We love to tell stories with motion.
Stories that delight and inspire.
That explore unexpected perspectives.
That shine a light on what’s important.
(maybe)
That make the world feel brighter and more colourful.
{definitely!}
And if you’re not bored yet, read on for a lengthy explanation of our purpose, philosophy, and principles…
We’re here to challenge conventional perspectives and tell delightful and unexpected stories that make the world feel a little bit brighter and a little less ordinary. We create content so that optimistic brands can launch brilliant ideas, spark transformation, and create believers in what they do.
We care about making things better for people and planet. And we definitely never bake boring cookies!
The most interesting things happen in the boundaries between contrasting ideas — where light and shadows intersect in unexpected ways and create something new!
These are Ordinary Toucan’s five guiding principles for getting nipples-deep into the profound contradictions of creativity, while still reminding ourselves that none of it really makes much sense, so enjoy the absurdness of it all.
Conformity is dull. It takes us nowhere. Allowing ourselves to see things from unexpected perspectives and express our unique lights are what contribute to humanities collective vibranct.
Awesomeness lies outside of what is “obvious”. A gentle tug on the rug of conventional expectations is a great way to help people see the limitless possibilities that exist just beyond what they think they think.
Finding lighthearted depth and meaning in the absurdity of existence is the only way we all get out of this alive. Well, not alive, but we’ll definitely have more fun along the way.
Like a many-layered cake that lets you see through reality, telling stories that explore the boundaries of consciousness are what adds depth and purpose to the human experience.
You can’t fight darkness with darkness. Disrupt conflict and negative narratives not by taking sides, but by stepping back, and then another, and asking, “what’s really going on here?”
The LED-glow of our always-on world bathes us in streams of information that demand our constant focus.
We scroll and tap, scroll and tap! Our reward? A near-limitless supply of meaningless gratification. And so we keep scrolling and tapping, fidgety and distracted, dopamine junkies, fruitlessly waiting for a sense of accomplishment — a finish-line that we will never reach.
We are the playthings of the platforms that deliver these messages. They control the flow. Choosing what we see. And using our own bodies to keep us coming back for more.
The dawn of social media promised a brave new world. Released from the old-school shackles of traditional media, we would be free to roam the information superhighway — consuming whatever we chose, and connecting with whomever we chose.
But you either die young or become your parents — as they say. Social media grew up and got a job. And that job was to find increasingly sophisticated ways to keep us locked-onto their sites.
Instead of freedom, we got algorithms that seal us in to our own perfectly-designed versions of reality. Ideological bubbles, peppered with just enough curated conflict to retain our indignant focus.
Something is wrong. But do we want to take the red pill? We must! We’re so far from our evolutionary Kansas, this is not something that we’re physically or mentally equipped to deal with.
Online conversations become drunken attacks, yelling our opinions into echoey fora, while a thousand other voices clamour and vie, threatening and uncivilized.
Without validation or meaningful exploration we become convinced, entrenched. Our life starts to mirror our own art, the circle ever tightening.
Our stress and anxiety, our self esteem, our sleep patterns, our capacity to self regulate, our ability to pay attention and hold conversations, to negotiate and understand others, to distinguish the truth and apply critical thinking, to feel heard and show compassion, are eroded.
Distracted. Detached. Disenfranchised. We become isolated from the outside world, from community, and from our true capacity to contribute to the world in any meaningful way.
If an endless supply of content is the problem. Then content is the answer.
As the world consumes more and more content, especially with the ever-looming spectre of AI, we believe that content creators have the power and responsibility to influence positive change and shape the consciousness of modern life.
Content creators reflect the mood and influence the tone of the conversations we’re all having.
And what we all create has the power to help people experience the world in more meaningful ways. To help us redefine our expectations, discover deeper truths that are not obvious, and recognize our capacity to
We believe that ALL content deserves to tell distinctive stories that add depth and value to the human experience. That stimulate more profound conversations that reflect on their realities and lead to positive transformation.
Our commitment is to content that elevates our shared narrative. To shine a light that helps us see the world around us more clearly. To see beyond limiting beliefs and explore reality from new and unexpected perspectives. To recognize the light and beauty reflected in all things. To follow the threads that connect us and reveal our deeper potential. To help us all remember our true selves and rise above the noise and chaos of everyday existence.
The future of our collective mental-health will thank us!
By looking for the beauty, wonder, potential and glorious absurdity of our existence, we find ways to create unity and make the world feel brighter and more vibrant.
The LED-glow of our always-on world bathes us in streams of information that demand our constant focus.
We scroll and tap, scroll and tap! Our reward? A near-limitless supply of meaningless gratification. And so we keep scrolling and tapping, fidgety and distracted, dopamine junkies, fruitlessly waiting for a sense of accomplishment — a finish-line that we will never reach.
We are the playthings of the platforms that deliver these messages. They control the flow. Choosing what we see. And using our own bodies to keep us coming back for more.
Social media promised a brave new world. Released from the old-school shackles of traditional media, we would be free to roam the information superhighway — consuming whatever we choose, and connecting with whomever we choose.
But you either die young or become your parents — as they say. Social media grew up and got a job. And that job was to find increasingly sophisticated ways to keep us locked-onto their sites.
Instead of freedom, we got algorithms that seal us in to our own perfectly-designed versions of reality. Ideological bubbles, peppered with just enough curated conflict to retain our indignant focus.
Life mirrors art, and our versions of what’s “right” become increasingly polarized. We
Like yelling our dunken opinions into echoey rooms where everyone is talking simultaneously and nobody is listening, we lack validation
Instinctively it doesn’t feel right. But do we want to take the red pill? What’s outside the AI constructed world that’s created by the robot servants of the gatekeepers of the way we connect to the world.
On one level, life mirrors art. So our versions of what’s “right” become ever more polarized. Like yelling our opinions into echoey rooms where everyone is talking simultaneously and nobody is listening, we lack validation. We are unable to form new opinions.
We’re so far from our evolutionary Kansas, this is not something that we’re physically or mentally equipped to deal with.
We are drunk and don’t know how to behave.
And as life mirrors art, our stress and anxiety, our self esteem, our sleep patterns, our capacity to self regulate, our ability to pay attention and hold conversations, to negotiate and understand others, to distinguish the truth and apply critical thinking, to feel heard and show compassion, are eroded.
Distracted. Detached. Disenfranchised. We become isolated from the outside world, from community, and from our true capacity to contribute to the world in any meaningful way.
If an endless supply of content is the problem. Then content is the answer.
The only option is to reclaim the birthright world consumes more and more content, we believe that content creators have the power and responsibility to influence positive change and shape the consciousness of modern life.
Content creators reflect the mood and influence the tone of the conversations we’re all having.
And what we all create has the power to help people experience the world in more meaningful ways. To help us redefine our expectations, discover deeper truths that are not obvious, and recognize our capacity to
We believe that ALL content deserves to tell distinctive stories that add depth and value to the human experience. That stimulate more profound conversations that reflect on their realities and lead to positive transformation.
Our commitment is to content that elevates our shared narrative. To shine a light that helps us see the world around us more clearly. To see beyond limiting beliefs and explore reality from new and unexpected perspectives. To recognize the light and beauty reflected in all things. To follow the threads that connect us and reveal our deeper potential. To help us all remember our true selves and rise above the noise and chaos of everyday existence.
Content that sees things from unexpected perspectives, explores deeper truths that connect us all, and tells stories that create transformation and make the world a better place.
The future of our collective mental-health will thank us!
By looking for the beauty, wonder, potential and glorious absurdity of our existence, we find ways to create unity and make the world feel brighter and more vibrant.
Our outward perspective, the way we interact with others, and the approach to the work we do mixes the Jester (curious, unexpected, delightfully irreverent), the Magician (perceptive, visionary, transformative); Creator (imaginative, expressive, experimental).
We enjoy seeing the world from curious and unusual perspectives, turning things upside down and reflecting them back in unexpected ways.
We look beyond the conventional answers.
Our outward perception of the world is curious and delightfully irreverent. We enjoy seeing the world from curious and unusual perspectives, and reflecting it back in unexpected ways.
As the magician we find ways to transform the mundane into the extraordinary.
Visionary and intuitive. We follow the threads that run under the surface to release the full potential that transforms “ordinary” into “extraordinary”.
As the magician, we create transformation. Uncovering for ways to transform the world around us into something better than it is. We don’t follow the crowd or blindly accept conventional wisdom. Instead, we uncover the forces at play and recognize the true potential in all things. We weave the subtle threads that run under the surface to create surprising results that transform the mundane into the extraordinary.
Expressive and experimental. We love exploring meaning and perception, and finding new ways to help us learn something new about ourselves and the world we live in.
Encouraging, inclusive, and good humoured. We care about the planet and all the things that scurry about on its surface. We believe in making the world a nicer place for all.
We’ve all got to live here and get along with each other. So below are the standards of behaviour that we expect from our employees, contractors, partners and suppliers.
We believe in acting with honesty, transparency, compassion, and accountability in everything we do.
We commit to acting with integrity; obeying the law; and openly declaring conflicts of interest where we feel unable to act fairly.
We believe that diversity creates a richer experience for all and that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. We commit to treating everyone compassionately and fairly, regardless of gender, culture, religion, skin-colour, abilities, opinions, sexuality, or any other differences. We will not tolerate offensive, intimidating, hostile, demeaning or abusive behaviour.
We believe that everyone should enjoy a healthy, safe, and supportive work environment. We commit to working safely and taking care of ourselves and each other; complying with all relevant laws and regulations.
We believe that everyone has the right to a fair wage, reasonable working hours, time off, and the freedom to make their own decisions about where they work and who they associate with. We commit to working with suppliers, clients, and partners that operate by the same standards we expect of ourselves.
We believe that everyone has the right to express their opinions and be heard. We commit to using the Bahá’í principles of consultation as the foundation of our decision-making — committing ourselves to constructive and inclusive participation, allowing participants to express their views and insights freely without judgment, listening to each other attentively and respectfully, considering all suggestions as objectively belonging to the group, allowing shared perspectives to guide us towards truth and unified outcomes.
We value a collaborative and supportive team structure where everyone is conscious and responsible for the well-being and success of each other.
We believe in employee ownership and are currently working to make this a reality.
We believe in minimizing the footprint we leave on the environment and working towards zero impact. As a service provider, we do not generate a lot of waste or use significant energy. However, we commit to avoid single-use plastics and unsustainably sourced materials; to use the provided recycling and composting facilities diligently; and to be mindful of our collective energy consumption — particularly heating and cooling.
We believe in the confidentiality and privacy of our employees and those we work with. We commit to securing the personal and business data that we are entrusted with; to comply with GDPR and relevant data protection requirements; to use data only for authorized and legitimate purposes; to protect all information, not just that covered by non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements.
We will never work with brands that are dishonest, destructive, or we believe are bad for people or the planet we live on. This includes businesses whose primary income is derived from weapons or military supplies; gambling, alcohol, recreational narcotics, nicotine-based products, pornography, prostitution, or encourage other addictive behaviours; fossil fuels, or unsustainable environmental exploitation.
We believe that we are all responsible for making the world a nicer place for all.
It’s never a good sign when you have to explain a joke — but here we go:
Ever looked at a toucan and thought, “what a boring looking bird. I nearly didn’t notice it.”?
No?! Of course not!
Thats because even the most ordinary of toucans are pretty extraordinary! They don't wear boring suits or worry about fitting with conventional expectations. They are distinctive and colourful! And that’s our point! You can be awesome, just by being more “you”!