think less. Care less.
Look better anyway.
Use seasonal capsule branding to get your visual sh*t together, without burning out, rebranding, or buying another template bundle you'll never use.
You know what you want it to look like.
but every time you sit down to do it...
Is this on brand?
but i don't have a yellow...now what?!
this looked better in my head
is everyone using this template too?
I like this part...how do i make the rest look right?
Is this ugly?
maybe i need a new template
maybe i need to look at what my competitors are doing again
wait...
ugh idk i've been looking at this too long
“No decision fatigue, no overwhelm.”
“Before I built my capsule brand, I would’ve avoided doing my podcast graphic. I would have gone into Canva and been totally overwhelmed. I probs would’ve had 20 different designs and not felt confident about a single one! But today I whipped up podcast graphics in under an hour with multiple choices I actually liked.”
You’ve got the fonts.
You’ve got the colors.
You just struggle to use them without losing two hours and your will to live.
You don’t hate design.
You know how important it is.
You want to feel proud of the stuff you’re putting out.
But no matter how many templates you buy or effort you put in, it just… never feels quite right.
And honestly? You’re tired of spending hours trying to get your stuff to look “on-brand,” only to still feel kind of “meh” about it.
You're not alone, and you're not the problem.
You were set up to fail.
You were handed a “brand” and expected to magically know how to use it—on top of everything else you’re already doing.
You never set out to become a designer, yet it feels like you have to be one in order to run your business.
if you can relate...you've landed in the right place!
This is how you build a brand you’ll actually use.
My no-Fuss Framework
Get rid of the notion that using your brand is some neat & tidy process. That's an illusion we designers spin to "fit in" with the corporate world and other service providers...but behind the scenes it's totally different--that's why your first step is to get messy. Gather a bunch of things that you're proud of, things you're envious of, and let your brand breathe a bit. You'll do this with a messy mood board and possibly grow aspects of your brand identity.
Your designing for yourself is likely the most decision-heavy task on your list. Beat the decision fatigue by creating clear-cut rules for yourself ahead of time and reducing your choices with a capsule brand. I'll walk you through the hidden micro-decisions you can make for your brand today that will save you TONS of decisions on your next design.
Now that you’ve got your rules and your capsule brand in hand, learn how to use them to make anything look like your brand.
For the next quarter, you’ll focus on using your new rules and your capsule brand, and seeing how each fits. You’ll figure out what you gravitate toward again and again (because it actually works) and what quietly needs to die. The goal? Mastery through repetition, not reinvention.
This is your 90-day edit—what worked and what didn't over the 3 months? You’ll tweak, cut, and add your capsule brand based on what real-life usage taught you. This is the seasonal check-in and subtle refresh your brand deserves.
Hey I'm Sophie
Your Design Deferral Partner
I build brand systems for real people with real energy cycles—not fantasy selves with infinite motivation. If your best effort looks like slouching in bed and knocking out graphics between snacks, we're on the same page.
After years of designing brands and templates in and out of corporate, I kept seeing the same thing: everything fell apart in real life. The brand books were gorg—but they weren’t usable. The templates? Confusing. Overwhelming. Often just more “stuff” people had to manage.
Then Canva changed the game.
Suddenly, brand guidelines were being handed to everyday users. Not designers. Not marketers. Just people trying to post something that looked decent without falling into a shame spiral.
So I stopped trying to make better brand books—and started building better systems for people who needed to break in their branding so they can finally feel comfortable using it.
CHOOSE YOUR WORKSHY PATH
Whether you're dipping in a toe or diving in head first, here's how we make branding feel less like a breakdown and more like a breakthrough.
get 1:1 design support every week with this monthly membership.
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Weekly design reviews from me (Sophie) where I spend about 15 minutes reviewing, tweaking, and commenting on your submitted design in Loom video made just for you and your brand.
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Regular resource drops which can include Canva templates, mini courses or workshops.
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Live events for all Shrug Club members like co-working design sessions, seasonal capsule brand edits, and hot seat calls.
I'll work along side you to unslump your visual branding once and for all
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This is a unique done WITH you brand refining and development package.
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It includes 3 strategic calls that uncover what's keeping you in a branding slump every time you sit down to create visuals.
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We'll work on custom templates and/or a design project together to check some design todos off your list.
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Real-time design strategy, decisions, and hands-on support from me (Sophie).
Walk away with a capsule brand, brand rule book, extended color palette, custom designs you know how to use, and more brand clarity than you've ever had before.
