Remember when you were young and would wake up early up on a Saturday morning? Everyone would still be asleep. You would make yourself a bowl of cereal, park yourself three inches away from the TV, and find yourself totally immersed in your favourite animated show. That feeling you had, being captivated by the characters and the worlds they lived in, connecting to their story and struggles. These characters gave you an escape from the outside reality of a less than perfect world. This is the feeling we create. We make characters that tell meaningful stories that you and the audience connect with. We create stories that spark the curiosity, humanity, and joy in all of us.
Polyester has been telling character driven stories for twelve years. We continuously strive to capture the feeling of connecting an audience to the characters they want to see.
We don’t come with a pre-determined style or approach. We listen to our clients to get to the heart of what they want to achieve and we craft the right characters and visuals to complement the story. We create a unique memorable visual style with characters crafted to light the world on fire.
We are a studio that is proudly over 50% female. We’re also thrilled that our diverse and large team of artists and producers come to Polyester Studio from around the world, including Korea, China, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Poland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. We feel it's important that our team reflect the diversity of the characters we create, and the audience we capture.
Why the name Polyester?
There’s a sense of nostalgia with Polyester. It brings us back to our roots when our love of characters first started. The late 70s and early 80s was a golden age of cereal advertising, toys that looked better than reality, and Saturday morning cartoons that served as a magic moment of escapism.
Who directs the work?
Our team of 15 artists work collaboratively with you on the creative choices. It allows everyone on the team a chance to help shape and improve the final results, crafting work that is more engaging than with just a single voice. We work constructively towards a common goal while not being overly precious with any single idea / vision.
Can I join the team?
We have a full team currently, but we’d love to meet and see your work, we'll just need to find you a seat. You can reach out to us at
work@polyesterstudio.com — even if we don't have a space now we might have the opportunity in the future.
When can you start and how long will it take?
You’re probably expecting this answer, but it depends on what you’re looking to do and how soon. Usually it takes at least four weeks for most projects but longer projects can take 3-4 months. Get in touch with us with more information and we’ll figure it out.
Where's Bob?
Bob passed in 2019. He was the heart and soul of the studio and not a day goes by we don't miss him. It wouldn't be right to do studio portraits without him. He'll forever be a part of the studio as a mentor, friend, and colleague. For now, we imagine him sitting in a pub, having a good laugh, and sharing a couple of pints with Bowie.
Do you offer internships?
Paid internships are part of our studio culture. During the summer, we work with Sheridan to select two students for the 4-month internship. During the spring and fall we open it up to other schools and if you’re at Hyper Island or find yourself with the ability to live/work in Canada and want to make some fun work, please email us at work@polyesterstudio.com
Where are you located?
Our primary office is a sunny, dog friendly, three story studio, in Kensington Market in Toronto. We also have a long standing relationship with B&A Reps in New York and London who handle our U.S. and U.K. inquiries. If you're not sure who to reach out to, just give Robyn, our producer, a quick email at
robyn@polyesterstudio.com and we'll make sure you’re pointed in the right direction.
Do you do work for non-profits?
We love to do work for non-profits. Our favorite clients and projects are often for organizations with purpose and great causes we can get behind. From working with fundraisers for equal rights, theatre and film festivals, and environmental issues. If there's a good cause we can elevate, we'd be interested in knowing how we can help.
Why don't you have a house style?
Each client has a unique story to tell. We spend a lot of time on research and development with each project, ensuring the final solution is perfect for that story. You have been focused on what you want to say, so let's collaborate on a visual solution that is perfect for the message.
What if we want to work with a specific outside illustrator for an animation?
That's great! We love to collaborate. We've worked with some great illustrators like Brian Rea, Tiffany La Bella, Serge Seidlitz, Jeff Nishinaka, Jeff Soto, and many more talented artists.
