Privacy Policy

We're pretty straightforward about how we handle your info

Last Updated: October 21, 2025

Look, we get it - nobody really enjoys reading these things. But here's the deal: at ShadowFlare, we've been designing spaces for real people since day one, and that same respect for individuals carries over to how we handle your data. This isn't some copy-paste legal document filled with corporate speak. We're gonna walk you through what info we collect, why we need it, and what we actually do with it.

If something's unclear or you've got questions, don't hesitate to reach out. We're architects, not lawyers, so we'll explain things in plain English.

When you interact with our studio, we collect info that helps us serve you better. Nothing shady here - just the basics we need to do our job properly.

Contact & Project Info

When you reach out for a consultation or submit a project inquiry, we'll collect your name, email, phone number, and whatever project details you share with us. We need this stuff to actually get back to you and understand what you're looking for. Pretty straightforward.

Technical Data

Our website collects some behind-the-scenes data like your IP address, browser type, and how you navigate through our site. This helps us figure out if our website's actually working well or if we need to fix something. We use analytics tools for this - mostly to see which projects get the most attention and whether our portfolio loads properly on mobile.

Cookies & Similar Tech

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. These help remember your preferences and keep you logged in if you're accessing any client portals. You can disable them in your browser if you want, though some features might not work as smoothly.

Communication Records

We keep records of emails, calls, and meetings with clients. It's essential for project continuity - can't design your dream space if we forget what you told us last month, right?

Here's what we actually do with the info you give us:

  • Project Development: We use your contact details and project info to develop designs, prepare proposals, and keep you updated throughout the process. Can't really design your building without knowing what you need.
  • Communication: We'll email or call you about your project, send updates, answer questions, and occasionally share relevant info about our studio. We won't spam you with weekly newsletters nobody asked for.
  • Service Improvement: Analytics data helps us understand which services people are most interested in and where our website might be confusing. If everyone's bouncing off our sustainability page, we know something's gotta change.
  • Legal Compliance: Sometimes we're required to keep certain records for legal or regulatory reasons. Building codes, contracts, that sort of thing - it's part of working in architecture in Canada.
  • Marketing (with your consent): If you've said it's cool, we might feature completed projects in our portfolio or share success stories. We'll always check with you first before showcasing anything related to your project.

We won't sell your info to third parties or use it for anything sketchy. That's not how we operate.

We're not in the business of handing out your info to random companies. However, there are a few situations where we might need to share your data:

Project Collaborators

Architecture projects involve teams - engineers, contractors, consultants, municipal authorities. We'll share relevant project info with these folks, but only what they need to know to do their part. Your personal contact details? Those stay with us unless you've given the okay.

Service Providers

We use various tools to run our business - email services, cloud storage, project management software. These companies might have access to your data as part of providing their services to us. We pick reputable providers who have their own solid privacy practices.

Legal Requirements

If the law says we gotta hand over information, we will. This could be court orders, regulatory investigations, or compliance with Canadian building regulations. We're not trying to be difficult - we just have to follow the rules like everyone else.

Business Transfers

If ShadowFlare were ever acquired or merged with another firm (not planning on it, but you never know), your information would be transferred as part of that deal. Any new owner would still be bound by this privacy policy though.

We take security seriously, but let's be real - no system is 100% bulletproof. That said, here's what we do to protect your info:

  • Encrypted connections (SSL/TLS) for our website and email communications
  • Secure cloud storage with access limited to team members who actually need it
  • Regular backups so we don't lose your project files
  • Password-protected systems and two-factor authentication where available
  • Regular security updates for all our software and systems

Our team's trained on data protection, and we've got policies in place about handling sensitive info. Physical documents are kept in locked cabinets at our Toronto office - old school, but effective.

If there's ever a data breach that affects your info, we'll let you know ASAP and explain what happened and what we're doing about it. Transparency matters.

Your data, your rules (mostly). Here's what you can do:

Access & Correction

Wanna see what info we've got about you? Just ask. We'll show you what we have and correct anything that's wrong. Sometimes we might need to verify your identity first - can't just hand out client info to anyone who asks.

Deletion

You can request that we delete your personal information. We'll do it unless we're legally required to keep it (like project records for completed buildings - those gotta stay in our files for regulatory reasons). If we can't delete something, we'll explain why.

Opt-Out of Marketing

Not interested in hearing from us anymore? No hard feelings. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, or just shoot us a message and we'll take you off the list. Project-related communications are different though - if we're working together, we still need to be able to reach you about that.

Data Portability

Need your data in a format you can use elsewhere? We can provide that for most information - usually as a PDF or spreadsheet, depending on what makes sense.

Withdraw Consent

Changed your mind about something you previously agreed to? Let us know. This applies to things like using your project in our portfolio or receiving certain types of communications.

We don't keep your info forever, but we can't delete everything the minute a project wraps up either. Here's our approach:

Active Projects: While we're working together, we keep everything related to your project. Drawings, emails, meeting notes - the whole deal.

Completed Projects: After a project's done, we're required to keep architectural records for at least 7 years. This is partly legal requirement, partly professional responsibility. If there's ever a question about the building's design or construction, we need to have those records.

Marketing Materials: If you've given permission to feature your project, we'll keep those materials until you ask us to remove them or we update our portfolio.

Inquiries that Didn't Pan Out: If you reached out but we didn't end up working together, we'll typically keep your contact info for about a year. After that, if we haven't heard from you, we'll archive or delete it.

When we do delete data, we make sure it's actually gone - not just sitting in a recycling bin somewhere.

Our website might link to other sites - supplier websites, project references, social media, that kind of thing. Once you click away from shadowflare.info, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore. Those other sites have their own policies, and we can't control what they do.

We try to only link to reputable sources, but it's worth checking their privacy practices if you're concerned. Same goes for any plugins or embedded content on our site - YouTube videos, maps, etc. Those services might collect their own data.

Our services aren't directed at kids under 16. We don't knowingly collect information from children. If you're under 16 and interested in architecture, that's awesome - but have a parent or guardian reach out to us instead.

If we somehow end up with a child's information, we'll delete it once we realize what happened.

We might update this policy from time to time - new laws, new services we offer, or just better ways of doing things. When we make significant changes, we'll post a notice on our website and update the date at the top of this page.

For existing clients, we'll also send an email letting you know what's changed. We won't make changes that significantly reduce your rights without giving you a heads up.

It's worth checking back here occasionally, especially if it's been a while since you last looked. We'll keep previous versions archived if you want to see what changed.

We're based in Canada, and most of our data stays here. However, some of our service providers might be located in other countries - many tech companies are US-based, for example. When your data crosses borders, it's subject to the laws of wherever it's stored.

We make sure any international transfers comply with Canadian privacy law and that our service providers have adequate protections in place. But yeah, cloud storage means your data might technically be sitting on servers in different locations.

Questions About Privacy?

Seriously, if anything's unclear or you've got concerns about how we handle your info, just reach out. We'd rather have a conversation and clear things up than have you wondering.

Email: studio@shadowflare.info

Phone: (416) 555-0192

Mail: 1240 Bay Street, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5R 2A7, Canada

We'll respond to privacy inquiries within a couple business days. If you've got a formal complaint about how we've handled your data, you can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada - but let's try to sort it out directly first.