Meet Your Brand Designer

Your Dream Designer

I help you build brands that let you be yourself—because I learned the hard way what happens when you don't.

The Story I Don't Usually Tell

For years, I was the buttoned-up corporate version of me.

I wouldn't wear colorful outfits. I didn't talk about my secret Burning Man life, or curse in a business context. I built a brand that looked "professional"—which really meant safe, neutral, and completely disconnected from who I actually was.

I thought that's what it took to be successful.

Turns out, pretending to be someone you're not is exhausting. Building a brand that feels like a show you have to put on every day will burn you out. And that's exactly what happened to me.

Extreme burnout. The kind where your body just says "no more."

What Changed

I shut it down. Started over. And over. And over.

I've evolved my brand more times than most people think is "allowed." Because I kept outgrowing who I was pretending to be and finally realized: the problem wasn't my brand strategy. The problem was that I was building someone else's version of success.

Now? I've healed. I've built a huge toolbox of alignment and anti-burnout practices to keep me moving in the right direction. And I help other business owners do the same thing—build brands they don't have to recover from.

What I Know Now

Small business owners are special. They're willing to do the deep work because they understand that their brand IS their business. They're not checking boxes—they're building something real.

And they need a designer who's been there. Who knows what it's like to feel trapped in your own brand. Who understands that evolution isn't failure—it's being alive.

That's why I work the way I do.

How I Work

I start with who you actually are.

Not who you think you should be. Not the "professional" version. The real you—even the parts you're afraid to show.

I ask deep questions.

Who are your real competitors? What makes you genuinely different? Why should someone choose you? What are you afraid to own about yourself that's actually your biggest strength?

I'm patient with the evolution.

Your brand will change. You will change. That's not a bug, it's a feature. We build brands that can grow with you instead of locking you into who you were.

I have strategies to avoid burnout.

Because I've lived it. I know what it feels like to show up every day in a brand that doesn't fit. And I won't let that happen to you.

I create systems that scale.

Many of my clients have used the same brand foundations for over a decade—evolving, launching new programs, pivoting—without complete rebrands. Because we built room to grow from the start.

Life Outside Design

When I'm not creating Brand Gravity for clients, I'm:

Painting with acrylics and watercolor (usually something bright and shiny)
Working on nervous system healing through cold plunges, meditation and sound healing
Learning to grow vegetables (with varying degrees of success)
Taking my corgi on the best adventures - he loves the beach!

The nervous system work isn't separate from the business. You can't hold space for other people's transformations when you're disconnected from your own body. The healing is part of how I do this work well.

The Team

Brand and Web Designer:
Erin Ferree Stratton

Home Base: San Luis Obispo, California

Mission Focus: Making your entrepreneurial dreams inevitable

Specialization: Strategic visual identities built for bold evolutions and big visions

Always Wearing: Blue (brand consistency + tiny closet practicality)

Usually Found: Covered in paint, gardening with one eye on Paxton Pants, while drinking an herbal tea. In the house, there's something delicious on my stove, braising slowly for dinner.

Chief Morale Officer:
Paxton Pants

Mission Focus: Enforcing creative breaks

Security Detail: Suspicious of all delivery personnel and also CATS

Morale Boost: Knows exactly when treats are needed (always)

His Goal: To become a dog influencer and content creator, he's saving up to get a little sister! Follow him on TikTok @paxton.pants

“I never could have come up with something as creative and multi-faceted as you did, and really appreciated the way you asked a tremendous number of questions in order to understand who I am, what I do, who my target market is and how I want my business to be present in the world.”

EVELYN KALINOSKY

COACH

She was the perfect blend of creative ideas, knowledge and implementation. She did what she said and she said what she did. I continue to use the branding logo and materials that she designed for me and I will hire her again when it is time to re-brand.

LAURA BETH DEHORITY
GLAMOUR BY LBD

What I Won't Do

I won't take on projects where I know I'm not the right fit. If you need quick turnarounds with minimal strategic input, there are designers who specialize in that. If you want someone to execute your exact vision without questioning it or improving upon it, I'm not your person.
I won't promise unlimited revisions or 24/7 availability. I have professional boundaries because they create better outcomes for everyone.
I won't design brands that perpetuate harm, mislead customers, or make promises your business can't keep. Pretty without integrity isn't worth creating.

Ready to Work Together?

If you're a small business owner with big dreams and you're ready for strategic brand transformation, let's talk.

START YOUR DESIGN

Erin Stratton designs brands for coaches building legacies, not just businesses. Since 2001, I've been helping entrepreneurs get off the rebrand rollercoaster and create brands that attract dream clients and grow with them for years. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Brand design for coaches ready to take off.