammar jokes. We love to talk. We really, really do. Don't hesitate to contact us to discuss in detail what we can do for your company and brand.

01/08/2026

One of our favourite parts of a rebrand is setting clients up to *actually* use it.

For this project, we created a full suite of Canva social templates so our client can confidently create branded content herself without starting from scratch every time or second-guessing if it “looks right.”

That’s always the goal for us: not just delivering something pretty, but empowering clients with tools they can realistically use in their day to day marketing.

We’re in the final stretch of her website now, so stay tuned for more updates as this brand comes fully together 🤍

12/31/2025

As we close the chapter on 2025, we’re reflecting on our 12th year in business and everything that came with it ✨

This year, we had the privilege of serving clients across a wide range of industries - from landscaping and estate planning, to nonprofits and national organizations; from flower shops and bakeries to ad agencies, authors, organizers, parent coaches, and local BIAs. Different work, different challenges, all carried with the same level of care and creativity.

Behind the scenes, we grew our design team and promoted our senior designer into a Creative Director role. We spoke at and sponsored events in communities we care about. We levelled up our systems and strategies.

The traditional 12 year anniversary gift is linen or silk, both are materials known for strength, flexibility, and longevity. That feels fitting for a business that’s grown, stretched, and reshaped itself over time, while still holding strong.

This year saw a lot of change internally and we were pretty quiet externally, but regardless of how loud we are (or aren't), we are always proud of our team, our work, and of still being here over a decade later.

And as we step into year 13, we’re choosing to believe (thanks to Taylor Swift) that it might not be so unlucky after all.

Thank you to our clients, creative team, and collaborators for trusting us and making the last 12 years possible. We can't wait to see what 2026 brings!

12/17/2025

Our LAST content capture shoot of 2025 in less than 20 seconds 🎥

Come behind the scenes with Joyce and Darcy on a content shoot for one of our social media management clients.

Honestly, this is the fun part. All the planning happened before today so when we show up, it’s just a quick review and ex*****on (with coffee, of course).

Three hours later, we’re done and Joyce is already heading into edits turning today’s capture into weeks of content.

Chef’s kiss 🤌🏻

11/19/2025

Taking a trip down memory lane in honour of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day 🚺

Looking through all our photos was slightly emotional - from humble beginnings (literally just me myself and I in my dad’s basement) through marriage and motherhood, to now having a full team of talented women, it’s been the ride of my life.

Entrepreneurship is incredibly important to me because I grew up not even knowing it was an option. One of the most challenging parts of this whole journey was the mindset shift I had to make to believe that I could *actually* build my own business; it’s not something I was ever taught, told about it, or thought about.

But when social media was new on the scene, I was inspired by the power it had to build brands and connect them with their audiences. Back in 2013 it was so new that most didn’t even know how to properly leverage it; I saw a gap and was keen to fill it. I was also fresh off an injury so couldn’t physically handle a traditional office role or commute, so I embraced remote life from the get go - the beauty of these new platforms was that you didn’t have to physically be somewhere to manage them!

Back then I didn’t have any strategic plans for Bowda’s future; I was too busy thinking about our clients and their businesses/brands to even think about where my own was going, but I can tell you this much - I never in a million years thought I’d be where I am now. Not only surviving 12 years later, but I daresay thriving.

We have never had a niche, I always say our niche is working with anyone with a good “why” and I can confidently say I firmly believe in all of our clients’ “whys” - both past and present. We have an incredible team I care about and respect both personally and professionally, an unfailingly supportive husband who has stepped up both in the business and on the home front, as well as two healthy boys.

Entrepreneurship is exhausting, isolating, overwhelming, risky, and unpredictable, but it’s also liberating, creative, rewarding, transformative, and empowering.

Thank you for your support thus far, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I truly feel like we’re just getting started ✨

- Darcy

11/12/2025

We get it. There’s sometimes confusion about what we *actually* do. Fair. It’s a lot.

We try not to say everything (picture us gesturing wildly to all of the things) but the truth is…we do a lot because modern marketing IS a lot.

The short version: we’re a full-service creative and digital agency.

The real version: we bring strategy, storytelling, and design together to help brands show up with purpose and impact.

We're Bowda Creative Co., your extended digital department 💻

11/10/2025

We’re long overdue for some introductions, so of course we’re starting with our Founder & CEO, Darcy👩🏻‍💻

If you’ve worked with Bowda, you’ve worked with Darcy. For the past 12 years she has led every single one of our client relationship with equal parts strategy, intuition, and heart.

She’s built Bowda into what it is today: a grounded, purpose-driven, full-service agency rooted in creativity, compassion, and collaboration.

Wife. Mother. Founder. Author. Veteran.

Darcy wears many hats, but her purpose runs deeper than the titles.

As the bridge between clients and creatives, she keeps her focus on the big picture, ensuring every partnership is purposeful and every project moves with intention. She’s passionate about creating meaningful work for clients while building space for our team of talented women to do what they love and shine in their zone of genius.

Her vision reminds us that great work starts with purpose, is powered by people, and lasts because it’s built with care 🤍

11/04/2025

We’ve been sitting on so much work we’re proud of, and well, it’s finally time to start sharing it.

First up: a full rebrand for Bruce House, an Ottawa nonprofit providing hope, housing, and support for people living with HIV.

From our very first meeting, we couldn’t stop saying how warm and kind their team is. They’re the kind of people who make you feel instantly at ease. That sense of humanity is at the heart of everything they do and it became the foundation for this project.

Bruce House has been part of the Ottawa community for decades, and their name and logo carry deep recognition and history. The goal wasn’t to reinvent them, but to modernize what was already familiar. We refined the ribbon, softened the red, and created a cleaner, more adaptable mark that still feels unmistakably them.

Objectives: Clarify what Bruce House does in seconds, speak to two audiences (clients seeking support + donors/partners), retain the recognizable elements that matter most, and build a warmer, more modern identity across brand and web.

How we approached it:
- Human-first visual system (logo, colour, type, and black-and-white photography)
- Story-forward, continuous-scroll homepage with clear CTAs
- Impact framing that invites participation (“you’re part of the solution”)

The result: a brand that feels as human and hopeful as the organization it represents.

Stay tuned for the full website reveal, and in the meantime, this is The Bowda Breakdown: where creativity meets compassion 💫

10/01/2025

Squarespace just hit refresh (literally) 💻

Their 2025 update is here and it’s a total game-changer for businesses and brands that want their websites to do more for them.

Think smarter SEO guidance, AI-powered design tools, upgraded business features, and new ways to monetize — all wrapped up in a platform that’s actually user-friendly.

This is exactly why Squarespace is one of our go-to platforms. We’re big believers in setting clients up with tools they can manage confidently (not ones that keep them tethered to us for every little update). And Refresh 2025? It just raised the bar.

✨Want the full breakdown? Here's the link to our article: linkedin.com/pulse/squarespace-refresh-2025-what-really-means-businesses-brands-17lhc

09/05/2025

A well-designed brand doesn’t just look good, it empowers your team to bring it to life ✨

There’s *nothing* we love more than receiving emails like this from clients sharing how easy it is for them to create collateral with their branding.

We truly do pride ourselves on treating every single project as a partnership.

Our aim isn’t to tie your hands so you HAVE to come back to us for every single edit or asset (though we’re always happy to help!). We know that’s not realistic.

Instead, we focus on delivering sustainable marketing solutions and branding that works with you, not against you.

This project with Bruce House has been a long time coming and we can’t wait to share more behind the scenes, but right now we’re busy putting the final touches on their brand spanking new website 👀

In the meantime we just had to share how good they look on the streets of our city!

08/14/2025

Taylor Swift 🤝 every single marketer right now

Blogs have always been the best way to own your narrative.

✔️A place to deep dive into the topics you know best

✔️SEO gold that works for you long after you hit publish

✔️A way to reach the right audiences without fighting algorithms

✔️Content you own (not rent from social platforms)

Here’s the thing...social media is fast, loud, and ever-changing.

But your blog?

That’s your home base. It’s where you control the message, build trust, and create resources your audience can come back to again and again.

So yes, post the Reel. Share the carousel. Jump on the trending sound.

But ALSO write the blog. It’s the unsung hero of content marketing.

Thank you for spreading the good word 🙏

07/26/2025

Oh hey hi hello 👋

We’ve been so busy balancing client work and trying to soak up summer that we’ve kind of forgot to show up here…oops.

That being said, we HAD to pop on to share some recent-ish design work for Westboro Village.

Swipe to check out various signage and ads we had the pleasure of designing for one of our favourite local ‘hoods to work and play in 👉

05/26/2025

Mother’s Day may be over, but as a female founded brand, we believe in supporting founders who are also mothers year-round.

That’s why we launched a new initiative back in February: the Mother Founder Movement ()

An advocacy platform imagined, authored, and built right here at Bowda.

Our founder has been an entrepreneur for 12 years and a mother for nearly 4.

When those two roles intersected, the gaps became clear: the assumptions, the limitations, the lack of visibility for mothers building businesses and raising babies.

So we started where we often do…with a story.

📚 Mom’s Business Baby: a children’s board book, written to explain entrepreneurship to toddlers.

From there, it became something more:

🧾 A directory of Canadian mother-founded businesses

🧢 A merch line that makes a statement

🤝 A platform for visibility, community, and advocacy

We led the full brand build:
— Name development
— Visual identity
— Messaging + tone
— Website design + development

We also developed the movement’s tagline:
“They said pick one. We chose both.” because that’s the reality for so many mothers and the heart of this brand.

Our in-house designer (a mother and founder herself) illustrated the book and led the brand design.

The rest of our team supported every step; strategy, content, site dev, and behind-the-scenes logistics.

The deep blue (a.k.a stereotypically masculine) palette challenges traditional ideas of what motherhood in business should look like.

Even the acronym MFM holds layered meaning (also standing for Maternal-Fetal Medicine) the high-risk unit where Darcy and many others spent their pregnancies.

This brand was born from that same mix of risk, resilience, and responsibility.

Because although not everyone is a mother founder, everyone CAN be a mother funder.

Follow to support the journey 🤍

Address

Ottawa, ON

Website

http://www.bowdacreative.com/

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Our Story

We are a full service creative communications agency that helps businesses, organizations, and non profits communicate effectively across all channels.

We harbour a deep affection for words and language. We are the type of people that actually play scrabble for fun, sincerely believe that social media is the greatest thing since sliced bread and get a (huge) kick out of grammar jokes. We love to talk. We really, really do. Don't hesitate to contact us to discuss in detail what we can do for your company and brand.