Kind Design Studio

A sneak peek into some new work, can you guess what industry they're in? I cannnnnot wait to share this full project
🌻🌼
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[brand identity, branding inspiration, small business owner, design studio, design brand strategy, design portfolio, brand design process, brand management, marketing, logo design, brand design tips, brand strategist, branding for flower farms, branding for florists]

Your dream business is closer than you think, so let’s make it happen. ✨ Fill out the project inquiry form to get started today! /www.kinddesign.studio/project-inquiry-form

Still have unanswered questions? Visit my bio to download my free pricing and service guide. Or, schedule a no-strings-attached discovery call. I want to ensure you have everything you need to feel confident getting started.

https://kinddesignstudio.hbportal.co/schedule/64653ab33349420ba0e4c941

https://www.kinddesign.studio/pricing-guide

I can't wait to meet you!

🦍 🍌 new work: custom icons for Gorilion 🦍 🍌

Gorilion is a web agency out of sunny Southern California, specializing in websites for wineries. I was tasked with creating custom icons for their brand that followed the Gorilla pun.

Custom icons are the perfect way to capture your audience's attention and strengthen storytelling in your brand. They help people recognize your business and make your website & marketing more engaging.

How did I do? Did I miss any obvious gorilla + tech puns?

Take a second to daydream with me 💭

✨ Imagine confidently raising your prices because your brand actually reflects your values, integrity, and purpose.

✨ Imagine knowing exactly who your ideal client is—and why they’re choosing you over the competition.

✨ Imagine spending more time doing what you love while handing off the tasks you dread to a creative partner who gets it.

At Kind, we’ll craft a clear, intentional brand that pulls in the right people, from clients to team members. Through a strategy built on your goals, values, and purpose, we’ll make sure your brand is more than just a pretty logo—it’s an experience that resonates.

By the time we’re done, you’ll not only have complete clarity on your business but also more free time to hang with your favourite people (or your dog) instead of messing around in Canva or Wix.

Sound like exactly what you’ve been looking for? Thought so. 😉

I’m booking clients for October and November for branding and website projects, so let’s chat! Fill out the project inquiry form below, and let’s get started—I can’t wait to meet you!

https://www.kinddesign.studio/project-inquiry-form

kind words from kind clients 💖🫶 Thank you

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Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing. Which is why my goal is to not just meet expectations but exceed them—whether it’s a simple refresh or a full brand strategy.

If you’re ready to see what an intentional, thoughtful design approach can do for your business, let’s chat!

Schedule a free discovery call 👇
https://kinddesignstudio.hbportal.co/public/65ceab23cafff2001f409798

Project Inquiry Form 👇
https://www.kinddesign.studio/project-inquiry-form

Request a *free* pricing guide 👇
https://www.kinddesign.studio/pricing-guide

✨ a cheeky little introduction (incase you've never seen my mug on your feed before)

I'm Shaylyn, graphic designer and owner of Kind Design Studio. That's Archie in the second photo and he's the guy that holds down the fort (aka keeps the couch warm).

You’d think my future in design would have been obvious when I was 12, making powerpoints and begging my teacher to share them with the class (cringe).

However, my career path wasn’t linear:
🥧 I sold pies
☕ worked in coffee shops
📞 did the corporate thing (twice) before realizing what I really want to do was be creative and help others

I know what it’s like to leave a comfortable corporate job to take a chance on yourself, and the scariness that comes with starting from scratch. I also believe kindness and empathy are underrated superpowers when it comes to owning a successful business.

That’s why I started Kind. To work with kind, heart-led people who were brave enough to take a chance on themselves, pivot and rewrite their story.

No matter where you’re at in your business, when you work with Kind, you're not just getting a designer; you're gaining a business bestie who knows what's possible and is going to be cheering you on each step of the way.

If you're looking for a creative partner but working with a creative feels *kinda* intimidating - I'd love to chat. I promise to make the design process easy peasy and we'll have fun while doing it. Fill out the discovery form here:
https://www.kinddesign.studio/project-inquiry-form

Fun fact: My Mom cross stitched that entire vintage map of Disneyland behind me. Isn't it incredible? 🏰

When the results you get clients in 8 months blows your own mind 🤯

Primrose Event Planning & Design completed a rebrand, but a busy wedding season & a new mama + mama to be meant their website wasn't getting the creative love it needed. Their website had to be visually consistent with their social media while working overtime to sell while their marketing was put on the back burner.

Here's what we achieved working together:

✨ Elevated Design: A modern, elegant website that stands out from their competition.

✨ Showcasing their Expertise: Incorporating tons of beautiful photography that highlight their incredible skill

and testimonials from all the happy couples they've worked with over the years.

✨ Increased User Engagement: More clicks, longer visits, & lower bounce rates.

✨ Increased Leads: 94% increase in form submissions (this is actually insane)

✨ Website Working Overtime: Following web development best practices organically increased their SEO & less marketing effort needed.

Imagine these results paired with a social media or marketing strategy. That's results are from strategic, intentional design.

Ready to ditch marketing stress & have your website sell for you? Let's get in touch, send me an email at [email protected] to get started or schedule a no strings attached discovery call:

https://kinddesignstudio.hbportal.co/public/65ceab23cafff2001f409798/1-Schedule_your_session

If you've come this far, you've come way too far to stop. Keep believing in yourself and trust the process. ✨

Let me set the scene: a classroom that reeked of B.O, learning about firewalls. That was my first day of post secondary.

At the time, my dream was to work at a ~trendy~ tech startup. As you can imagine, it didn’t take long to realize Javascript and pinging networks wasn’t really for me. The silver lining is that I'm more technologically savvy than most.

Creating an online presence can be overwhelming. Working with a web designer not only reduces your workload but gives you a website you’ll actually want to show off.

If you’re ready to elevate your website to one that’s not only beautiful but high converting, let’s chat. Fill out the link in my bio to get started today.

[Web Design, Website Design, Small Business Website, Small Business Tips, Squarespace, Wordpress, Shopify, Wix, Web Designer]

If there's one thing I've learned from owning a business, gardening and everything in between it's that nothing is ever perfect. Beauty comes from trying, failing, and trying again.

and by luck, even if something looks absolutely perfect, there's going to be spiders hiding in those petals anyways
😖🙃

(seriously, why is everything covered in daddy long legs, wtf)

[motivational quotes, inspirational quotes, small business owner, female entrepreneur, typography, graphic designer, graphic design]

Just in case no one has told you this before: It's impossible to move your business forward if you're consistently having to work backwards.

When your business lacks *in depth* strategy, it feels like your shouting into the void and praying to be heard. You finally take 1 step forward, just to have to take 5 steps back (again).

Our job is to find out what makes you unique and then make sure we're telling the whole world. I'm talking: brand story, messaging, core beliefs, values and perspectives. Using this strategy, we'll develop a beautiful logo suite, curate a colour palette and select fonts that match that messaging. Each decision is driven by strategy and is intentional (aka no trends here 🫢)

After seeing an intentional, strategic brand created for your business, you'll immediately realize where you've been going wrong.

Ready to start moving forward? Fill out the contact link in our bio to get started right now.

[brand strategy, brand designer, branding, marketing, business marketing, small business branding, strategy]

want to know the secret to my highly complimented client process?! 🫢

Swipe for some of my favourite project management tools I use to run my small creative business. I also break down which free features are best, and what's worth the money.

What are your ride or die tools for running your business? Share below so we can find new ways to refine our process and save time! Don't forget to get your 25% of code in my bio if you're ready to save time (and money) with Honeybook.

I originally designed this to say 'be brave' but arguably, I think we all need more of a reminder to stay brave.

You can take a single leap of faith and do the thing, but staying the course when things don't go to plan, repeatedly pushing yourself to go further and further out of your comfort zone after already experiencing rejection or failure. Yeah, that's scarier.

So here's your reminder - stay brave even if you want to throw in the towel. you've made it this far, trust yourself!
☀️🍒🌻🌿

[motivational quotes, inspirational quotes, small business owner, female entrepreneur, typography, graphic designer, graphic design]

We can all agree on some things that need to fit perfectly:
- running shoes
- a good bra
- your website builder

If squarespace, wix and wordpress have you thinking wtf - this one's for you. I studied web development and wrote useless lines of code so you don't have to 😎

Let's break down the different website platforms available, and figure out which one's best for your business. Get all the details on the blog, or the handy link in my stories ( + highlight)

[squarespace, squarespace design, squarespace website, shopify, shopify design, wix, wordpress, web designer, graphic design, brand designer, e-commerce tips, brand strategy, web strategy]

What makes a brand feel friendly?🌻☀️

A friendly brand is one that checks it's ego at the door, they aren't intimidating or overly formal. They feel open and inviting not exclusive or closed off.

A touch of whimsy or lightheartedness can make a brand feel more approachable and inviting. Common industries that have friendly brands are children's wear, food and beverage, non profits and education.

If your brand is friendly here's some colourful tips:

✨ Light and bright colours: These tend to be more cheerful and inviting than dark or muted tones. Think pastels, light blues, yellows, and greens.

✨ Analogous colours: These are colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel. Using analogous colours creates a harmonious and pleasing palette that feels effortless and friendly.

✨ Warm Tones: Warm tones such as yellow, orange and pink feel warm, optimistic and inviting.

✨ Create Playful Contrast: Having an unexpected accent colour creates playfulness and interest in the brand.

Found this post helpful? Make sure to head to the comments and let me know which brand personality you'd like me to do next!

[brand strategy, colour palettes, graphic design, colour theory, branding, brand designer]

I don't know about you, but I think it's time to share a new brand 🛋️🪞

Here's the scoop:
Studio NKC is a interior design studio in Vancouver, BC. Working with an interior designer can be intimidating but they make the process so fun you’ll be laughing while testing out toilets.

Competitor brands were very airy, minimalist and focused on luxury so went against the grain, designing a bolder, confident brand that really stood out.

The colour palette was inspired by Midcentury and Italian design and we paired bold colours with playful lighter hues. Hand drawn furniture icons, and hand written accent font makes the brand feel unique and approachable while custom stone textures add depth and dimension.

Creating brands with contrasting adjectives (bold + approachable) isn't easy but limitations create the best results.

Do you feel your brand could be a bit more strategic to help you stand out in your industry? If you said yes, you're in good hands. We're booking clients for June and July. Get in touch at [email protected] now to save your spot.

[branding, brand design, brand strategy, brand strategy, interior design branding, interior design, interior designer]

Premade colour palettes for sustainable businesses 🍃

Sustainable brands place high emphases their values which include: environmental responsibility, ethical practices, transparency and community focus. So how do we use colour theory to convey sustainability in branding?

🌿 Green: Green is the most iconic colour associated with the environment and sustainability. It represents growth, renewal, and nature. Using various shades of green emphasize a commitment to ecological practices and organic products.
Dark greens can suggest a more premium, luxury aspect of sustainability, while lighter greens are vibrant and energetic.

🌊 Blue: Blue conveys feelings of trust, cleanliness, and calm. It is often associated with water, sky, and air, all important elements when we talk about the environment and conservation. Blue can be used to promote transparency and reliability, suggesting clear and open communication about the brand’s practices and ethics.

🪵 Brown and Earth Tones: Earth tones like browns, beiges, and tans are inherently linked to the earth and natural materials. They evoke a sense of groundedness and stability. These colours can be particularly effective for brands that focus on natural ingredients, organic sourcing, or wish to communicate an image of being down-to-earth and approachable.

☁️ White: White stands for purity, simplicity, and cleanliness. It’s often used to suggest transparency and honesty. White can be used effectively in sustainable branding to communicate a clear, clean, and minimalist approach, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to transparency and ethical practices.

What do you think, is sustainability one of your brand values? How do you show that in your colour palette, comment below!

[sustainable brands, brand strategy, colour palettes, graphic design, colour theory, branding, brand designer]

Read this post to prevent your small business from getting into sh*t!!

Does anyone else remember Nexopia (or myspace for the non-canadians). Back when the internet was the wild west and we used everything and anything we could scavenge to customize our pages?

Well times have changed, and I think we could all use a refresher on copyright law. 🗣️ Repeat after me: Pinterest isn't an image source. And neither is Google (are people still getting their photos from Google? 🤔)

But don't worry I'm not just a party pooper. I included my favourite resources to get *high quality* unique, professional images for your business. No more stolen, screenshot blown out images for our businesses ok?

[graphic design, brand design, website design, graphic designer, branding tips, tips for small business owners, tips for female business owners]

New blog post 🖥️

When you own a business, you allll the hats, and I know from experience that when things get busy - marketing is the first to go (which isn't great since marketing is what makes your business grow).

When you take a step back, do you feel proud to market yourself or do you die inside every time someone pulls up your website? If that’s the case it might be time for a change.

Unsure if it’s time for you to make the investment? Let’s walk through some signs it’s time to find a creative partner for your business.

https://www.kinddesign.studio/blog/5-signs-your-business-is-ready-to-hire-a-graphic-designer

[graphic design, graphic designer, small business tips, design tips, branding tips]

What makes a confident brand?
A confident brand is one that's bold and not scared to take risks while showing off a bit of a playful side. How do we reflect confidence in a colour palette?

Strength: Deep blues, dark green and black convey strength and stability. You'll see these colours used by new age tech companies (Toggl).

Reliability: Trustworthiness and dependability are key traits of confident brands. Dark gray, navy blues, and earthy tones convey a sense of reliability and consistency.

Authenticity: Authenticity is crucial for confident brands. Colours that reflect natural elements, such as earthy browns, warm neutrals, and organic greens, convey a sense of authenticity and genuineness.

Innovation: Confident brands that are innovative and forward-thinking may opt for bold and unconventional color choices. Vibrant colors like electric blues, energetic oranges, and futuristic metallics reflect creativity and innovation. These colours are often used by tech companies, creative agencies, and cutting-edge startups to convey a sense of innovation and originality.

What do you think, is confidence one of your brand values? How do you show that in your colour palette, comment below!

[brand strategy, colour palettes, graphic design, colour theory, branding, brand designer]

Waiting until you're *ready* to rebrand? read this 👇

Consumers only need 10 seconds (!!) to form a first impression.

I didn't come up with that statistic - that's directly from Harvard.

Here's another one: Brands perceived as unique can increase their revenue by 10% more than non-differentiated competitors. So what does this mean?

Don't waste those early opportunities making a underwhelming first impression.

It takes seconds (10, apparently) for someone to decided if they're in or out. Each set of eyes on your business is an opportunity to create a memorable first impression so you're going to want to make the most of it.

Investing in professional, strategic branding & website design from the start, means that you're 10% ahead of your competitors that all look the same.

I know what you're probably thinking. Branding is expensive and Im waiting to invest. And that's true, but in business, it cost money to make money and the earlier you invest in the foundational part of your business (you know, the part that makes the first impression) the sooner you'll have clarity, intentional messaging, and more confidence just keep throwing stuff at a wall and hoping it sticks.

If you haven't, check out my branding on a budget highlight that goes over some budget-friendly ways that we can work together. If you're ready for more confidence and clarity in your brand - schedule a free, no-pressure consultation call to see if we're a creative match made in heaven.

[branding, brand strategy, brand design, brand designer, marketing, small business branding]

I read the boring stuff so you don't have to 🤓📝

Whether you've noticed it or not, there is a big shift in branding that nobodies talking about. And I mean that consumers are now aligning themselves with brands that have the same ~vibes~ (values, messaging, aesthetics).

I'm sure you've definitely felt more drawn to certain brands over others and this is done with strategy and intention.

So how can we apply this to our businesses?
It's time to grab a pencil and write down what your brand *really* stands for. What drives each decision you make?

Dialling in on these values allows you to craft intentional messaging on social media, your website, packing and marketing (yes, no more creating content and just hoping it sticks).

Need a little more direction? Checkout my Build Your Brand freebie to get started.

https://kinddesignstudio.myflodesk.com/kinddesignstudio

[brand strategy, branding trends, brand trends 2024, sustainable branding, branding tips, brand design]

Every business owner deserves to know the pro's and con's of d.i.y. Like everything, there's a time and a place 📝

Maybe you're an artist and are incredibly confident in your skills. Or you're just starting a side hustle at the weekly farmers market with no plans to grow beyond that. That's all perfectly fine.

But if you want to have an impactful business launch, grow your business quickly, position yourself as an authority in your industry, or offer a premium service/product - you might want to think twice before opening Canva in a new tab.

And despite what you might have been told, working with a designer doesn't have to break the bank. We can get you setup with a consistent visual identity or website to get started and add on all those beautiful extras later on down the line.

Is it going to take a bit more than Canva to reach your goals? Fill out the link in our bio to get started.

📣 Every business owner should know this...

Just like people, our businesses have personality traits. And you can intentionally craft your brands personality to target your dream audience.

👩‍🏫 Case Study Time: Let's take Lululemon. Their personality is extremely inspiring and motivational, encouraging a community of health-conscious individuals to pursue their best selves.

They emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, community, and the pursuit of personal goals.

And just like your charismatic fitness instructor - this personality attracts consumers that are inspired by their messaging giving the athleisure brand cult status and an audience of faithful buyers.

Do you want more thought provoking prompts that help you strategically transform your brand? Download our Build Your Brand Workbook:

https://kinddesignstudio.myflodesk.com/kinddesignstudio

(Oh, and did we mention it's free?)

[DIY Brand Strategy, Strategic Branding, Brand Strategy, Branding Freebie, Freebies for Business Owners, Entrepreneur, Tips for Solopreneur, Brand Personality]

Because everybody loves a freebie!! 👇💃✨

Introducing the Build Your Brand Workbook! No more crossing your fingers and hoping you somehow get found by your dream audience.

This free workbook is packed with the same thought provoking questions I go through with our clients when developing their transformative brand strategy. Think of this workbook as a mini brand strategist, walking you through insightful prompts that help you discover what makes your business uniquely you, and who you are for.

We guarantee after finishing this workbook, you'll reflect at your existing brand and finally understand *exactly* where you're going wrong. Click the link to download 👇

https://kinddesignstudio.myflodesk.com/kinddesignstudio

[DIY Brand Strategy, Strategic Branding, Brand Strategy, Branding Freebie, Freebies for Business Owners, Entrepreneur, Tips for Solopreneur, Brand Personality]