Why Clients Aren’t Just “Another Job”
I’ve never really liked the word “client.” It feels too clinical. Too transactional.
Too… distant.
But I use it, because the language is familiar (and I don’t have a better term either). And still, when I say “client,” I don’t mean a number, a file, or a project line on a to-do list. I mean a whole person, showing up with a story, a dream, a nervous heart, and something they’ve been brave enough to build.
My clients are not “jobs.”
They’re humans. And I treat them like it.
My Philosophy: Design as Care Work
What I do goes beyond logos and colours. It’s emotional labour. It’s holding space. It’s listening to someone explain their “why” with a crack in their voice and knowing they’re not just talking about a business. They’re talking about their identity.
That level of trust is sacred to me.
When someone chooses to work with me, they’re not just asking for a website or a brand strategy. They asking to be seen. To have their ideas translated into something that others will understand, respect, and remember.
And my answer, when they ask me? Always yes.
Part of why my clients feel safe with me is because I’ve lived in the cracks. I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. I live with bipolar, lupus, autism, ADHD, and I’ve built a business not in spite of those things (although it certainly feels like it some days), but because of the ways they’ve taught me to slow down, listen deeper, and honour complexity.
I don’t expect people to show up perfect, polished, or with all the answers. I create processes that make space for the messy truth, for pauses, for clarity that takes time.
My work is:
Trauma-informed: We work with pace, consent, and gentle reflections
Disability-informed: I check for energy, not urgency. Access needs are not afterthoughts, they’re baked into the timeline
Emotionally attuned: I listen for what’s not said, and design from there
Clients tell me they feel seen, heard, and understood.
That’s not a side effect of branding.
That is the branding.
Creative Intimacy: The Quiet Thread
There’s a creative intimacy that forms when someone shares their story and trusts me to carry it.
It’s the voice notes sent after hours. The vulnerability in a discovery call. The way someone says, “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like…” and I reply, “I get it. Let me show you.”
This is not a paint-by-numbers service.
This is relational work.
The kind where your insecurities are welcome. The kind where we build slowly. Where you’re not expected to show up like a CEO who has it all figured out but as a person who wants to build something real.
What This Means for You
Because of this approach, my clients experience:
Less Pressure: We design at a pace that respects your nervous system and your life
More Clarity: I help you find your voice (not just your visuals)
Deeper Connection: Your brand becomes something you’re proud to share, because it actually feels like you
Real Support: I’m not just your designer. I’m your interpreter, your mirror, your sounding board.
I don’t just finish a project and disappear. I stick around. I celebrate with you. I check in months later to see how the brand is feeling. Because you’re not just another invoice in my books. You’re part of the story I’m helping shape.
I’ve tried to be the “professional only” designer before. But when all is said and all is done? I care too much.
And I’ve decided that’s not a weakness. It’s my gift.
I bring my whole self to every project. My empathy. My neurodivergence. My lived experience. My intuition. My softness. My creative fire.
And when someone hands me their story? I honour it. I hold it. I turn it into something that feels like a home, a beginning.
That’s what design should do.
If you’re ready to be seen, I’m ready to listen
Whether you’re starting fresh, rebranding something you’ve outgrown, or figuring out what your business even is… I’d be honoured to hold space for you.
I don’t do cookie-cutter. I don’t do rush jobs.
I do real, thoughtful, human-first branding because that’s what real people deserve.
Book a discovery call and let’s begin your next chapter together.
