Reimagining renting in Canada

In recent years, Canada’s housing market has been defined by record-high prices and risk-averse landlords, making it a struggle for even well-qualified tenants to secure a place to live. Padder was created to change that, with a mission to make renting a home more accessible and affordable.

Padder is part guarantor, part insurance product, but its impact goes beyond underwriting risk. Their technology platform was created to empower renters with a digital co-signer that gives them access to housing, while giving landlords the confidence and protection they need. It’s about rebalancing power in the rental market and giving more people the freedom to rent on fair terms. But to achieve that, Padder needed a brand that could stand out in a category often defined by impersonal platforms and vague promises. The challenge: Padder lacked a distinct, ownable identity and needed a visual and digital brand expression that could bring its mission to life. 

Applied arts joined the team to help define Padder’s brand from the ground up and design its app and web experience. Our first step was strategy—distilling the mission into a clear, compelling narrative that could guide both brand and product. With this, we then mapped the competitive landscape, clarified audience priorities, and explored multiple creative territories to find the right balance of credibility, warmth, personality, and trust. 

From there, we built a complete brand identity system including logo, color palette, and typography that evokes maturity without feeling corporate, and approachability without veering into gimmicks. We designed a visual language optimized for readability and inclusivity, with rounded elements, mixed-case type, and a modular color palette that could flex across channels and tones.

This system came to life through UI design and a responsive product experience built for the platform’s two distinct audiences—landlords accessing Padder most commonly via desktop, and renters (many of whom are students or new immigrants) primarily using mobile. We built user flows and wireframes to support key journeys for both groups, from onboarding and dashboard management for landlords to self-qualification and application flows for prospective tenants. Every step of the experience was designed for clarity, accessibility, usability, and trust—whether entering personal information, reviewing coverage, or applying to rent a home. The result is a brand that’s grounded, trustworthy, and made for everyone.

For renters, Padder is a way in. For landlords, it’s peace of mind. For everyone, it’s a smarter, more equitable rental experience—and we’re proud to have helped bring it to life.