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Art school taught me very little and so much. Very little because I graduated nearly 12 years ago. The tech has long since moved on. So much because it’s the foundation of everything I know. Thinking in systems and structure and creativity and pushing the boundaries- those lessons are so deeply ingrained that they don’t even feel like lessons. I’m a photographer turned graphic designer turned web designer, with a sprinkling of custom framer, upholsterer, art gallery attendant, and sign maker...

There’s a lot of advice out there that talks about social media and websites as two separate jobs. They are, to a degree, but they’re part of a whole marketing system. If you talk to a social media manager, they’re going to tell you that social media is the place to find new clients, because it’s low risk for people to opt-in to your world. If you talk to a web designer, we’re going to say that websites pull the most weight in people making the decision to work with you. Nothing else can ever...

The best thing your website can do is make people leave. I know it seems counterproductive, but having the people who aren’t a good fit for your offers self-select out leaves space for the people you do want to work with. Websites are a relationship-setting tool. You have the chance to showcase how you work, your personality, your stance on your industry - all things that build trust with the right person. If you’re trying to sell to everyone, you’re not selling to anyone. Cliché, but not...

I took a scooter tour around a city I visited recently. It was a ton of fun, but when you think about it, it’s wild the amount of trust it takes to book a tour. You’re signing up for an experience you don’t know anything about, expecting a total stranger to show up. And they do. The tour guides are great at what they do. When it comes to building trust, guide sites do a great job of showing that they can solve your problem. Here’s the formula: Your problem: in a new place, don’t know what to...

I’ve been traveling and my brain is in approximately three time zones at once, so this week I’m highlighting some amazing things people in my communities are offering. Hope one of these makes your day easier! Repurposing your Content (sliding scale) | April 2nd A sliding scale workshop online on April 2nd, about repurposing your content! This workshop covers several repurposing tactics, so you can share more often and be more visible without reinventing the wheel every time. If you or a biz...

Your website isn’t for you. It’s for your audience. When people land on your site, they’re looking for signals that they’re in the right place and that you’re the right person to solve their problem. The best way to make sure your website resonates? Know how your audience processes information. Broad demographics - generation, lifestyle, how your audience grew up - shape how people decide who to trust. That context matters more than we give it credit for. When I was in high school, we texted...

It’s hard enough to get seen and grow on social media. You’re fighting the algorithm gods and teensy attention spans, but it can be a good place to grow your visibility. Part of what makes social media an effective marketing strategy is getting people off the platform and into your ecosystem. There’s a couple of ways to do this, but a common way is a link-in-bio page. A bunch of companies built businesses around this idea, like Linktree, Hoppr, or BioSite. But if you already have a website,...

Website copy and design are pb&j. Mac & cheese. Milk and cookies. Biscuits and gravy. Chicken and waffles. (Maybe I’m just hungry.) But copy and design really do go hand-in-hand. The words on your site and the design are two pieces that work so seamlessly together that it’s easy to forget they’re two different disciplines. As a designer, I think copy matters more than design. I can make something look good, but if the words aren’t working, then it’s just… pretty, not functional. Design’s real...

There’s a wealth of advice on the internet on how to position yourself, your offers, and make yourself ‘stand out’ from your competitors. Some of that advice is really good and comes from people genuinely trying to help you connect with your audience so you can grow your business. Some comes from marketing bros who are trying to teach you to do anything possible to separate your audience from their money. There’s a lot of manipulative marketing out there, and some of it is done so well that...

I’ve been working on a couple of Wix projects, and it’s involved a lot of: “why is this setting here.” “okay wait that actually makes sense.” “oh cool, I broke it”. It’s been… humbling. Every new tool comes with what I think of as a learning tax. You can pay it with time, money, or frustration. Usually some combination of all three. With Wix, I’ve been paying in time. Clicking around, testing things, googling weirdly specific questions, rebuilding stuff twice because I didn’t know a shortcut...