One designer, two skill sets, no awkward handover
who am i?
I'm Bec, a brand designer and strategist working as By Grace Studio on Kaurna country.
Most studios split the two. Strategy goes to one desk, design to another. By the time a brief reaches the person actually making your brand, something has already been lost.
At By Grace Studio, the thinking and the making happen at the same time, by the same person. That's not just efficient - it makes the work better. The strategy shapes the design from the inside out, not as a document handed over after the fact.
I work with founders and small business owners who want a brand that actually works in the real world. Not just something that looks good in a PDF. Something that holds up on a business card, a website, a van door, and a social media grid at 8am on a Tuesday. I ask questions nobody else asks. I push back when it matters. And I stay with you until the work is right.
If that sounds like you, let's chat.
Approach
Strategy
Every project starts with a proper conversation. Sometimes it's a workshop, sometimes it's a deep-dive questionnaire, sometimes it's a long coffee. Either way, I get clear on who you are, who you're for, and what makes you, you. You walk out of this knowing how to talk about your business - even before any design happens.
Design
Now I make it look like the thing we just figured out. Logo, type, colour, identity system, website, whatever the project needs. Every visual decision points back to the strategy, which means fewer rounds of "hmm, not sure why but this isn't quite it." The work feels right because it is right.
Launch (and after)
Files, guidelines, a proper handover so you can run with it. And I'm around afterwards if you need me - most of my clients stick around for the next thing. A brand isn't a one-off project; it's something that grows up with the business.
Strategy first, always
The thinking comes before the making. It's not always the prettiest thing, but so important because it has a ripple effect on your business. Every project starts with figuring out what your brand is actually doing in the world - because design without strategy is just decoration.
Considered, not complicated
Good design feels obvious in hindsight. I take time on the small things - the word choice, the kerning, the tiny decisions nobody notices but everybody feels.
For people, and the planet
I work with people doing something that matters, and I make choices - printers, suppliers, materials, hosting - that line up with that. Quietly. Not as a sales pitch.
