Introduction
Tesária is a premium graphic and web design boutique based in Downtown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, founded in July 2024 by Tes T. Fernando. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit tesaria.tech or engage our services, how we use that information, the lawful bases on which we process it, and the rights available to you under Canadian, European, and Californian privacy law.
For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Tesária is the data controller of personal information collected through this website. For the purposes of Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Tesária is the organization responsible for personal information under its control. If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise any of the rights described below, please contact us at coo@tesaria.tech.
Information We Collect
We collect only the information needed to operate our website, respond to inquiries, deliver our services, and meet our legal obligations. The categories of information we collect are:
- Contact form data. When you submit our contact form, we receive the information you choose to provide, typically your name, email address, company or project context, and the contents of your message.
- Candidate applications. If you reach out about working with Tesária or send us a portfolio or résumé, we receive the contact details, professional history, and supporting materials you choose to share.
- Cookies and local storage. A small number of strictly necessary entries are stored in your browser to remember your cookie consent choice. Details are set out in our Cookie Policy.
- Server logs. Like most websites, our hosting provider records standard technical information when pages are requested, including IP address, browser type, referring page, requested URL, and timestamp. These logs are used for security and stability purposes only.
We do not knowingly collect any special category data (such as health, biometric, or political information) and we ask that you do not include such information in messages sent to us.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for clearly defined, limited purposes:
- To respond to inquiries, prepare proposals, and discuss potential engagements.
- To deliver design services under a signed engagement letter and to communicate with clients about projects in progress.
- To assess applications from prospective collaborators and contractors.
- To maintain the security, integrity, and performance of our website.
- To comply with applicable legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
We do not use your personal information for targeted advertising, behavioural profiling, or automated decision-making that produces legal effects, and we never sell your personal information to anyone.
Lawful Basis for Processing (GDPR)
Where the General Data Protection Regulation applies to our processing of your personal information, we rely on the following lawful bases under Article 6:
- Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): when you submit a contact form or opt in to non-essential cookies.
- Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): when we deliver services under a signed engagement letter or take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.
- Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): for the secure operation of our website, fraud prevention, and limited business correspondence with prospective clients, balanced against your rights and freedoms.
- Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): when we must retain certain records to comply with tax, accounting, or other Canadian or international legal requirements.
Sharing With Third Parties
Tesária is a small studio and we keep our supplier list deliberately short. We share personal information only with the limited service providers necessary to operate our website and deliver our services, and only to the extent required for them to perform their function on our behalf.
- Formspree processes the submissions sent through our contact form. Formspree acts as a data processor on our instructions and forwards messages to our internal mailbox.
- Hosting and email providers store website files, server logs, and our business correspondence under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.
- Professional advisors such as accountants and legal counsel may receive limited information where strictly necessary.
We do not share personal information with advertising networks or data brokers, and we do not sell, rent, or trade personal information under any circumstances. We may disclose information where we are legally required to do so, for example in response to a valid court order or lawful request from a public authority.
Data Retention
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described above, after which it is deleted or anonymised. Our standard retention periods are:
- Contact form inquiries: retained for up to 24 months from your last interaction, so we can follow up on conversations and reference prior context.
- Candidate applications: retained for up to 12 months from receipt, unless you ask us to remove your file sooner.
- Client engagement records and project files: retained for the duration of the engagement and for up to 7 years thereafter to meet Canadian tax, accounting, and limitation-period requirements.
- Server logs: retained for up to 30 days, then automatically purged.
We may retain information for longer where required by law, or where it is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Your Rights Under the GDPR
If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights in respect of your personal information:
- Right of access to a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Right to erasure (the "right to be forgotten") in defined circumstances.
- Right to restriction of processing while a question about our use is being resolved.
- Right to data portability, allowing you to receive your information in a structured, commonly used format.
- Right to object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
- Right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at coo@tesaria.tech. We will respond within one month, as required by Article 12 of the GDPR.
Your Rights Under PIPEDA (Canada)
If you are located in Canada, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), together with applicable provincial laws, gives you the following rights:
- Right to access the personal information we hold about you and to be informed of how it is used and disclosed.
- Right to correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to withdraw consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
- Right to challenge our compliance with PIPEDA by contacting us, and, if your concern is not resolved, by filing a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca.
Your Rights Under the CCPA (California)
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives you the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to know what categories of personal information we have collected, the sources, the business purposes, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
- Right to delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. Tesária does not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA.
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising any of your privacy rights.
To submit a request, please contact us at coo@tesaria.tech. You may designate an authorised agent to act on your behalf, in which case we will ask for written proof of authorisation.
International Data Transfers
Tesária is based in Canada, which has been recognised by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection for transfers from the European Economic Area. Some of our service providers, including Formspree, are based in the United States. Where personal information is transferred outside Canada or the EEA, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses and the recipient's own contractual commitments to protect your information.
Children's Privacy
Our website and services are intended for adult professionals and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13, or under the equivalent minimum age in the relevant jurisdiction. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact coo@tesaria.tech and we will delete it promptly.
Security
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These include encrypted transport (HTTPS) for our website, restricted access to client files, strong authentication on our accounts, and a small, vetted set of service providers. No method of transmission over the internet is entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services, or the law. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the most recent revision took effect. Where the changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention.
Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Tesária
Downtown, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
coo@tesaria.tech