Start With Why
From design decisions to what drives us to start work each day, we value the ‘why’ of things.
Our values
We don’t make hollow promises to our clients, or to each other. We’ve built a team of problem solvers who care about people as well as their work.
People Matter
Our team and our clients are people deserving of our care and respect, and we want to help.
Take Pride
We don’t half-ass it. We encourage ourselves and each other to become masters at our craft.
Do Good
We make the world better through our collaborations and promoting inclusive, respectful ideals.
The team
We can often be found crafting winning strategies and code in our pyjamas, from locations around Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, and even the Cariboo.
Shawn Johnston
He / They
Founder and Lead Strategist
A professional designer and strategist with 26 years of experience, Shawn is the Founder and Principal of Forge and Smith. He plays a variety of roles from client rep to sales person, project manager to head bottle washer.
My Why
I love the process of craft… the learning, experimentation and honing of it. To collaborate with people and create something that other people can use and benefit from? That’s a great way to make a living.
Troy Kelly
Director of Technology and Partner
Troy’s extensive knowledge of a site’s life cycle ensures he’s always hands on with our ongoing project work. If he’s not analyzing or creating project scope and milestones he’s ensuring that the team is staying on track and in budget with upcoming product releases or site builds.
Pam Berg
She / Her
Director of Strategy
Pam’s backgrounds in journalism, private investigation, and public libraries all flowed into her ultimate career in digital strategy – she loves good storytelling! She’s a master of content writing and an analytics nerd. In her “spare time” (lol) she hangs out with the many animals on her ranch and reviews Westerns.
My Why
In every job I’ve had, my favourite thing has always been translating complex stuff into words people can easily understand. Whether it’s analytics data or the mechanics of WordPress or the best flow of content on a page to get a conversion – I love to help!
Damian Jolley
He / Him
UX/UI Design Lead
Damian is obsessed with creating engaging digital experiences. He brings to his role at Forge and Smith over 10 years of design experience in digital design, branding and marketing. User interface and experience (UX/UI) is where Damian combines his love for systems and processes and his obsessions with design and typography. Damian grew up in Australia, and moved to Vancouver in 2009. Outside of work, Damian enjoys biking, concerts, tennis, coffee – and any kind of adventure, big or small.
My Why
I love hearing people’s stories, how they started their organization, why they care about what they do – what makes them unique. Creating websites for these companies, I get to work with the most passionate people across various industries. I love being a part of helping people and organizations grow and achieve their goals – it’s extremely rewarding.
Andrea Iñurria
She / Her
Project Operations Manager
As a former freelance commercial photographer with over 10 years of experience, Andrea learned to pay close attention to her clients’ wants and needs. Then COVID happened, and she started to look around for a career change. Forge and Smith gives her that freshness as no project is the same, and she gets to work with a fantastic team in an agency that genuinely cares about its people. She enjoys having deep conversations with her furry son, Ander the Pug, building forts with her human son, hiking and enjoying a death-cold pale ale.
My Why
I’m all about creating a fun, stress-free experience for our clients. Plus, the cherry on top is seeing their smiles and goo-goo eyes when they see their websites launched.
Oscar Santiago
He / Him / His
QA Lead
Oscar is a versatile and experienced digital project manager, which makes sense since his favourite thing to do is watch The Flash with his sons. When he’s not helping our clients get to the finish line, he’s training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions. Watch out!
Lizzie Scott
She/Her
Senior UX/UI Designer
Lizzie is a UI/UX designer with a diverse background in design, digital marketing and communications. When she’s not designing, you’ll likely find her at the beach or in the trees, always equipped with coffee and a camera.
Hubert Magos
Lead SEO Strategist
Hubert is an SEO Strategist who has been involved in digital marketing for over a decade. In his free time, he loves hiking with his wife and two energetic children and enjoys a can of beer on weekends.
My Why
I love it when people want to learn more about digital marketing and how we can help them translate their data into strengths. It’s all about creating an impact and seeing success at the end of the tunnel. Together.
Cameron Lindsay
Lead Engineer
Cameron thinks coding is fun, and his friends and family hope against hope that one day he’ll come to his senses. He has a wife and a dog, drinks a lot of coffee and loves Manilla Road.
Vanessa Bertoletti
she/her
Product Engineer
Vanessa is a passionate web developer with a background in international trade. Vanessa has a strong sense of ethics and a driven, results-oriented personality. When she’s not debugging, she travels, watches cat videos, and dies her hair in crazy colours.
My Why
Since the turn of the century, the web has been paramount to most of us. Being part of enhancing our experiences in this constantly mutating realm, making it clear, accessible, and following new technologies, has been highly fulfilling. Besides, programming is another way of being creative. Not exactly in the visual sense, but solution wise.
Tim Waugh
He / Him
Product Engineer
Tim is a former musician turned developer from Kitchener, Ontario. When Tim isn’t working, he’s making music, playing in beer leagues, or at the local cinema.
My Why
This line of work offers so much to my personal growth, the challenges and problem-solving are incredibly fun and rewarding. It’s also a lot of fun to create and this job allows me to do that.
Brendan Tang-Luu
He/Him
Junior Front-End Web Developer
Brendan is a driven and hard-working web developer with a passion for crafting accessible and aesthetically pleasing web applications. After hours you can find him playing video games, curating Spotify playlists, or creating music.
My Why
With every new project, I get the opportunity to level up my skills while doing what I love most: turning ideas and prototypes into fully functional websites. After countless hours of hard work from both myself and the team, seeing the final product is an amazing feeling that I eagerly anticipate with each project.
Austin Chiatto
He/Him
Junior Front-End Web Developer
Austin is obsessed with learning new things, solving problems with code, sci-fi films, and getting lost during hikes on the weekends.
My Why
There’s just something so energizing about working with people who love to do what they do. I get to build a product that was crafted by incredibly talented people and began as one passionate person’s idea. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
Kayla Bajnauth
She/Her
Junior UX/UI Designer
Kayla is a UX/UI Designer with a passion for visual design and illustration. When she’s not designing, she’s likely playing video games, sketching, exploring coffee shops, or casually dropping “The Simpsons” quotes into conversation.