Privacy Policy

Who we are

Octarine Studio Inc. (“Octarine”) is a multidisciplinary product design studio working with clients in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. This policy covers octarine.studio. When it says “we” or “us”, it means Octarine.

We keep data collection to a minimum. The site has no user accounts and no advertising. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used, and only if you accept it in the cookie banner.

What we collect and why

When you contact us. The form on our contact page asks for your first and last name, email address, location and a message. Company name, website and phone number are optional. It also records any services you selected. We use this to reply to your enquiry and, if we work together, to manage that relationship.

The form is not stored in a database on this site. It is sent as an email to hello@octarine.studio, and a confirmation email goes back to the address you entered. If you email or call us directly, we receive whatever you choose to share.

Protecting the form. To stop repeated automated submissions, the server uses a one-way hash of your IP address to count how many messages were sent from it in the last ten minutes. The hash is not linked to your enquiry and is not used for anything else.

When you visit a page. Like any website, your browser sends technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the page requested. Our hosting provider records this in standard server logs, used to run and secure the site.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4, a service of Google LLC, to see which pages are read and how people find the site. It runs only after you choose Allow in the cookie banner. Until then, and if you choose Decline, the analytics script is not loaded and nothing is sent to Google Analytics.

With your consent, Google Analytics collects:

• the pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• your approximate location, at country and city level
• your device and browser type
• how you arrived, such as a search engine, a link on another site or a direct visit

Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses. It uses your IP address briefly to estimate location, then discards it. Advertising signals are always switched off on this site, and the data is not used to show you ads or to identify you personally.

After you accept, Google Analytics sets two cookies: _ga, which distinguishes one visitor from another, and _ga_<container-id>, which keeps track of the current visit. Neither is set before you accept.

Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months, then deleted automatically. Google may process it in the United States and other countries where it operates.

You can change your mind at any time. Open Manage Cookies (also linked in the footer) and choose Decline: analytics stops and the _ga cookies are removed from your browser. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google’s opt-out browser add-on.

Who else receives data

We do not sell personal information. We rely on a small number of providers to run the site, and each receives only what it needs:

• Hostinger hosts the site and keeps server logs.
• Resend delivers the emails sent by the contact form, including the details you enter.
• Titan hosts our hello@octarine.studio mailbox, where enquiries and any emails you send us are stored.
• Google provides Google Analytics. It receives the usage data described above, only if you accept analytics.
• Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts serve the typefaces on each page. Your browser requests them directly, so these services receive your IP address and browser details.
• jsDelivr and cdnjs serve open source animation and graphics libraries on some pages. They receive your IP address in the same way.
• YouTube hosts a video embedded in one case study. When that page loads, YouTube may set its own cookies under Google’s privacy policy.

Share buttons on Lab articles are plain links. Nothing is sent to X, LinkedIn or Facebook unless you click one.

Some of these providers operate outside Canada, so your information may be processed in other countries under their laws. We may also disclose information where the law requires it.

Storage in your browser

This site sets no advertising cookies. The only cookies it sets are the Google Analytics cookies described above, and only after you accept. It also stores a few small values in your browser so the site works as expected. They stay on your device and are not sent to us:

• cookie-consent remembers your choice in the cookie banner: analytics-accepted or analytics-declined. If no choice is stored, analytics stays off.
• projekt-theme remembers whether you chose the Day or Night theme.
• oct-access remembers that you entered the preview access code, where one is shown.
• oct-pt-active is a temporary flag for the transition between pages. It is cleared when the next page loads.

The first three are kept in local storage until you clear your browser data. The last is kept in session storage and ends with the tab. You can review your cookie choice at any time, or use the Manage Cookies link in the footer.

How long we keep it

We keep enquiry emails for up to two years, then delete them. If an enquiry turns into a project, we keep what we need to manage that working relationship. Server logs are kept by our hosting provider for a limited period under its own policies. Analytics data is kept for up to 14 months, as described above.

Your rights

We handle personal information in line with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). You can ask us:

• what personal information we hold about you
• to correct anything that is inaccurate
• to delete your information
• to stop using it, where you gave consent, including for analytics

If you are in the European Union or the United Kingdom, the GDPR gives you similar rights, along with the right to object to processing, to receive a copy of your data and to complain to your local data protection authority.

To make a request, email hello@octarine.studio. We may ask you to confirm your identity before acting on it. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Security

The site is served over an encrypted connection. The contact form checks where requests come from, limits repeated submissions and filters automated spam. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what you send us.

Children

This site is intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has contacted us, let us know and we will delete it.

Changes

We may update this policy as the site changes. The date at the top shows when it was last revised.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your information: hello@octarine.studio or +1 902.748.0706.