Plain language,
not legalese.

Who we are.

Anchor & Aster is a strategy and design studio based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When this policy says “we” or “us,” it means Anchor & Aster.

This policy applies to anything you share with us through our website, by email, or in the course of working together as a client.

If something here is unclear, just email us at anchorandaster@pm.me. We’ll explain.

What we collect.

We collect the information you give us, plus a little bit of basic technical information that comes with using any website.

When you fill out our contact form

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your business name (optional)
• A website or social link (optional)
• What you’re looking for help with
• A description of your business and goals
• Your timeline (optional)
• Your budget comfort range (optional)

When you email us

Whatever you choose to share: your name, contact info, project details, and any attachments you send.

When you become a client

To do the work, we’ll collect things like business details, brand assets, login info for tools we’re working in (only when needed and only with your permission), and any files relevant to the project.

Automatic technical information

Like most websites, basic technical details may be logged when you visit: things like your IP address, browser type, the pages you view, and approximate location. This is standard server activity. We don’t use it to identify you personally.

We don’t currently use cookies, ad trackers, or third-party analytics tools on this site. If that ever changes, we’ll update this policy.

Why we collect it.

We collect this information for one of three reasons:

1. To respond to you. Answer questions, schedule calls, scope projects, and send proposals.
2. To do the work. Once you become a client, we use what you share to deliver the strategy, design, or templates you’ve hired us for.
3. To run the business. Invoicing, contracts, basic record-keeping, and Canadian tax requirements.

Who we share it with.

We use a small number of trusted third-party services to run the business. When you submit information to us, that information passes through one or more of these tools:

• Form submissions: Our contact form is processed by Formspree (Formspree, Inc.), which delivers the contents to our email.
• Email: We use Proton Mail (Proton AG) for email correspondence. Anything you email us sits in our Proton inbox.
• Cloud storage: Project files may be stored in Google Drive (Google LLC) or Proton Drive (Proton AG), depending on client preference and the sensitivity of the work. We generally recommend Proton Drive for its end-to-end encryption and Swiss privacy posture, and we’ll make a recommendation when we kick off.
• Invoicing: Invoices may be issued through accounting tools and may include your business name, contact details, and a project description.

Each of these tools has its own privacy policy. We choose services that follow industry-standard security practices, but we can’t guarantee anyone else’s policies, only ours.

We don’t share your information with anyone else, except when:

• You ask us to (for example, when introducing you to a collaborator)
• We’re legally required to (for example, in response to a court order)

How long we keep it.

• Contact form submissions and emails from non-clients: typically up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Active client records: for the duration of our work together.
• Past client records: typically up to 7 years after a project ends, in line with Canadian record-keeping requirements for business and tax purposes.

You can ask us to delete your information at any time. If we’re legally required to keep some of it (for tax records, for example), we’ll let you know what we can’t remove and why.

How we protect it.

We take reasonable steps to keep your information secure:

• Strong passwords and two-factor authentication on accounts that hold client data
• Encrypted email through Proton Mail
• Tools chosen for their security and privacy posture
• Limited access: your information isn’t shared with anyone who doesn’t need it to do the work

That said, no online service is 100% secure. If something goes wrong (a data breach, a leaked credential, or anything that affects your information), we’ll tell you promptly and explain what happened and what we’re doing about it.

Your rights.

Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), you have the right to:

• Know what information we have about you
• See the information we’ve collected
• Correct anything that’s inaccurate or incomplete
• Withdraw consent for us to keep using your information (with some legal exceptions)
• Delete your information, when no legal obligation requires us to keep it
• Complain if you believe we’ve handled your information improperly

To exercise any of these rights, email us at anchorandaster@pm.me. We’ll respond within 30 days.

Cookies & tracking.

This site doesn’t currently use cookies, ad pixels, or third-party analytics. There’s nothing tracking you across the web because of a visit here.

If we add any of these in the future (for example, basic privacy-respecting analytics to understand which pages people find most useful), we’ll update this policy and explain what’s new.

Changes to this policy.

We may update this policy as our practices change or as the law evolves. When we do, we’ll change the “last updated” date at the top of the page.

If a change is significant (for example, if we start collecting a new type of information or working with a new third-party tool), we’ll do our best to notify recent contacts and active clients directly.

Filing a complaint.

If you have a concern about how we’ve handled your information, please email us first. We’ll do our best to make it right.

If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca, or by phone at 1-800-282-1376.

Contact us.

Questions about this policy or how we handle your information? Reach out and we’ll get back to you.