Thinking of hiring a brand designer? Here’s how it works.
From inquiry to brand obsession: here's exactly what happens when you hire me as your brand designer.
If you’ve been searching for a brand designer but you’re still like, “Okay… but how does this actually work?” I get it.
If you’re here, you’ve likely seen my work, subscribed to my newsletter, or maybe you've been following me on Threads or IG. But before you book a call, you want to know the specifics of my process and whether it will work for you. So I’m going to lay it all out for you in this post.
But first, let me say this:
I’m so excited you’re here. Truly. If you’re reading this, it probably means you’re starting to take your brand seriously in a new way and I fucking love that for you (and hopefully me, too).
So let’s walk through exactly what it’s like to hire me as your brand designer, so you can be sure we're a fit.
(And just to get this out of the way early: if you’re expecting branding to be a quick in-and-out experience, my process might surprise you. Keep reading to find out why that’s a good thing.)
Step 1: Inquiry
Once you’ve decided you’re interested in working with me, you have two options:
Option 1 is to fill out my contact form. This is ideal if you’re still figuring out your next steps and feel more comfortable going back and forth via email before committing to a call. If we feel like a fit, I’ll send you my calendar link so we can take our relationship up a notch.
Option 2 is to apply to work with with me right away. This option is for you if you’re pretty sure you want to work together and want to quickly confirm the logistics on a call. Applications are no-strings-attached. There’s no pressure to book or pay for anything when you apply.
When your inquiry lands in my inbox, I'll cheer internally (so not to wake the cat on my desk). I can't wait to chat with you.
Step 2: Connection Call
Sometimes this call is very chill and social. Sometimes it’s practical and question-heavy. Usually it’s a bit of both.
Here’s what I want you to know: I will not be selling to you on these calls. I have zero interest in convincing you to do anything you don’t want to do. Instead, we’re going to:
Get to know each other a little better
Talk through your questions, timeline, and goals
Make sure you know your next best step
Whether you choose to hire me or not, you’ll leave our call feeling informed, not pressured. And if you’re like, “yep let’s do this!”, I’ll get you booked in for your Brand Star Chart.
Connect via my contact form here »
Step 3: Brand Star Chart
Whether you’re launching something new, pivoting your old brand, or wanting to refresh your website, every Moonstone client gets a Brand Star Chart. The Brand Start Chart is a two-week intensive where I use your personal astrology as a founder to inform your creative direction as a business. And it’s a non-negotiable. Why?
You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint.
You wouldn’t write a book without an outline.
You wouldn’t travel to a new country without a map (unless maybe you’re a Sagittarius).
Your Brand Star Chart is essentially a map for your brand. Here’s how it works:.
Step 3.1: I’ll assign you some homework
To start, you’ll complete your Brand Clarity Workbook. This process goes a lot deeper than your typical brand design questionnaire and that’s because I have a Scorpio stellium and I’m incapable of doing surface level work (you're welcome).
The workbook is an invitation to get abundantly clear about:
your offers, process, and marketing funnel(s)
who you love working with (and who you’re best equipped to serve)
your unique positioning (aka why they should choose you?)
what you want more of
what’s been standing in your way
what’s evolving
what you want your brand to do for you
“Filling out the Brand Clarity Workbook alone was worth the investment in the Brand Star Chart for me. I wish I had this tool 2 years ago!”
— Eileen March, My Luminous Life
While you’re working on that, I’ll be getting cozy with your birth chart.
Confession: I looked up your astrology the second I received your inquiry (it’s why I asked for your birth info). Don’t be surprised when I name drop your signs on our first call.
As an astrology-informed brand designer, I use your chart as a tool for illuminating things most of my clients struggle to name about themselves, like:
how you’re wired to communicate
what motivates and drains you
how you’re perceived by others
the aesthetics and visibility that make you feel most comfortable
Understanding these parts of your personality from an astrological point of view helps me make recommendations for your business, branding, and marketing that will feel sustainable and aligned for YOU. I love how my client, Jen, described it:
“The way you use astrology to inform the visual direction of a brand is so much more resonant with who we are as business owners and humans. It's powerful stuff. It made me feel like a fuller expression of myself through my brand (particularly because I AM my brand)."
—Jennifer Turner, Gemini Copy Co
Step 3.2: We’ll meet for our Alignment call
We’ll hop on a one-hour call to brainstorm any ideas or questions that surfaced for you while filling out the workbook (very common) and make sure we both have complete clarity.
Congratulations! You’re now off the hook for the next week or so while I do my thing.
Step 3.3: You’ll soak in your Brand Star Chart
At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have a 40+ page, astrologically-informed, magazine-style creative direction guide that takes you on a journey through your birth chart and will become your most valuable strategic asset for as long as you're an entrepreneur. We'll be illuminating your:
Brand's deeper purpose
Energetically sustainable marketing and operations strategies
Needs for fulfillment as a CEO
Cosmic differentiators
Brand voice
Constellation brands
Astrologically-aligned aesthetic
You’ll also receive a mood board which includes inspiration images for your logo, typography, colour palette, photography, layouts, and anything else your brand needs to stand out.
Essentially, you’re going to understand yourself and your brand on a whole new level AND you'll be able to visualize your brand clearly before you invest in a custom design package.
Brand Star Chart Investment: $1350 CDN (≈ $985 USD)
Timeline: 2 weeks
If you want to get nerdy with me, check out this post where I walk you through exactly how to design your personal branding with astrology.
At the end of your Brand Star Chart, you’ll receive a proposal outlining the exact design elements I recommend for your brand, how much it will cost, and an invitation to officially hire me as your custom brand designer.
At minimum, every brand I design comes with these essentials:
Logo Suite
A collection of custom logo layouts to keep your brand consistent and flexible everywhere it shows upColour Palette
The colours you’ll become known for, and how to use them strategically to boost recognitionTypographic Styling
Headline, body, and accent fonts that express your brand’s voice and enhance readabilityPhoto Direction
A dedicated mood board and shot list you can share with your photographer to keep your photoshoot aligned with your Brand Star ChartBrand Guidelines
A beautiful, easy-to-use brand book with best practices and clear examples to keep your brand cohesive as you growStellar Launch Guide
Your step-by-step brand reveal plan, from choosing an astrologically favourable date to visibility-boosting tips
Depending on how you choose to market your brand, you might need more things like social media templates or printed marketing collateral. If that’s the case, we’ll figure it out together and I’ll make sure those pieces are included in your package.
By the way, there’s no obligation to continue on with me as your brand designer. When you do, I’ll credit half of your Brand Star Chart investment toward your custom brand.
If you’re not ready, that’s cool too. Either way, your Brand Star Chart will give you practical direction on your visual identity, messaging, offers, and how to show up consistently without second-guessing every decision.
Anyway for the purposes of this post, let’s assume we’re moving full steam ahead, shall we?
Step 4: Stellar Brand Identity
Once you decide to move forward with me as your brand designer (yay!), you’ll have the opportunity to refine your mood board. If anything feels off, we’ll fix it before we start your custom brand design.
Then I’ll get to work designing your brand!
Three weeks later, I’ll send you a full PDF presentation including mockups so you can see what your brand looks like applied to real life things like websites, social media accounts, business cards, etc.
You’ll also receive a Loom presentation so you can hear the genuine excitement in my voice as I talk you through your brand design in detail.
Since we put in so much prep work, chances are you’re going to fall in love with your new brand right away. That said, a few tweaks are expected and accounted for in our timeline. We’ll work together to refine the brand until you give your final stamp of approval.
At this point I will be opening a bottle of fine wine and celebrating with my husband while eating something absolutely decadent.
Then, I’lll export your brand files and create your brand guidelines book so you know exactly how to use your brand (and how not to). When that’s done I’ll package everything up into a beautifully organized folder so you never have to go searching for haphazardly labelled logo files ever again.
Bonus: You’re also going to get my Stellar Launch Guide which reveals all my witchy secrets for choosing your launch date and getting the most impact out of your reveal (intention-setting rituals and astrological timing included).
Lastly I’ll tell you to keep your eyes on your mailbox for a little thank you gift from me because by this point, we’re basically business besties.
Investment: Starting at $6800 CDN (≈ $4965 USD)
Timeline: 8-12 weeks
P.S. If you book your Stellar Brand Identity package within one week of receiving your Brand Star Chart, I’ll credit half of your initial investment toward the full package. That’s a savings of $675 CDN (≈ $500 USD).
Step 5: Website Design
Your website is the ultimate manifestation of your brand and your most valuable marketing asset. Which is why it always comes after we’ve established your Stellar Brand Identity.
Because launching a website without a brand is like hosting a dinner party in a house with no furniture.
It's like going to a gala in full hair, makeup, and sweats.
That’s probably enough of my silly branding analogies, but seriously—I'm a big proponent of prepping for your website in the right order. More on that in this post.
Anyway, few things make me happier than being hired as your brand designer AND your web designer. I have a background in newspaper/magazine layout and I love putting these skills to use on the web. (Fun fact: I've been called “website witch” by more than one client and I kind of love this moniker.)
Depending on your goals and budget, you’re going to choose one of three paths:
The New Moon Website: A single-page site to get your services and booking link out there
The Full Moon Website: A multi-page, conversion-focused site with all the bells and whistles
On The Cusp: A simple Coming Soon page to save costs and buy time while we drive traffic to your email list or socials
If you’re already overwhelmed by the options, don’t be. We’ll get on a call to outline your goal(s) for your site. Then we’ll decide how many pages you need and how much content to include on each page to achieve those goals.
With a sound strategy in hand, you'll get to work collecting your website copy, photos, and securing your domain while I get to work on the design.
Once all of that is done, we’ll design and develop your site in Squarespace. And of course we’re not letting your site loose on the internet without a full round of browser/device testing to make sure it looks amazing on all screens.
Once your site is complete, my developer and I will show you how to take the reins so things like blogging, swapping out photos, and updating text won't cause you any tech headaches. And just in case anything gets glitchy, every website package comes with post-launch tech support built in.
And that concludes our “From inquiry to ‘holy shit, I love my brand (and website)” workflow!
Of course, that’s not really the end of our love story. Once you’re a part of the Moonstone family, you’re welcome to come back for support whenever you need it.
Looking for media visibility? Let’s build your press kit.
Need a lead magnet? Consider it done (actually, start with this post.)
Launching a new service? I've got strategies.
As your brand designer and new business bestie, I want to keep this relationship going. And I’m not just talking about our business owner/designer relationship. I want to know about your successes, struggles, and cheer you on through all of it. So keep in touch, yeah?
Bottom Line: When you hire me as your brand designer, you're not just “getting a brand”
You’re building something you want to live inside of for a long time. Something that feels as cozy as your athleisure and as flattering as your designer LBD. A brand that expands with your business instead of holding you back. And a creative partner to guide you through it.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “I want what she’s selling,” your next step is simple.
Fill out the form. Tell me about yourself.
I’ll be very excited to read it.